Digital Marketing 101: What is a Landing Page?

You may have heard us jargon-y marketers talking about Landing Pages.  You may or may not know what they are, but it is likely you have seen one.

A Landing Page is a web one-page for a specific campaign or offer with a solitary Call to Action.  There are several different types of Landing Pages, but ultimately they are all geared to steer the audience in one direction or guide them onto the next step in a funnel toward purchase.  

​Here are the different types of landing pages:

Splash Page

A Splash Page could be defined as a front advertisement page.  It is giving you the option to take part in something, but has a clear exit from the page. A "continue" or "skip" is common.  This is typically a page used as the gateway to the website you are intending to view.  Below is a classic example: 

Squeeze Page

A Squeeze Page is most commonly a pop up on a relative page that is meant to capture information of the viewer.  It has minimal text and often offers something in return for information.  In this case, a Free Planner in exchange for an email address:

There is only one option or exit.  Enter the email and press the one button or click X (or in some cases, "no thanks.")  Squeeze Pages are used to entice a new visitor to hook into the brand and start being nurtured into a qualified lead (someone likely to be ready and willing to purchase)

Lead Capture Page

Think non-pop-up and often, but not explicitly non-offer Squeeze Page.  A Lead Capture Page is not a pop-up, but rather a full page devoted to collecting information for a lead.  The information gathered also tends to be more.  Rather than just an email and possibly name.  A Lead Capture Form will often ask for full name, phone number, email address, and more.  The visitor is willing to fill out this information because they have come to this page with the intention of wanting more information on your product or service or with the express intention of seeking communication with the company on what they have to offer.  

These pages can, in theory, be used at any of the funnel stages, but is more likely to be avoided at the first stage.  The visitor is more likely to be attentive to such a page when they have already been qualified as interested and involved in the right industry or lifestyle or has been qualified as a sales lead who is looking to try out the product or service.  

Above is an example from Hootsuite that gives the option to download a report that qualifies the need for the service they are also providing a demo of.  You can click on either button and the same full lead capture form pops up asking for information including: full name, business, title, industry, company revenue, phone number, email, and more.

Click-through Page

A Click-Through Page is a bottom of funnel page that initiates the user process.  The audience on this page knows who you are, what you offer, and needs what you have or something similar and is in the decision phase. 

The Click-through Page might lead you to applying for a loan, inputting information on an insurance quote, starting a free trial of an online software, or leads you right up to a sale by even taking payment info for when the free trial runs out or may offer you a discount if you buy now.

Sales Page

This is the hardest one to optimize.  Where the other pages are often to-the-point and might be able to be entirely read without scrolling or with just a few turns of the mouse-wheel, a successfully optimized sales page is almost painfully long.  It is basically a 5,000-word click-through page with everything you can possibly say to sell the product or service.  There are several options to click-through to the payment page and buy now through-out.  Many times you don't see the price until you scroll all the way to the bottom or click-through.  

This page is optimized to speak directly to the customer you are targeting and appeal to their very need for what you have to offer.  It will highlight testimonials, examples, what they will get out of buying, what is included, why it's important to them.  Here is an example of a comparison from Instapage:

Landing Pages on Point

There are many options for where to get started.  We mentioned Instapage above.  Leadpages is another.  And, there are MANY.  

It is important to understand the benefit of using landing pages to guide your audience thru the sales funnel as well as the benefits of  landing pages for tracking, reporting, and analytics on lead generation and conversions so you are able to optimize your sales cycle.  

Contact Us for a Landing Page Consult