Strategy+Design

By simple definition, a landing page is the first page you arrive at after clicking a search result, email campaign or banner ad. People sometimes mistake a “landing page” for a website’s homepage because it’s the first place they are pointed to. Some people prefer to bookmark a landing page instead of a home page.

That means that almost every page of a website can technically be a landing page. Many companies have taken this to heart and have implemented thorough SEO strategies that boost traffic to relevant, searchable pages besides the home page.

Homeward Bound No Longer

I recently read an excellent article by web content guru, Gerry McGovern, here: The Demise Of The Home Page. The title says it all. People just don’t visit the home page much anymore. For example, companies have seen home page traffic shrink as much as 250% because people are finding results specific to their searches inside a website rather than on the home page.

For this reason alone, a landing page strategy is more important then ever before, but there are other benefits to integrating landing pages within your website.

Reasons to Integrate Landing Pages

1. Relevance – A landing page is an answer to a specific question. The page mirrors the question and provides an answer. When given an answer, the visitor knows they are in the right place and have found what they are looking for.
2. Navigation – Sending people to your home page and then making them hunt through your site for information they want will only make them mad and lose you lots of traffic along the way. Navigation plays a large role in determining the stickiness of your site (how long a visitor stays and explores your site).
3. Google AdWords Quality Score – Landing pages are a determining factor for your Quality Score. This means that, if you direct search traffic to specific landing pages in your site instead of your homepage, Google says they will reward you by giving you higher positions for the same bid price.
4. Conversions – MOST IMPORTANT! Conversion rates are higher when visitors are sent directly to specific pages that contain information they want. It’s that simple.

But wait! Don’t throw out your baby…

With the home page getting less love these days, providing potential customers with relevant content using landing pages will not only increase traffic, it should also increase conversions. But don’t ignore your home page just because people visit less. It is still your company’s welcome mat and brand image so keep it clean and well SEO’d too.

A landing page content strategy does require a bit more strategic thinking and planning, but the ROI is well worth it. Look at it this way: if you’re not doing this for your customers, chances are your competition is or will be sooner than you think.

As always, let us know your thoughts and experiences. We thrive on feedback.