7 Types of Landing Page

Not all touchdown pages are the identical; in design or intent. In at present’s put up I’ll stroll you thru the 7 various kinds of touchdown web page.

Every kind has it’s execs and cons and I’ll talk about a number of the makes use of for every kind and the place they fall brief. This could aid you perceive which type is most applicable in your personal advertising and marketing campaigns.

That is day 3 in our 7 Days to a Better Landing Page collection.

What Is A Touchdown Web page? – A Transient Overview

First let’s get a fast definition out of the way in which. A touchdown web page is the net web page a possible buyer arrives at after expressing curiosity in one in every of a number of types of promoting:

• A search engine consequence (like Google)
• A banner advert
• A Google AdWords or AdSense advert
• A hyperlink in an e-mail
• Print promoting
• TV commercials

The aim of a touchdown web page is to increase upon the message of the commercial or hyperlink and persuade the customer to “convert” into turning into a buyer by taking a selected motion.

How the web page achieves this will depend on the targets of marketing campaign and the kind of touchdown web page used.

There are 3 primary classes of touchdown web page:

1. Standalone Touchdown Pages: These embrace; Click on Via, Lead Seize (Lead Gen or Squeeze Web page), Infomercial and Viral touchdown pages.
2. Microsites: A small multi-page web site (or sitelet) often created as a complement to the primary web site.
3. Inside Web site Touchdown Pages: Homepages and product element pages.

The 7 Sorts of Touchdown Web page (within the type of Smurfs)

Not completely certain how I bought onto the Smurf practice right here, however I’ll hold pushing the metaphor in case it magically works ultimately.

1. Click on Via Touchdown Pages (Quickie Smurf)

It is a quite simple type of touchdown web page. The only objective is to supply the mandatory particulars about a proposal, explaining the advantages and context of use in such a approach as to persuade a prospect to progress to the purpose of buy. All you are able to do is learn in regards to the supply and click on by way of to the corporate’s web site the place they are going to get you to finish the transaction.

Quickie Smurf doesn’t actually care about your wants, he’s solely inquisitive about ensuring you’re aware of the supply at hand, earlier than passing you to the checkout. He’ll use fast bullet factors to elucidate the advantages, a giant signal to point out the supply (50% off!) after which he’ll shove you over to the large shiny button that transports you to Accounting Smurf on the primary web site.

Instance Click on Via Touchdown Pages

2. Lead Seize Touchdown Pages (Hungry Smurf)

Also known as Squeeze pages, the aim of lead seize touchdown pages is to assemble private knowledge from the customer, often starting with their title and e-mail tackle. A real squeeze web page has completely no exit path from the web page, no hyperlinks or navigation – solely a button to submit your particulars. An incentive is often supplied in alternate for this private knowledge. We’ll be overlaying examples of those incentives in tomorrows put up.

Hungry Smurf cares just for the non-public data she will extract from you. She stuffs her cabinets filled with it earlier than passing it on to Mailman Smurf when the time is true.

The rationale an organization would use a lead seize touchdown web page is to construct an e-mail listing of related potential clients. This listing will then be used to market to those folks sooner or later.

Instance Lead Seize Touchdown Web page

3. Infomercial Touchdown Pages (Sham Wow Smurf)

As implied by the title, these touchdown pages are the infomercials of the web advertising and marketing world. Sometimes about 50ft lengthy (plenty of scrolling), they work by utilizing the identical kind of excitable language you’ve seen on these Sham Wow commercials on TV. Because the person reads additional down the web page, they get sucked deeper into the gross sales message, and as a result of quantity of effort expended in studying that far, they instill a specific amount of dedication which retains them studying.

It’s form of like swimming throughout the ocean. When you get 51% of the way in which throughout, there’s little level in turning again.

By the point you’ve got learn 2 paragraphs of textual content and 15 bullet factors, you’re most likely questioning the authenticity of the supply, however it’s THAT good that you may’t assist however hope it’s actual. Sham Wow Smurf is true there, ofering you a 2-for-1 time-limited supply. Purchase it now earlier than shares run out. He’ll even attempt to persuade you that Extenz actually does make you larger.

Sham Wow Smurf merchandise aren’t available in shops.

4. Viral Touchdown Pages (Community Smurf)

Corporations that attempt to create viral buzz are often doing so with a purpose to construct model consciousness. Examples of this sort of web page often include enjoyable flash video games or humorous movies. They’ll have a delicate reference to the corporate behind the creation, whether or not it’s a small emblem, a “powered by” reference within the footer, a closing reference within the video or oblique product references within the recreation or video.

Provided that the objective of those pages is to have them unfold to as many individuals as attainable, they make the most of 2 key parts:

1. Nice Content material: Regardless of how arduous you attempt, your work won’t ever go viral if it’s lame. Similar to its real-world counterpart – a medical virus – it’s not going to unfold anyplace close to as a lot if the contaminated particular person isn’t of adequate affect, curiosity or mobility to work together with different folks. Corporations blindly chasing their very own viral second are sometimes simply leaping on the buzzword bandwagon. You may take steps to allow the viral course of, however on the finish of the day your web page needs to be actually cool and related to face an opportunity.
2. Sharing Enablers: Actually nice content material doesn’t technically want enablers, as folks will easy lower and paste the URL into an e-mail or MSN messenger. However you possibly can enhance your possibilities of success by together with easy social media instruments. A superb instance is the Twitter Re-Tweet button you’ll see on the high and backside of this put up. This has the twin profit of creating it easy to share, and in addition will increase the perceived cachet of the particular person sharing it – notably if they’re one of many first to take action.

Community Smurf loves to hang around in a crowd, sharing his experiences with as many different smurfs as attainable. His video of Smurfette on the Christmas social gathering was so humorous that the entire Smurf city noticed it.

