Martin HarwoodMike Harwood

Learn to:• Create landing pages that convert

browsers to buyers

• Predict customer browsing behavior

• Diagnose and fix problems with your landing page

• Match pay-per-click ads and search results with landing page content

Landing Page

Optimization

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• Tips for closing online sales

• What “the fold” is and how to use it

• How to get results with strong calls to action

• Colors that please, and colors that don’t

• Suggestions for a Know Your Customer checklist

• Why you might need several landing pages

• A ten-point page inspection

• Your $50 coupon from JustMakeItEasy.com

Martin Harwood was CEO of an online marketing and development

company. He provides marketing consulting at www.mjharwood.com.

Mike Harwood is a technical writer, network consultant, and ad copywriter

for online businesses. He has authored books, articles, and coursework on

various technology topics.

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Boost your bottom line with a landing page that turns visitors into customersTurning visitors into buyers is what makes your online business successful. Here’s how to pinpoint your customers, identify vital landing page elements, plan a landing page that makes an impact, test it for flawless operation, and more. Plus, you’ll get a $50 coupon from JustMakeItEasy.com for e-content, videos, and more.

• What it does — explore the function of landing pages, how to target the audience you want, and how to compare your page to the competition

• What to say — learn to write for your visitors, creating copy that gets their attention and encourages them to buy

• What makes a page stand out — discover how color, fonts, and images affect the success of your page

• What builds trust — find out how to use testimonials, privacy statements, and Terms of Sale to gain your customers’ trust

• What visitors expect — be sure your landing page matches the expectations raised by your advertising

• What they’re saying — gain feedback from customer forums, reviews, and live chats

• What gets them there — see how to boost traffic with the right keywords, search engine marketing, and pay-per-click ads

Landing Page Optim

ization

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Landing Page Optimization

FOR

DUMmIES‰

by Martin Harwood and Mike Harwood

Landing Page Optimization

FOR

DUMmIES‰

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009935230

ISBN: 978-0-470-50211-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the AuthorsMartin Harwood has 15 years experience in Web development and design.

In that time, he has managed Wavefi re Technologies, a publicly traded

company that specializes in Internet marketing technologies. From this

experience, he’s worked as a consultant in e-commerce, landing page design,

and development.

For more information on Martin Harwood’s background and experience,

visit www.anthillpress.com.

Mike Harwood (MCSE, A+, Network+, Server+, Linux+) has more than ten

years experience working in information technology and related fi elds. In that

time, he’s held a number of roles within IT, including network administrator,

instructor, technical writer, Web site designer, consultant, and online

marketing strategist. He’s been a regular on-air technology contributor for

CBC Radio and has authored numerous computer books.

DedicationMartin Harwood: I dedicate this book to the entrepreneurs who have had

to learn it the hard way and their families that have to put up with their

eccentricities, including my own family: Jolene, Lee, Justin and, of course, my

parents.

Mike Harwood: As always, I dedicate this book to my three amazing

daughters, Breanna, Paige, and Delaney, who fi ll me with pride each day;

and to my adorable and loving wife, Linda, who keeps me structured,

supported, and always amused.

Authors’ AcknowledgmentsRarely an easy process, the creation of a book requires the talents and

dedication of a number of people. With that in mind, we thank the folks at

Wiley for their work on this project.

Specifi cally, we thank Kyle Looper for overseeing the project and keeping

the ball rolling, Paul Levesque for his patient editing, and our editors — Jen

Riggs, copy editor, and Paul Chaney, technical editor — for their gentle

corrections that helped to make the text fl ow smoothly. If we are fortunate

enough to write another For Dummies title, we’d love to work with these folks

again.

A special thanks to Selkirk College’s English Professor Linda Harwood (who’s

also Mike’s wife) for her content contributions. She’s been teaching college

composition, literature, and business communications for the last 16 years,

so when it comes to the writing process, we knew she was the one to bug.

Finally, we’re thankful to our friends and family who once again had to put up

with the late hours and book-related ramblings.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com.

