6 Ways Your Landing Page Should (or Shouldn't) Be Like An Airport

As one of the four key elements to inbound marketing lead generation, landing pages are what guide your prospects on a non-stop trip from web visitor to lead. They link the initial call-to-action that grabbed the visitor’s attention to the offer they want to access.

In a way, good landing pages should be like an airport.  Airport management, air traffic control and an airport concierge should be rolled into one to make the trip successful for everyone.  Here’s how...

1. Mark the runway well. … OR … Use a clear title, description and layout.

Just as an airport needs to make it easy for a pilot to see where to land, your website visitor should be able to tell at a glance that they are in the right place. The images and text on the landing page should instantly convey the value of your offer and create a strong incentive for your visitors to download or sign up.

2. Remove distractions. (Those baby ducks or Indiana Jones “wannabees” on the runway … only funny on YouTube. Pilots want clear paths.)

Once you have a visitor on the landing page, keep them focused on filling out the form and accessing the offer. You can do this by keeping the page simple and removing even the navigation links from the top of the landing page.

3. Use forms that capture the information you need. (Remember, to direct planes in the right direction, air traffic control needs to know the plane’s size and final destination)

Be sure your forms are capturing the information you need most in order to follow up with and qualify a lead. How much information that is will vary depending on what level of commitment or buying readiness the offer indicates. Simply signing up for a blog subscription should require only an email address to get the lead started at the top of a nurturing funnel. But if the landing page is for pricing information or a product comparison chart, you will want to collect more information (name, contact information, buying authority, industry, etc.) to facilitate sales.

 4. Don’t ask for too much. (The TSA with full-length body scanners? Too much.)

While you want to be sure to get needed information, don’t turn visitors off with too many questions. If forms are too long or too invasive, visitors are unlikely to complete them. That means they don’t become leads.

5. Say “Thank you,” and offer something more. (What if the flight attendants handed you a pass to the Sky Lounge on your way out? Nice touch.)

Really, it’s just good manners, with a side of ulterior motive. After a visitor fills out your form to access an offer, follow up by directing them to a thank you page or sending an auto-response email thanking them. You can use that thank you page or email to keep them engaged by suggesting other offers they might be interested in. It’s one way to keep them coming back to your page.

6. Monitor, analyze and improve. (One difference here: While the airline industry is apparently all about numbers, we need to keep customer happiness in mind, too.)

Track your conversion rates closely to monitor how well your landing pages perform. Use A/B testing to compare various elements and continually improve your landing pages to generate more leads.

Once you have these basics mastered for giving your website visitors a smooth landing (page), make your pages truly first class with the additional guidelines in How to Optimize Landing Pages for Conversion. Download the free ebook today.