5. Microsites (Unbiased Smurf)

A microsite is a small however full supplementary web site used for pretty giant campaigns. They may usually have their very own vainness URL associated to the timing and relevance of the marketing campaign. Regardless that it’s greater than a single web page, it’s nonetheless labeled as a touchdown web page because it’s a vacation spot the place clients are pushed from paid on-line advertisements in addition to print and TV promoting.

Automobile producers typically reap the benefits of this format, producing specialised microsites for every kind of car they produce. They’re often larger funds designs utilizing high quality pictures and are sometimes in-built flash. They’re typically utilized in a co-branded situation the place the microsite is supplied to localized dealerships enabling them to supply extra constant gross sales messaging for their very own promoting efforts.

One other frequent person of microsites are for Film Trailer websites. They’re excessive site visitors websites that solely exist for the only objective of selling the film, in order that they don’t want the infrastructure of a everlasting web site.

Unbiased Smurf is a little bit of a snob. He has a giant home and tons of cash and doesn’t want something from “company”. He thinks he’s completely self sustaining and might host a celebration at his place with all the mandatory leisure.

Sadly the various search engines typically get misplaced on the way in which to the social gathering cos the flashy paint he makes use of disguises the home from their robotic taxis.

Unbiased Smurf isn’t as succesful as he thinks although as a result of he typically lacks the flexibility to gather any cash for the social gathering tickets. Which means he often has to run a bus again to headquarters so folks can use their bank cards.

Instance Microsites

6. Product Element Touchdown Pages (Know-it-all Smurf)

A standard fashion of touchdown web page within the retail business is the Product Element touchdown web page. That is only a web page on the primary web site that homes all the data associated to the product on the market. The advantage of this sort of touchdown web page is that it requires no further work to create a separate web page.

Nevertheless, because it’s a part of the compete web site it has a full suite of distractions: navigation, hyperlinks, banners and so on. all of which might take the shopper approach from the meant motion, making it extra complicated to trace the success of your campaigns. They might get lost and purchase one thing else, which is all good and properly, however it creates blended messages for monitoring functions because it may present up as a non-converting buyer – assuming that your success metric is the acquisition of the unique touchdown web page merchandise.

Know-it-all Smurf is a topic skilled. He is aware of each attainable element in regards to the product you’re promoting: options, specs, comparability charts, buyer opinions, he has all of it.

The issue with Know-it-all Smurf is that he could be overwhelming and unfocused. Earlier than displaying you the way or the place to purchase the product, he insists on displaying you pictures of three different associated merchandise that he needs you to purchase.

7. Homepage as a Touchdown Web page (Consideration Deficit Dysfunction Smurf)

That is the laziest of all of the touchdown web page varieties, and as such it performs the worst in the case of conversion charge. All too typically entrepreneurs will create costly campaigns solely to ship everybody to the homepage.

Why is that this dangerous? As a result of it’s bought too many distractions. The fundamental premise of a profitable touchdown web page is that it has a single targeted objective. A targeted touchdown web page lets you measure your marketing campaign effectiveness from begin to end – and tweak the advert copy, supply and messaging till you see optimum outcomes. How? Properly, if nobody arrives at your touchdown web page, the banners and Google AdWords advertisements will not be doing their job. In the event that they arrive on the touchdown web page however don’t convert, your touchdown web page isn’t optimized.

When a customer arrives on the homepage of your web site, they’ve so many choices that they’re far much less more likely to keep in your meant pathway, and as such, you don’t have any data as to why they’ve deserted the conversion path. Is it as a result of they couldn’t discover the supply they initially clicked by way of for? Is it as a result of they went to your colleagues division and acquired a bunch of stuff there? (He’s smugly thanking you proper now).

Sending your paid search prospects to the homepage is akin to asking

ADD Smurf can’t even operate when confronted with an excessive amount of alternative. What he wants is a skinny lengthy hall with a giant pink door on the finish.

Promote a 42″ flat display screen TV, then dump ADD Smurf in the course of The Sony Retailer and also you shortly discover him sitting on a snug couch watching Star Wars on the 120″ LCD with huge wi-fi encompass sound audio system.

After having fun with this elegant (however improper) expertise for five minutes, he’ll rise up, foget why he’s even within the retailer and head out the door.

Which Touchdown Web page Kind is Greatest?

It actually will depend on what your marketing campaign targets are however typically talking a extra targeted touchdown web page will convert higher. Utilizing a standalone touchdown web page in comparison with sending guests to your homepage is taken into account to enhance conversions charges by roughly 25% (supply Omniture).

One other vital consideration is touchdown web page optimization. By doing easy A/B testing in your touchdown pages you possibly can enhance their conversion charges from 2X-10X. Very often is it more durable to get adjustments accredited when they’re inside your company web site. This may be as a consequence of technical useful resource constraints or infrastructural limitations that make it arduous to implement a testing framework.

Standalone pages can take away a few of this ache. They’ll reside outdoors the first web site construction and as they aren’t linked to internally (you solely arrive at them from advertisements), there’s much less probability of political resistance to frequent adjustments.

Should you aren’t utilizing standalone touchdown pages, you need to attempt whipping up a fast web page template in your subsequent PPC marketing campaign (for reference, attempt working by way of our How to create a landing page design in 10 minutes train). Arrange 2 an identical advertisements and ship 50% of the site visitors to your touchdown web page and 50% to the homepage to see which performs greatest.

In tomorrow’s put up we take a extra detailed take a look at Lead Seize touchdown pages, the place we’ll talk about 7 issues you possibly can disclose to a prospect in alternate for his or her private data.

— Oli Gardner