For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,

outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book

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Acquisitions and Editorial

Senior Project Editor: Paul Levesque

Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper

Copy Editor: Jen Riggs

Technical Editor: Paul Chaney

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Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham

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(www.the5thwave.com)

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Mark Pinto, Christin Swinford,

Ronald G. Terry

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Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

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Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents at a GlanceIntroduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Landing Page Basics ......................................... 7Chapter 1: Introducing Landing Page Optimization ...................................................... 9

Chapter 2: Understanding Online Marketing Basics ................................................... 21

Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Landing Page ............................................................... 37

Part II: Building Landing Pages .................................. 49Chapter 4: Identifying Key Landing Page Elements ..................................................... 51

Chapter 5: The “Best Practices” of Landing Page Aesthetics..................................... 81

Chapter 6: Writing for Landing Pages ......................................................................... 103

Chapter 7: Building Customer Trust ........................................................................... 119

Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers .................. 141Chapter 8: Getting to Know Your Audience ............................................................... 143

Chapter 9: Meeting Your Visitors’ Expectations ........................................................ 163

Chapter 10: Improving Customer Communications .................................................. 187

Part IV: Increasing Your Sales .................................. 207Chapter 11: Understanding E-Commerce and Closing Online Sales ........................ 209

Chapter 12: Fine-Tuning Your Landing Page .............................................................. 223

Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site .................. 243Chapter 13: Using Keywords Effectively ..................................................................... 245

Chapter 14: Understanding Search Engine Marketing .............................................. 263

Chapter 15: Driving Traffi c with Ads, Articles, and Other Tricks ............................ 285

Chapter 16: Paying for Your Clicks .............................................................................. 309

Chapter 17: Running a Google PPC Campaign ........................................................... 329

Part VI: The Part of Tens .......................................... 351Chapter 18: Ten-Point Landing Page Inspection ........................................................ 353

Chapter 19: Ten Surefi re Ways to Increase Conversion Rates ................................. 359

Index ...................................................................... 367

Table of ContentsIntroduction ................................................................. 1

About This Book .............................................................................................. 1

Conventions Used in This Book ..................................................................... 2

What You Don’t Have to Read ........................................................................ 2

Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 3

How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 3

Part I: Landing Page Basics ................................................................... 4

Part II: Building Landing Pages ............................................................. 4

Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers .......................................... 4

Part IV: Increasing Your Sales .............................................................. 4

Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site .......................................... 5

Part VI: The Part of Tens ....................................................................... 5

Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 5

Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 6

Part I: Landing Page Basics .......................................... 7

Chapter 1: Introducing Landing Page Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Introducing the Landing Page ...................................................................... 10

Understanding what a landing page is not ....................................... 11

The function of landing pages ............................................................ 12

Choosing Your Landing Page Focus ............................................................ 13

Identifying and Knowing Your Audience .................................................... 14

Web analytics ....................................................................................... 15

Identifying customer expectations .................................................... 18

Identifying product benefi ts ............................................................... 19

Chapter 2: Understanding Online Marketing Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Understanding Online Marketing Terms and Defi nitions ......................... 22

Tracking Down Online Marketing Myths .................................................... 24

Myth #1: Build a great Web site or landing page,

and visitors will come ...................................................................... 24

Myth #2: More visitors to your site translate into more sales ....... 25

Myth #3: The more content on a site, the better ............................. 25

Myth #4: Offering a broad range of products/services

on a landing page translates to more sales .................................. 26

Myth #5: The right product/service will make me rich .................. 26

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xiiUnderstanding the Customer Life Cycle ..................................................... 27

Acquisition ............................................................................................ 28

Conversion ............................................................................................ 31

Retention ............................................................................................... 32

Managing Your Expectations ....................................................................... 34

Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Landing Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Developing Your Landing Page Plan ........................................................... 37

Writing your business summary ........................................................ 38

Market analysis .................................................................................... 40

Marketing and landing page performance goals .............................. 42

Financial resources .............................................................................. 43

Your detailed fi nancial plan................................................................ 45

Researching Your Competition .................................................................... 47

Part II: Building Landing Pages .................................. 49

Chapter 4: Identifying Key Landing Page Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Working in the Fold ....................................................................................... 51

Three fold secrets ................................................................................ 53

Must-have fold information ................................................................ 54

Defi ning your resolution needs .......................................................... 55

Testing your fold viewing area ........................................................... 58

Checking out your competition ......................................................... 58

