A Landing Page is Not an Order Page (and why it matters)

Download eBooks and Software

Satellitedirect - Highest Converting Tv To PC Product
Don't Have A Website? Create A Money Making Website In Just Minutes For Free With Our Brand New Tool: Http://professionalcash.com/webtool

Forex Trading Software Plug-in Averages 500 Pips A Month
Forex Plug-in Software Averaging 500 Pips A Month Since Oct. 2010. Ideal For Newbies, Simple Instructions W/6 Training Modules. Killer Conversion, Super Low Returns, Total Impulse Buy. Affiliates, Visit: Http://netpicks.com/odstaffiliate For More Info!

Paleo Recipe Book - Brand New Paleo Cookbook
Brand New Paleo Diet Cookbook With Over 370 Recipes. Pays 70% Commission On This High-quality, Easy To Sell Product. Get Banners And Promotional Material At Http://paleorecipebook.com/affiliates.html

Surveyspaid.com
New Design Is Getting *insane* Conversions (4%+)! If You Promote Surveys, You Need To Give Our Site A Try- We Promise You Will Be Happy! We Use Geotargeting And Downsells. Converts Great With International Traffic. Email Followups With Your CB Id!

Able To Prove God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible To Be Fact!!!
This Book Prove The Existence Of God, The Acts Of Jesus Christ And Proves The Holy Bible To Be 100% Fact. You Will Also Learn About Conspiracies, Secret And Street Organizations, Asian/world History In One Amazing Exciting Suspense Novel.

Articles Index >> Marketing 2

A Landing Page is Not an Order Page (and why it matters)

by Leon Altman

To explain my point I need to first confuse the issue a bit (you’ll see why): While a landing page is not an order page, it can, and in many cases should, contain the order form.

So what is the difference? Is this just a question of semantics? Actually, there is a big difference and it can have a big effect on your conversion rate. Generally, the order page is another page on your website. As such, it will have links to other parts of your site. Since someone who comes to the order or signup page often comes from other parts of your site, and has looked at descriptions of your products and service, you can assume they are ready to buy or sign up. When that is the case, there is little need to go into much sell, if any, before getting to the form prospects need to fill out.

Prospects who come to your site after seeing your marketing communications, online or offline, are in a different mindset. Generally, they are not prepared to buy or sign up yet. They need a landing page that includes some sell before seeing the order form. Confronting this prospect with the order form or signup form too early, before they feel prepared, can seem presumptuous and you can easily lose this prospect.

How much sell is needed depends on the communications prospects came from. A short ad or text link dictates longer sell than a lengthy article or direct mail letter. Another factor in how much sell/information copy is needed before asking for the order is the complexity of your product or the offer.

Say the prospect came from a longer marketing communications piece, either an article or a direct mail letter. While this prospect has more information than the one who comes from a short ad, there still needs to be some sell, even if it is to just quickly reiterate the benefits and make the prospect feel smart for coming to the landing page and taking advantage of your offer.

And in all cases, the landing page must be consistent with the marketing piece. If the prospect is suddenly confronted with a landing page that seems different or just doesn’t seem to connect with the piece they came from, a number of unfortunate things happen. There is a credibility gap. The prospect senses this is different and becomes on guard. And you lose the momentum of the sell, where one benefit leads to another until the close.

Let’s say you’ve determined the length of the sell copy on the landing page. At this point, there is a crucial decision to be made. After the sell, do you put the order form or signup form on the same page or have prospects click to go to another page to fill out the form?

There are two opposing prospect tendencies to deal with. The more clicks a prospect needs to go through to get to the order or signup, the more likely the prospect will not continue. On the other hand, make prospects do too much scrolling and you’ll lose a certain percentage of them. In addition, if there is too much copy and graphics on a page, there is the danger that the page looks too cluttered and intimidating.

There is no cookie-cutter solution. Generally, it is preferable to have the order form on the same page as the preceding sell copy; that is, on the landing page. Having said that, there are numerous cases when having prospects click to go to a separate order page is better.

