April 22

Why You Need Targeted Landing Pages

Digital Marketing, Website Design

minute read

Let’s say that you have a new website that you’re really proud of. You’re showing off your Instagram feed, you’ve got multi-level drop down menus, pop-ups, light-boxes, and all the latest widgets. You’re anxious for visitors to check out your products, consume your engaging blog posts, follow you on social media, and explore your personal journey on the “About Me” page.

That’s great. Now let’s look at it from THEIR perspective.

They have likely arrived on your website either from a social media post that piqued their interest, or more likely, via a Google search for a specific keyword phrase. In other words, they have a singular, very precise motivation for clicking over to your site.

And when they arrive, what do they find?

Answer: Your Instagram feed, multi-level drop down menus, pop-ups, light-boxes, and all the latest widgets. Distractions. But NOT the one thing that they were looking for. At least not immediately, because you’ve tasked them with scouring your site to find that hidden pearl of information.

But guess what? They never will find it on your site, because they’ve already hit the “back button” on their browser in the hopes that Google will bring them someplace else where they don’t have to work so hard for the answers they seek.

THAT is why you need targeted landing pages. A landing page is designed to grab their attention and hold it, as well as giving them the confidence that you understand their wants/needs, and have the solutions they’re searching for. And if you're landing page does that, you’ve already won more than half the battle. (If it doesn’t, that’s OK, too, because you cannot hope to be everything to everyone.)

Let’s look at an example or two of landing pages done right. Here's a landing page for Airbnb. You can easily imagine how someone arrived there; searching Google for "how to make money renting my spare room."

optimized landing page

The copy speaks directly to the website visitor's immediate wants or needs: make extra money to pay for home repairs or for a dream vacation. Notice there aren't a lot of distractions or busy graphics. No asking "Follow us on Instagram!" or "Read our top blog posts!" Those types of asks have a place on the website at large, but NOT on a landing page. 

Also notice that the menu is minimal. You don't want them running off and reading your "About Me" page or checking out your Twitter feed. Keep them focused on your Call To Action

How Can I Help You?

If you think that your online presence could use a landing page or other digital elements, let's chat about it. The consultation is free and I promise to give you some valuable insights, whether we ultimately work together or not. 

Again, targeted landing pages are highly-focused pages that concisely answer ONE question that your audience is seeking. In the above example, that answer is precisely the service that they offer. That's a big win for both the customer and the company. But in some cases, maybe that answer is the "penultimate step" in a buyer's journey, and it comes in the form of a checklist, or template, or “how-to” video. 

But you probably need more than one landing page...

Many websites have content and products with several sub-segments. For example, I have website about Italy travel, as well as various aspects of Italian culture, such as food and language. People who visit my site to learn more about the regional cuisines of Italy might not be interested in my language lessons. So my free "email crash-course" in speaking Italian might not interest them. 

On the other hand, if they're interested in the food culture and are planning a trip to Italy, a free restaurant guide is likely very appealing.

Optimizing Your Landing Pages

Of course, the opt-in requires them to enter an email, so then I can stay in touch with them via an automated email series that will continue to build on the "know, like, and trust" levels of my audience. 

Could they find this same information if they landed on my homepage? Yes, eventually... but it would take some poking around. And most people just don't have the patience to do that. 

So if I were launching a Pay-Per-Click campaign on Google or Facebook, I'd be well-advised to direct the traffic to the landing page, and NOT the homepage or blog. Why? Because the landing page immediately gives them EXACTLY what they were looking for on Google, and EXACTLY what my ads promote. 

landing page optimization
landing page optimization 2

And that's the next point: there should be consistency from the ad to the landing page to the product. There's an advertising adage that goes, "Don't show them an ad for a Mercedes then try to sell them a Volkswagen." There needs to be consistency all the way through the buying process. 

Let's see what targeted landing pages should have in practice.

5 Keys to Targeted Landing Pages


1.

Limit Navigation


You've made the effort to bring targeted traffic to a specific landing page where you’ll give them the answers they’re looking for, followed by a strong Call To Action. Don’t make it easy for them to wander off to other parts of your site. 


Don't distract people! Limit the number of exits from the landing page so that visitors can focus on the task at hand. Hide the navigation bar completely, if you like. Then they only have two options: take action or leave.

2.

Provide Value


A visitor will never fill out a form for no reason; you have to offer them something that’s worth giving up their information. So you MUST provide value, something that answers a specific question or satisfies a want/need. 


This can be a free guide in the form of an ebook, instructional videos, downloadable templates, or a 15-minute free consultation. Above all, your offer must be educational; it must be useful; and it must be high-quality.

3.

Enable Sharing


This is a no-brainer. If visitors to your site like what they’ve found, then make it easy for them to share it with their friends and followers to reach an even wider audience.


It’s important to note that whenever possible, you would MUCH rather ask for a “share” than a “follow.” Sure, it feeds the ego to have one more follower, but so much better to have your offer shared with hundreds or thousands of others, than adding one more notch on your social media belt. 

4.

Be Concise


Too many words can suffocate your reader and cause a loss of interest.  As a rule, the longer and more wordy the landing page, the more friction you add to the lead conversion process. Keep the copy short and simple, and the engagement rate will increase. 


Edit yourself ruthlessly! “Perfection is NOT when there’s no more to be added… but rather, when there’s no more that can be removed.” - Bruce Lee

5.

Split Test Variations


There is no magic recipe for creating landing pages that can be applied to all audiences; you must test repeatedly to see which landing page best suits yours. Choose a landing page creation tool that allows you to build and test multiple landing page variations, and see what works best through analytics


But don’t ever get too comfortable. It’s an on-going process.

In sum, if there is one thing you can do to significantly increase your ROI when investing in digital marketing, it is creating targeted landing pages. More than blog posts, more than Facebook Ads, more than a beautiful website. Landing pages are highly specialized to do one. thing. perfectly.

How Can I Help You?

If you think that your online presence could use a landing page or other digital elements, let's chat about it. The consultation is free and I promise to give you some valuable insights, whether we ultimately work together or not. 

About the author 

Rick Zullo

Web designer, copywriter, content strategist, funnel builder, and teacher helping individuals and businesses create results-oriented digital marketing campaigns. [email protected]

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