Have you ever wondered what exactly a landing page does? Who is supposed to land where, and why is this such a big deal in terms of SEO? To clarify these questions, we’ve written a blog to ensure everyone knows who should land where and how exactly to get there in the future.
My Embarrassing Past with Landing Pages
To my shame, I must admit that for a long time, I didn’t really understand what a landing page was supposed to be. I knew it was a webpage where you “landed” – but what’s the purpose of such a landing page, and why does it give me an advantage?
SEO and (Good) Landing Pages
The more I delved into the topic of SEO, the more I heard about “landing pages,” and the longer I worked in this industry, the more embarrassed I felt about not really understanding them.
The concept is quite straightforward, and implementing it isn’t rocket science. However, finding someone who could explain it to me without resorting to SEO jargon was quite a challenge. Additionally, I noticed that many people are reluctant to talk about what they actually do in terms of SEO and content, fearing that someone might copy their skills and they’d end up unemployed.
To prevent anyone else from wandering in the dark like I did, I’ve put together a basic explanation of what a landing page is. I hope this will finally clear the fog of ignorance 😊.
Landing Page Definition According to Google
Let’s ask Google for a definition:
Still, the penny hasn’t dropped. How often have I googled this and thought… huh?
So, let’s look at a real-life example of a landing page.
If I google “credit card” (note that my location is Germany), I get the following results:
If I click on the first link from Sparkasse, I land on this page (landing page):
The page is very clear and clean. No unnecessary information, just everything important about the Sparkasse credit card with a call-to-action that directs you to apply for the credit card.
So, if we derive the definition of a landing page from this, it’s pretty clear. Sparkasse obviously has a wide range of products and services for its customers – not just a credit card service. But as a visitor, you see almost none of that. The landing page focuses precisely on the one product we searched for on Google – namely, the credit card.
You can find everything else by clicking further (by going back to the homepage or to online banking, for example), but the landing page is solely about the credit card the visitor searched for on Google. Coupled with a call-to-action, I can apply for a Sparkasse credit card with just one click.
Landing Page Eliminates Obstacles and Improves User Experience
A landing page removes obstacles for my users – with every extra click, there’s a risk they might switch to a competitor or lose interest. You lead visitors directly to their goal – without detours, without unnecessary clicking, and in this case, increase the conversion rate, i.e., the number of customers applying for a credit card.
Generating Leads with Landing Pages
Many landing pages are also used to generate leads, i.e., potential customers. You land on a page where you enter information like your name and email address, for example, to sign up for a newsletter, get free subscriptions, or something similar.
A good example of this is the landing page from Zeit Online.
You can clearly see how direct and straightforward the design is. Enter your email (call-to-action) and off you go.
To sum up
A successful landing page limits itself to the basic information relevant to the topic. It always includes a call-to-action – asking you to enter an email address, register, or apply for something. There’s no beating around the bush, and unnecessary information is left out.
Example:
Sparkasse doesn’t need to show you ads for home financing if you searched for credit cards.
Does that make sense? Then comment on our post or let us know what you think about landing pages. Do you want to add something or would you like us to delve deeper into the topic? Let us know.
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