When was the last time you went to an auto parts store just to browse for something? Ever drop in to check out the latest in oil filter options? Probably not. I’m guessing that unless you were gathering supplies to change your own oil or some other do-it-yourself project, you haven’t set foot in an auto parts store. You go to an auto parts store—or grocery store or print shop, for that matter—with a specific purpose in mind. These are what we call destination businesses. People, just like you, go there with a specific purpose in mind, not to just look around.

Let’s look at how this affects shopping or getting information online. A very common practice would be to go to Google and type in “oil filter, 2002 F150.” You hit Enter and are shown a list of links related to that search. You scan the page and click on what looks to have the closest info to what you are looking for. The webpage that shows up next is called a landing page, and it better be a landing page that gives you exactly what you are looking for: the correct filter for your vehicle, further information about that filter, and the ability to purchase it, or information on which parts store carries that item. One key to success for that auto parts store is the quality and accuracy of that landing page.

You, like many others, are trying to understand landing pages. How are landing pages relevant to your printing company? What is the difference between a landing page and the home page of your website? And, most importantly, how can a landing page impact revenue?

Using a landing page is akin to using a laser target rifle versus a shotgun. When a potential customer uses the Internet to find a product or service you offer, having a page that is specific to their search gets them closer to what they need, when they need it, and is faster than making them navigate through an entire website. Now let’s take a look at the core components of landing pages.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page is nothing more than a page of your website that has a specific call to action. The difference between a landing page and a general information page in your site is the landing page is designed for a very specific purpose that is the result of an action your client/prospect took. A landing page is a lot like telling someone what door you would like for him or her to use to enter your business, based on the direction they are coming from. In print form, such as a direct mail piece, that “door” to your business comes in the form of a specific URL, or Web address. If the customer or prospect enters that URL into a browser, it will take them to a specific page on your site rather than your home page. To return to our first example, the guy changing his oil walks in the door and is immediately in front of the oil filters, versus having to walk through multiple aisles filled with items he doesn’t need. Call it instant gratification.

In the world of the Web, customers and prospects could be coming from an email marketing piece you sent, a search that was conducted in Google, a social media post, pay-per-click advertising, or a myriad of other options. In all of those examples, you want them to end up on a landing page that you designed with their very specific purpose in mind. As an example, have you ever been on Google looking for information, clicked on a link to a website, and seen everything but what you were looking for? This is a case of no landing page in place, or worse, a really bad landing page. You can create keywords for search engine optimization (SEO), so that when a person enters any of those keywords into, say, Google, the return will be a link to that landing page. Let’s look at an example.