So you see, a landing page is an important, yet flexible, stage in the selling process. Always keep in mind the marketing piece the prospect came from and develop your landing page accordingly.

About the Author

With 25 years of experience, Leon focuses on helping marketers get more out of their investment in marketing. To inquire about his services, write leon@altmancommunications.com . To sign up for his Free Marketers FYI newsletter, visit his site at www.InvestingIN.com/marketing

News on Internet Marketing

Cyberset Distinguishes Itself from Other Internet Marketing Companies with Its Dedication to Personalized Service
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Â As the private sector aims to further exploit the many benefits of e-commerce, more businesses are seeking high-quality Internet marketing services. For comprehensive ...

Internet Marketing Company Reveals Results of the Poll, "Which Link Building Strategy Works Best For You?"
Internet Marketing Company (http://www.internetmarketingcompany.biz) Reveals Results of the Poll, "Which Link Building Strategy Works Best For You?"Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 04, 2012 Internet Marketing Company, a search engine marketing company, announced today the results of the poll , "Which Link Building Strategy Works Best For You?" on the FacebookÂ® platform. ...

Internet Marketing Expert Cheryl Heppard Teaches Strategies to Attract Clients and Increase Profits
Host of Get Busy With Clients to lead monthly group coaching call for members on how to implement a strategic marketing plan that attracts clients and increases revenue.West Bloomfield, MI (PRWEB) February 08, 2012 Cheryl Heppard, business and marketing coach, will be leading a group coaching call for holistic practitioners, healing professionals, coaches and solopreneurs for members of her Get ...

Internet Marketing Agency Command Partners Expands
Opens New Office, Announces New Services And Website (PRWeb February 09, 2012) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/interactive-agency/command-partners-expands/prweb9180744.htm

People Polled on "What is the Best Link Building Strategy to Get a High Page Rank Website?"
Internet Marketing Company ( http://www.internetmarketingcompany.biz ) Reveals Results of the Poll, "In Your Opinion, What is the Best Link Building Strategy to Get a High Page Rank Website?" on the FacebookÂ® Platform (PRWeb February 07, 2012) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/seoservices/internetmarketingconsult/prweb9175836.htm

An Internet Marketing Company With a Big Heart
Web Marketing Pros is Donating Internet Marketing Services to Outreach International(PRWEB) February 02, 2012 Jacksonville Beach, Florida based Web Marketing Pros is donating Internet marketing services to Outreach International, an organization which provides long-term investments to generate growth in marginalized regions and countries.â€œWe will be giving Outreach International free Internet ...

Audience Management and Internet Marketing
From March 22 to 23, 2012, the annual eTarget conference is taking place in Moscow. It is the premier event in Russia where businesses interested in online marketing and brand management can meet brand marketers and proven practitioners, learn and get inspired from detailed case studies.

Local Lighthouse Changes How Internet Marketing and SEO Companies Do Business With the Introduction of New Online Portal
The Orange County based Internet Marketing and SEO Company, Local Lighthouse, has announced the arrival of its new online portal, PARC, making it easier for clients to assess the performance of their site. Through PARC, Local Lighthouse hopes to make search engine marketing more accessible and easier to understand for small businesses across the country.Tustin, CA (PRWEB) February 02, 2012 Local ...

Blizzard Reservation Engine Expands Reach With NEW Escapia API
Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc., developers of the Blizzard Reservation Engine (BRE), are proud to unveil a newly developed website for The Vacation Company of Hilton Head Island. The website features a booking engine with real-time integration with Escapia, a popular property management software used by vacation rental managers.Glenwood Springs, Colorado (PRWEB) February 07, 2012 The Colorado ...

Paton Internet Marketing Recognized by Constant Contactâ€™s Corporate Office
As a Pillar Trustee and a proven leader in the community, Todd Paton and Constant Contact have brought highly successful outcomes to Paton Marketing Clients. Paton Marketing was recently recognized by Constant Contact as an exemplary business partner. Paton Internet Marketing is a progressive leader in the field of Search Engine Optimization, Website Development, and [...]