What is a landing page? Definition.
Think of a landing page as a kind of flyer or online brochure.
A landing page is there to highlight in a simple and attractive way one of your offers, one of your products or services, or part of your activity.
This is a specialized page that will allow you to talk straight to your target audience, and engage them to interact directly.
This interaction or “conversion” is the goal of a landing page. It can be of various kinds, such as a subscription to a newsletter or an act of purchase through a CTA (Call To Action) button.
Most often, we access a landing page through a very specific promotional campaign, for example :
- E-mailing campaigns
- Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram)
- Sponsored Search Results (Google Ads)
- Youtube videos
Unless you have a website collecting a very important traffic, the landing page is only one piece of the puzzle: it must be part of the overall strategy of a marketing campaign. Its role is not to attract traffic but rather to convert it.
What is the difference between a landing page and a classic home page?
A home page will most often invite the Internet user to discover the the activity of a business as a whole, by presenting all the different services and products. A landing page will focus on a single element (or a only selection) to promote.
A homepage will therefore often be made up of a good number of links pointing to all parts of the site, or even of various media or content which may distract the attention of the Internet user, but with the aim that he gets as much information as possible.
A landing page is a more “closed” space that will lead the Internet user to a single well-determined action, in order to convert quickly, without having to visit other pages.
Each of these two solutions has advantages and disadvantages.
A home page, longer and rich in content, will rank better on Google than a landing page. It will make it possible to expose your visitors to a broader selection of your website’ sections, and to properly redirect a visitor to specialized content, which is particularly suitable if your activity is complex.
A landing page is lighter, and can be faster to navigate. It will better address its target, especially in the context of a dedicated marketing campaign. It is in a way a “tailor-made” offer.
As we can see in the example above, the homepage has a menu and lots of links, and features different products. There is therefore an effect of “quantity”. The landing page will highlight only one product.
When to use a landing page?
It is relevant for you to opt for a landing page in the following cases:
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Product launch
Have you developed a new product or an exceptional new service and want to celebrate its arrival?
Create a landing page exclusively dedicated to this one! Illustrate it, describe it, and present all of its features in a synthetic and seductive way.
Ex : Khan Academy
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Promotion
Do you have a great deal to share?
As part of a special promotional operation, a landing page is also very effective.
As with a flyer or any promotion that you come across every day, you will highlight the advantages of the offer, such as a reduction amount, a deadline, etc. to trigger a sense of urgency in the target and direct them to an act of purchase.
If one of your products is struggling to take off or you need to destock, a promotional landing page may be the solution!
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Collecting data
Do you want to learn more about the consumption habits or the tastes of your target?
For that, nothing better than to create a landing page where the user will be invited to fill in his information or to answer a questionnaire. The landing page can simply collect an email address alone, or ask more questions.
Often, information gathering landing pages are coupled with an offer that prompts the user to collaborate. A contest, or a subscription to a good deals newsletter, access to a Webinar or a free PDF are great ways to convince Internet users to fill in their details.
Once the information has been collected by the landing page, your company will be able to analyze the data to inform departments such as Marketing or Research and Development.
It is therefore useful to all companies looking to better serve their market!
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A / B testing of ads campaigns or graphic change
You do not know what to choose between several artistic directions? You hesitate about your image, your logo, your color scheme?
Then develop two or more landing pages, and combine them with statistical analysis tools. So, by visiting your website, Internet users will be redirected at random to one of the landing page versions (what is called A / B testing).
After having received enough visits to gather a viable statistical sample, you will be able to determine which design or ad is the most effective and best converts your audience.
A / B testing via landings pages allows ultimate optimization of your marketing to be sure to have a website that converts the best!
What does a landing page look like?
The classic landing page consists of the following elements:
- The title: it embodies the value proposition made to the user. Its message must be short, attractive, and engage the Internet user. It’s placed at the top, in the foreground, so in one of the hot spots on the page. It must state the main advantage of the offer, and stand out from the competition. Remember you only have a few seconds to convince your target! This title may be accompanied by a subtitle.
- The visuals: It is not necessary to display too many images. A large main visual is recommended, possibly accompanied by a gallery or a slideshow. The role of these images is capital, and must elicit a response from your target, and even better, allow to relate to your product. Of course, the presence of a video is highly recommended, more informative and dynamic than the images alone. It must be short and punchy (not to exceed 30 seconds).
- The text: like the title, the text of a landing page is intended to be concise while presenting the essentials of the offer, without going into details. It is good, for example, to list the main advantages of the highlighted product or service, by choosing powerful, concrete words, precise numbers as well as varied and rich action verbs. To do this, the use of dashes, bullet points and boxes is recommended. These product or service advantages must correspond above all to one or more needs of the consumer.
