What is a landing page? Simply put, a landing page is a single page on a website that exists for the sole purpose of capturing information from visitors who view the page. Depending on your business, the information collected could be as simple as getting the users name and email address or more detailed like collecting a name, phone number, state and best time to call. This information would be useful if you had a team of sales people who would need to personally contact the individual who completes the form. Contacting the person at the appropriate time could be the difference between making a sale and losing one.

But what makes a good landing page? How can you create an effective landing page that brings you the most possible conversions? Here are a few basic fundamental tips for getting the most out of your landing pages:

Make your page target-specific

You want your pages to be simple and adhere to a single message. Think about why the visitor came to the page. What is it that they want from you? For example: If they are arriving from a Google ad for chocolate bars, make sure the landing page is about just that. Don’t send them to a page that offers an assortment of candies, popcorn and chocolate. Instead, make sure that when they arrive on the page they find immediately what it is they were looking for – chocolate bars. If the user has to search through a mountain of information to find what they are looking for, they will most likely leave.

Keep your messaging consistent

From the ad to your landing page – the design, messaging and tone should be consistent. The flow should be easy to follow without giving the user anything that could be perceived as an interruption. For example: If your call to action has a very sophisticated tone and is offering a 20 percent discount on a product or service, make sure the landing page offers the same discount and has the same tone. A sudden change in on-page “attitude” or a change in discount from 20 percent to 35 percent could make a potential customer feel that they have landed on the wrong page or even worse — they could feel cheated or lied to. That’s not a good way to start out a relationship. The result could be a loss of future sales.

Get to the point

Being too wordy should be a crime. The user should know immediately that they have come to the right place. Let them know what you are offering, how it can satisfy their needs and how they can obtain it (usually by filling out a simple form). Let the user get in, get out and get on with their lives.

Landing page checklist:

1. Make your page headline clear, concise and attention-grabbing. Make readers want to continue reading the rest of the page.

2. Keep the pages simple. Don’t use too many attention-grabbing graphics or other calls to action. You want to give your user a simple path to follow and get them to do the one thing you created this landing page for in the first place – to collect some of their information.

3. Remove the page navigation. Again, keep them focused on the goal of giving you some information. Every navigation tab you show them gives them an additional exit point. Most people are internet-savvy these days and if they really want to find out more about your company they will look you up on Google.

4. Keep the amount of reading the user has to do to a minimum. Feed them only relevant information and then immediately let them know that simply filling out the on page form is the quickest way of getting what they came to your landing page for.

5. Provide an easy way for them to share your offer via social media. Social media is increasingly becoming a larger part of our lives and the chance that one of your offers could go viral might pay off. It can be very effective in reaching many people over a short period of time. Start off by sharing your offer on your own social media timelines like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

What cool offers are you creating landing pages for?