Landing pages are webpages that visitors are most likely to enter your website at referred from specific search results. The layout and text of a landing page determine what the visitor will do next. If layout and text are good the visitor will have his first question answered and finds a path to the answer to his second question. If you’re lucky he will eventually end up on your order page or other goal of your website.
But is there a best default landing page layout?
After talking to many webdesigners, usability experts and search engine optimizers I’ve come to think there is. Here’s what all great landing pages have in common.
They all contain the following sections:
- Stating the most likely question
They start by stating the most likely question someone has after searching a perticular searchterm. This question is placed in the page title and in a header above the rest of the page content. The title makes sure the question ends up in the search results and the header makes sure the visitor recognizes that he landed on the right page. - A quick answer to the question
By directly typing the quick answer under the header the visitor will have instant satisfaction and will feel good about your website. The quick answer can also be placed in the description metatag so it will most likely end up as the snippet under the title in search results. Use the searchterm at least once in the quick answer to make sure the snippet is picked and the term will show bold in the search results. - The link to your website
Why is this content on your website? What links it to your products, services or information? Here you place the most desired action you want the visitor to take next! For instance link to your products that would fulfill the users wishes the most. - The long answer to the question
In the long answer to the question you place keyword rich content including related searchterms. Whenever something on a related term might be unclear link to a page that explains that term better. - Related items
If you haven’t done so in the long answer you should link to the top related pages at the bottom of your text. Most of these links should be within your website, but you can also link to other websites that have more information on the topic.
They are easy to navigate:
- Use a recognizable layout
Users don’t want to think about finding the information. Place the information in the most obvious spot. Have a menu look like a menu. Underline your links. Make a header bigger and bolder then normal text. Read the book “Don’t make me think!” by Steve Krug. It’s a good way to start on usability! - Place important content “above the fold”
With one view someone should see what the page is about. Even without scrolling someone should see the first three sections I previously mentioned. At the moment most people use the 1024 x 768 screen resolution and subtracting browser and menu bars, the average browser window only has a height of 580 pixels. - Accentuate prefered navigation
Make it obvious what you want your visitor to do next. Use a giant button saying “Click here to …” (SEO-wise a “click here” in the anchor text sucks, so preferably make a good call to action without it).
If you put the site in Chinese, would you still know where to navigate? - Don’t have too much navigation
Don’t overload the user with navigational possibilities. Both SEO-wise and usabilty-wise too many links on a page is a bad thing. For instance don’t have your entire menu show, but just the subsection of the current page and some top sections to choose from. In the related items show only a top five. And always consider if a link is related enough to be on the page. - Use normal links
Search engines only follow normal “>a href” links. If a link has to be on your page, but is totally unrelated, use the “rel=nofollow” attribute in the link. This way no linkpoints are given and no associations are made between the pages.
A good landing page entices a visitor to navigate onwards and preferably to the endgoal of your website. Always keep the end goal in mind when designing and writing text for your landing page!