Troubleshooting your fold.................................................................. 59

Working with Headings ................................................................................. 61

Placing your heading ........................................................................... 62

The secret to creating perfect headings ........................................... 64

Determining heading effectiveness ................................................... 66

Troubleshooting your heading .......................................................... 66

Understanding Body Text Essentials .......................................................... 67

General body text guidelines .............................................................. 68

Avoiding text pitfalls ........................................................................... 68

Creating a Call to Action ............................................................................... 69

Keeping it simple ................................................................................. 69

Troubleshooting your call to action .................................................. 70

Using Images in the Fold ............................................................................... 71

Using animated images and videos ................................................... 72

Placing your image in the fold ............................................................ 72

Image mistakes to avoid...................................................................... 73

Creating Trust ................................................................................................ 74

Establishing trust ................................................................................. 74

Common trust errors to avoid ........................................................... 75

xiii Table of Contents

Using Eye Path (Heat Maps) in Your Design .............................................. 75

Identifying a heat map ......................................................................... 76

Heat maps as a marketing analysis tool ............................................ 77

Comparing current heat maps ........................................................... 78

Doing your own heat map testing ...................................................... 79

Chapter 5: The “Best Practices” of Landing Page Aesthetics. . . . . . .81Enticing (or Repelling) Visitors with Color ................................................ 82

The nutshell overview of color wheels ............................................. 82

The vocabulary of color ...................................................................... 85

Selecting your color scheme .............................................................. 86

Getting help online .............................................................................. 88

Being practical with color choices .................................................... 88

Attracting Visitors with Buttons .................................................................. 89

Speaking with your buttons ................................................................ 90

Pushing all the right buttons .............................................................. 90

Choosing the Right Fonts ............................................................................. 92

Selecting reader-friendly fonts ........................................................... 93

Managing font sizes and spacing ....................................................... 94

Using Images to Focus Attention ................................................................. 95

Sending the right message .................................................................. 95

Directing with images .......................................................................... 96

Selecting images for your Web site ................................................... 97

Working with photographers ............................................................. 98

Doing your own photography ............................................................ 98

Using stock photography .................................................................... 99

Chapter 6: Writing for Landing Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Introducing Landing Page Writing ............................................................. 104

Writing for the Web readers ............................................................. 104

Structuring your online communication ......................................... 105

Highlighting landing page hot spots ................................................ 106

Writing Controlled Content ........................................................................ 107

Stage 1: Planning ................................................................................ 107

Stage 2: Drafting to capture reader attention ................................. 108

Stage 3: Revising................................................................................. 109

Stage 4: Editing ................................................................................... 110

Stage 5: Proofreading......................................................................... 110

Stage 6: User testing .......................................................................... 110

Developing Persuasive Content ................................................................. 111

The ethical appeal ............................................................................. 111

The rational appeal ............................................................................ 111

The emotional appeal ........................................................................ 111

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xivWriting the Three Key Landing Page Components ................................. 112

Writing enticing headings ................................................................. 112

Writing calls to action ....................................................................... 115

Writing a value statement ................................................................ 116

Five Awesome Landing Page Writing Tips ............................................... 117

Chapter 7: Building Customer Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Developing Trust with Visitors .................................................................. 120

Dealing with (cynical) realities ........................................................ 120

The scourge of malware .................................................................... 122

The Elements of Trust ................................................................................. 123

Using the correct language ............................................................... 124

Incorporating trust words and phrases .......................................... 124

Protecting customer information .................................................... 125

Using trust icons and logos .............................................................. 127

Using testimonials and customer comments ................................. 129

Adding content pages to build trust................................................ 132

Using Terms of Sale and Terms of Use as trust tools.................... 133

Placing Trust Elements in Your Landing Page ......................................... 137

Five Trust Building Tips .............................................................................. 139

Trust Element Checklist ............................................................................. 140

Part III: Getting to Know Your Customers ................... 141

Chapter 8: Getting to Know Your Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143Creating a Customer Profi le ....................................................................... 144

Getting the information ..................................................................... 144

Pre-profi ling your ideal customer .................................................... 146

Defi ning your customer demographic ............................................ 147

Market Segmentation .................................................................................. 149

Personas: Putting a name to the group ........................................... 150

