What is a landing page, and when do you need one?
If you're running ads but getting no conversions, the problem may not be the ad but the page it lands on. When does a landing page make sense?
A landing page is a standalone page built for a single purpose. It has no menu, or a very reduced one, and carries no links that would take the visitor elsewhere.
Why a separate page?
Your home page does several jobs at once: it explains who you are, lists services, points to the blog, gives contact details. That's right for a brochure site.
But a visitor arriving from an ad is looking for something specific. Someone who clicks a "winter tyre offer" ad and lands on your home page has to navigate to find the offer — and most leave rather than navigate.
When do you need one?
When you're running an ad campaign. If you're paying per click, a landing page is where that click pays back the most.
When promoting a single product or offer. A seasonal sale, a product launch, a limited-time deal.
When collecting signups. An event, a webinar, a newsletter, a trial request.
When comparing two approaches. You can build two pages for the same campaign and measure which converts better.
When is it unnecessary?
For corporate presentation. A page explaining your company isn't a landing page — it's an "about" page, and it belongs inside your site.
The structure of a good landing page
- Headline — the same promise as the ad. If the ad says "30% off", the page must too; otherwise visitors think they've arrived in the wrong place.
- Subheading — explains the promise in one sentence.
- Image — shows the product or the outcome.
- Benefit list — not features, but what the visitor gains.
- Trust element — a testimonial, a number, a logo, a guarantee.
- One call to action — repeated a few times down the page.
- FAQ — clears hesitations up front.
The most common mistake
Leaving the menu in. Every link that scatters the visitor's attention lowers conversion. On a landing page even the logo shouldn't be clickable.
It's useless if you don't measure it
A landing page exists for conversion, so conversion must be measured. Define the form submission as an event; otherwise you'll never know whether the page works.
- #landing page
- #advertising
- #conversion
