What is a landing page
T
he landing page is a web page whose purpose is to collect contact or purchase requests from visitors. It is therefore a widely used tool in digital marketing campaigns and, unlike traditional web pages, has a specific structure. Each element, in fact, must capture the user's attention and engage him/her as much as possible, so as to convince him/her to leave his/her details or place an order. Texts, images and colours on the page must naturally be similar or related to those on the brand's website, so that the visitor can easily create an association. However, unlike the content on the corporate site, which is predominantly informative, the content on the landing page has a purely commercial purpose and must therefore be designed differently.
How to create a successful landing page: where to start
The first step is to focus on the 'above the fold', the first portion of the page. This is in fact the part that the user sees as soon as he lands on the landing page and which, precisely for this reason, plays a crucial role. In a few seconds, the visitor must understand the topic of the landing page and, above all, must decide to stay on the page. The structuring of the 'above the fold' must therefore be done with the utmost care. On the other hand, this is a mechanism already found in newspapers and magazines. In these cases, too, the content at the top has sensationalistic headlines and very captivating images. Likewise, the landing page must literally 'immobilise' the user, hitting the target from the very first lines.
Title
Certainly, the title must focus on the content on the page, but it must at the same time provide an answer to what the user is looking for or asking for. The landing page, in fact, is a page that the user lands on after clicking on an ad. Consequently, the visitor has a certain expectation, which must be fulfilled in some way, otherwise the page will be abandoned. The choice of title and first texts will therefore depend on the starting campaign.
Media
Another element to focus on in the 'above the fold', but more generally in the structuring of the entire landing page, concerns images and videos. An effective landing page must in fact be able to count on captivating multimedia content. Here too, the choice will depend on the topic and the nature of the product or service being advertised. In the first case, for example, it might be useful to publish an infographic on the possible benefits of using a particular item. In the case of a service, on the other hand, one could focus on the customer's experience by publishing a video review or an interview. In short, multimedia content is a really important resource that cannot be overlooked.
Call to action
However, the indispensable element of a successful landing page is definitely the 'call to action', i.e. the text that is intended to prompt the user to perform a certain action. In this case, the goal is that the visitor fills out the form leaving his or her data or takes a path to order the product. Consequently, the 'call to action' must certainly be clear and comprehensible, but above all convincing. The user must therefore feel confident in taking that action and in what awaits him in the next steps. The 'call to action', therefore, is nothing more than a 'promise' that the brand makes to the user and that must be kept in subsequent relationships. The text must therefore be reassuring and, at the same time, very persuasive. The 'call to action' is generally placed at the bottom of the page, but the advice is to include one already in the first part of the landing page, i.e. in the 'above the fold'.