Applying market segmentation and personas ............................... 151

Establishing Your Customer’s Surfi ng Habits .......................................... 154

Understanding the Customer Decision-Making Process ........................ 155

Stage 1: Need recognition and problem awareness ...................... 156

Stage 2: Product/service information search ................................. 157

Stage 3: Evaluation of alternatives ................................................... 157

Stage 4: Purchase ............................................................................... 158

Stage 5: Post-purchase evaluation ................................................... 158

Taking advantage of the sales cycle ................................................ 159

Knowing Your Audience Checklist ............................................................ 160

xv Table of Contents

Chapter 9: Meeting Your Visitors’ Expectations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163Dealing With the Impatient Visitor ............................................................ 164

A little more on bounce rates ........................................................... 165

Tracking your bounce rate ............................................................... 166

Bounce rate reduction: The top 10 list ........................................... 168

Keeping Customers Happy: Final Thought ............................................... 173

Creating Multiple Landing Pages ............................................................... 175

The need for multiple landing pages ............................................... 176

Creating effective multiple landing pages....................................... 179

Advantages of Creating Multiple Landing Pages ..................................... 182

Building techniques for multiple landing pages ............................ 182

Strategies for matching multiple landing pages

to your advertising ......................................................................... 185

Chapter 10: Improving Customer Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187Communicating with Your Visitors ........................................................... 187

One-way communication .................................................................. 188

Limited two-way communication..................................................... 191

Full two-way communication ........................................................... 199

Using Forums ............................................................................................... 205

Part IV: Increasing Your Sales ................................... 207

Chapter 11: Understanding E-Commerce and Closing Online Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

Understanding E-Commerce Basics .......................................................... 209

Reviewing e-commerce components ............................................... 210

Fitting it all together .......................................................................... 215

E-commerce Mistakes: Ten Ways to Lose a Sale ..................................... 217

Strategies for Closing Online Sales ............................................................ 219

Create urgency ................................................................................... 219

Show confi dence ................................................................................ 220

Remove obstacles to sales................................................................ 220

Chapter 12: Fine-Tuning Your Landing Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223Locating Five Problem Areas with Your Landing Page ........................... 223

Checkout procedures ........................................................................ 224

Page presentation .............................................................................. 225

Page information ................................................................................ 228

Landing page technology .................................................................. 228

Site navigation .................................................................................... 229

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xviGetting the Information to Fine-Tune Your Landing Page ...................... 230

Usability testing ................................................................................. 230

Focus groups ...................................................................................... 232

Tracking software .............................................................................. 234

Google Analytics ................................................................................ 236

Making and Evaluating Changes to Your Landing Page .......................... 241

Using split-testing .............................................................................. 241

Split-testing with Google Analytics .................................................. 242

Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your Site ................... 243

Chapter 13: Using Keywords Effectively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245Reviewing Keyword Basics ......................................................................... 245

Benefi ting from long-tail keywords .................................................. 247

Understanding the connection between

keywords and search engines ...................................................... 247

Searching basics ................................................................................ 248

Getting on the Right Keyword Track ......................................................... 249

Picking the Right Keywords for Your Landing Page ............................... 250

Step 1: Identifying a general short-tail keyword

(and then expanding it) ................................................................. 250

Step 2: Identifying associated keywords ......................................... 252

Step 3: Researching your related keywords ................................... 252

Step 4: Putting it all together ............................................................ 254

Step 5: Choosing your best keywords ............................................. 254

Placing Keywords in Your Landing Page .................................................. 255

Placing Keywords in Your Advertising ..................................................... 257

Reviewing Online Keyword Tools .............................................................. 260

Chapter 14: Understanding Search Engine Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . .263Understanding Search Engine Marketing ................................................. 264

Crawling, indexing, and sitemaps .................................................... 265

Deciding on your search engine focus ............................................ 267

Submitting an XML sitemap .............................................................. 268

Ranking and Search Engine Optimization ................................................ 274

Creating search-friendly landing pages........................................... 274

Using <TITLE> tags ............................................................................ 275

Using <DESCRIPTION> tags .............................................................. 277

Content, content, and a little more content ................................... 278

Monitoring your HTML fi le size........................................................ 281

