Why landing pages are a vital part of online advertising campaigns

A landing page is one of the most vital aspects of an online marketing campaign. A landing page is  the designated page, or an existing page on your website that visitors end up landing, whenever they click on your search ads, banner ads or other online ads linked with your campaign. The landing page is usually explicitly designed with the help of  call to actions to entice users into completing an action, with the aim of generating more leads or conversions for your campaign.

Whether your landing page is specifically designed, or you wish to use an existing page on your website it is important that you know the different types of traffic you could be generating in order to make an informed decision on which type of landing page to use, that would best suit the audience you are trying to target.

Organic search traffic

The pages that appear on search engine results pages in response to are often organic search results. The contents are generally SEO optimise during specific keywords associated with the website, to improve the position in which they rank in the search engine results. The visitors gained this way have often specifically searched a query directly related to the website. Users visiting your site this way will be taken directly to your homepage.

Paid search traffic

Paid traffic, on the other hand, causes websites to appear within the top section of the search page, as search ads. These sites are paid so that they can come up on the result page and gain the maximum attention of the visitors. In paid search, you can decide whether users are taken to your homepage, or to a designated landing page.

Now, there’s a basic difference between a landing page and homepage. A landing page is often designed with a simple interface where the call to action gets major importance. These pages are less cluttered as they have few distractions and focuses on one main objective which in turn increases the scope for conversions.

This landing page, if properly utilised can be a significant strategy for achieving digital marketing goals. For this, you need to create a reliable and pre-defined goal which can expertly help you in succeeding.

Importance of landing page

A successful landing page Speaks for the offer and not the company.

The objective of the landing page should be simple, short and direct. You could risk appearing unprofessional and untrustworthy if you were to entice customers in with a promotion or offer which is false or not as it appeared in your advertisement. Neither should it tell about the history of the company in details. This is because people have clicked on your link due to the offer in your ad. The landing page you choose to use should be an extension of your brand and the offer or promotion running for your campaign in order to maintain a professional and trustworthy face to your business.

• No intimidating forms

Once your visitors land upon your page, they shouldn’t be scared away by long and lengthy forms. Break it down into steps and keep them interested in order to carry them through to the final steps you wish them to complete- whether it be a sing up form for a free trial, downloading a free brochure or simply signing up for newsletters- whatever your goal, keep it simple.

• Audience-specific

Marketing online allows you to segment your customer base, which will help you to target specific customers through customised campaigns. Moreover, having multiple campaigns running simultaneously appealing to different segments of your audience, perhaps depending on specific locations or age groups of users within your target.

• Collecting specific information

The campaign analysis is not limited to the targeted audiences, you can gain much more detailed information from your campaign to analyse more thoroughly. In order to gain detailed data, it is important, and beneficial to include detailed questions in your contact form so you can gage who your customers are and look for patterns in their behaviours based on different demographics.

Different types of landing page

There are two different types of landing page, depending on the kind of campaign you are running and what your end goal is.

• Lead generation landing pages

The lead generation or lead capture pages uses a form for users to fill in which acts as the call to action. Its purpose is to collect significant data such as names and email address. B2B marketing campaigns tend to favour this way, so that the information can be passed over to a sales team who then call or email to make personal contact with the user.

• Click through landing page

This type of landing pages is most commonly used by ecommerce websites with a simple button as a call to action. The aim here, is simply to generate traffic to the website, or to generate a high number of clicks. These types tend to be used more in B2C marketing, as detailed information is not as highly valued, the focus is more on the quantity of data.

Top tips for a successful landing page

• Clear call to action

Your first point of call with your users are your ads. These ads should stand out and have a clear call to action to entice users in as much as possible. Once users click your ad, your landing page must reflect the ad, both in terms of design and the copy to retain your branding and company voice.

• Simple interface

The simplicity of a landing page aids in generating conversions. The less places for users to click or divert to that are not linked to your campaign, the more likely they are to click the actions linked to your campaign. Giving them less ways to leave without completing the action is a sure way to maximise the potential for conversions, for example filling in a short but concise contact form. With click through rate landing pages, making it simple and clear for the user to redeem their voucher, discount code or free gift- whatever you are offering- is the way to get those clicks through. If your page is too complicated, users will be put off…simple as that!