- The CTA: the Call-To-Action (action button) must be clearly visible, stand out from the rest of the page with a different color, and contain an engaging message. Example: “Free Download” “Order now”. The landing page can contain several CTAs, in order to repeat a message in several forms and try to convince the Internet user in various ways. Consider that it takes around 1 CTA per landing page navigation screen.
- Social proof: this is crucial to inspire the confidence of Internet users. Also, at a time when testimonials on sites can be misleading or simply false, link a testimonial to its source if you can (on Google Business for example). Social proof can also be media appearances (report, newspaper article, etc.), a list of former prestigious clients, or even awards, prizes, or quality certificates.
- A message or thank you page: Once the targeted action has been triggered by the Internet user (form submission, purchase, download), be sure to provide either a second page or a message or a pop-up informing the Internet user of the success of the operation and thank him for his trust.
Where to get help with landing page design and development?
The Internet is full of ready-to-use resources for landing page designs . For a few tens or hundreds of euros, you can download landing page packs that will serve as the basis for your own campaign.
However, before rushing into these “bargains”, as you can find them for example on sites such as ThemeForest, Unbounce or LeadPages, it is important to consider the following points:
- Content Marketing: you will have to write your own commercial copy, and find the appropriate words to convert your target.
- Compatibility with your site: depending on the back office (CMS) of your website, you may not necessarily be able to integrate a paid landing page pack so easily. Check before your purchase and download that the pack will integrate smoothly into your site and that you are able to do so.
- Customization: naturally, a landing page pack will not necessarily correspond to the colors, or even to the font or more generally to the identity of your brand. However, it is important that your visitors know at first glance that they are on the right site, or, if they do not know you yet, that they see the differentiating elements of your brand, in the event that they will come across your brand again.
- Design: If you have a skillful in-house designer, that’s fine. A professional will know how to rework a landing page template to calibrate it perfectly to the human eye, and to offer an optimal experience of reading and transmitting emotion and information. If you have no design experience, don’t: you could achieve the opposite effect you want.
As a result, we naturally recommend that you turn to a marketing agency that will produce results that are loyal to your brand image, and that will be able to guide you as to the content to choose, or even create it entirely. Videos, photo editing, 3D illustrations, slogan writing and impactful texts, or even advanced statistical monitoring of your landing page’s performance … There’s plenty of good reasons to hire professionals.
Contact us now to create your next Landing Page together!
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How much does a landing page cost?
In our opinion, a cleverly designed landing page cannot cost less than a thousand euros. Also, it depends on the content that will be displayed on this page. The addition of a video, animations, complex photo editing, 3D visuals created for the occasion, a text designed by a marketing pro, forms or subscriptions to newsletter, integration of payment methods… all these elements will increase the cost of the landing page.
There is therefore no single price for a landing page. It is a tailor-made tool and depends on the means and ambitions of the project.
Conclusion: The Benefits of a Landing Page
- Simplicity: a landing page summarizes the essential information to convince your visitors
- Responsiveness on mobile: a landing page is also well thought out to be optimal on computer, phone or tablets.
- Originality: a landing page can contrast with the usual style of your communication, and dare to be creative to seduce!
- Efficiency: the conversion rates of landing pages are higher than those of traditional sites.
- Reusability: Once you have created an effective landing page for one of your products, it is easily duplicable and can be reused to promote another service or product.
Bonus: Beautypass.ch case study
In December 2020, LesMichels.fr joined forces with the Beautypass.ch team to create a marketing campaign and a landing page to promote their beauty offer in Switzerland.
Coupled with an emailing campaign, this landing page enabled Beautypass.ch to multiply its average annual turnover by 4 over the holiday season!
The first screen features several visuals related to the activity (beauty) and the target (mainly Swiss women). The title and the subtitle synthesize the offer. 4 sales arguments were retained and are presented in list form. Finally, the price is introduced, followed by a CTA in a clearly visible color.
On the second screen, we show the offer in more details by presenting what the product (the Beautypass) gives access to: general examples (in the form of icons) then more specific examples (in the form of images of service providers).
The third screen presents the product itself and explains in 3 simple steps how it works, followed by a new CTA.
On the fourth screen, we find the social proof here in the form of a customer testimonials slider, followed by a CTA.
Finally, at the bottom of the page, a prestigious partnership is presented, and finally, there is an FAQ that will allow visitors to quickly find answers to their most common questions about the product. Such an FAQ is also a positive element for the SEO of the site.
Do you also want a landing page that converts?
Contact us now!
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