SEO Checklist ............................................................................................... 282

xvii Table of Contents

Chapter 15: Driving Traffi c with Ads, Articles, and Other Tricks . . .285Driving Traffi c and Its Considerations ...................................................... 285

Driving traffi c comes at a cost ......................................................... 286

Driving traffi c precautions ................................................................ 287

Driving Traffi c When You Have Writers Twitter ...................................... 289

Finding gold in Q&A sites and forums ............................................. 289

Submitting articles ............................................................................. 291

Doing the blogging thing ................................................................... 293

Tweeting and Twittering ................................................................... 294

Social networking ............................................................................... 295

Driving Traffi c Traditionally ....................................................................... 296

Using banner ads ............................................................................... 297

Running classifi ed ads ....................................................................... 298

E-mail marketing ................................................................................ 299

PPC advertising and contextual ads ................................................ 301

Driving Traffi c in Ways You May Not Have Thought Of ......................... 302

Videos and rich media is everywhere ............................................. 302

Cross-linking ....................................................................................... 303

Affi liate networks ............................................................................... 305

Picking up where others left off ....................................................... 306

Chapter 16: Paying for Your Clicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309Introduction to the Inner Workings of PPC .............................................. 310

Changing forever how marketing is done ....................................... 310

Putting together the pieces .............................................................. 311

Spotting PPC ads online .................................................................... 312

Wrapping Your Mind around PPC Marketing Campaigns ...................... 316

Stepping through the process .......................................................... 316

Being Realistic about PPC Marketing ........................................................ 320

Seeing whether PPC really is an option for you ............................. 321

Examining the pros and cons to PPC .............................................. 322

Watching your costs — a cautionary tale....................................... 323

Using PPC for Testing Purposes ................................................................ 326

PPC testing strategies........................................................................ 326

The fi ve biggest mistakes with PPC testing .................................... 327

Where Can You Find Out More about PPC? ............................................. 328

Chapter 17: Running a Google PPC Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329Starting with Google AdWords .................................................................. 329

Laying the groundwork ..................................................................... 330

Choosing between the Starter or Standard Edition....................... 331

The Standard Edition account structure ........................................ 333

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies xviiiWorking within the AdWords interface .......................................... 335

Getting off the ground with campaigns ........................................... 336

Entering your fi rst ad ........................................................................ 339

Adding keywords ............................................................................... 342

Taking care of billing ......................................................................... 343

Managing your campaign with AdGroups ...................................... 345

Using Google Analytics...................................................................... 346

Using Google’s Free Advertiser Tools ....................................................... 348

Website Optimizer, a split-testing tool............................................ 349

Using the AdWords Keyword tool ................................................... 349

Using the Ad Preview tool (and checking

on your competition) ..................................................................... 350

Part VI: The Part of Tens ........................................... 351

Chapter 18: Ten-Point Landing Page Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353Are You Effectively Using Audio Greetings and Background Music? ... 354

The More Testimonials, the Better, Right? .............................................. 354

Have You Verifi ed That Your Trust Elements Are in Place? .................. 355

Are Your Headings Crafted Carefully? ...................................................... 355

Have You Removed or Explained Any Jargon? ........................................ 356

Do You Have Any Urgent Language on Your Page? ................................ 356

Is the Price Right? ........................................................................................ 356

Have You Conducted a Focus Group? ...................................................... 357

Does Your Landing Page Look Like a Home Page? .................................. 357

Is Critical Information above the Fold? ..................................................... 357

Chapter 19: Ten Surefi re Ways to Increase Conversion Rates . . . . .359Keywords, Keywords, and Keywords ....................................................... 359

Be Up Front ................................................................................................... 361

Use the Fold Wisely ..................................................................................... 362

Develop Persuasive Content for Body Text ............................................. 362

Focus Your Efforts on the Customer ......................................................... 363

User-Friendly Layout ................................................................................... 364

Spend Time on Your Headings .................................................................. 364

Entice and Focus .......................................................................................... 365

Be Visible ...................................................................................................... 365

Focus on Gaining Visitor Trust .................................................................. 365

Index ....................................................................... 367

Introduction

Sounds simple; come up with a product, create your landing page, relax,

and count the money. If only real life was that easy! Alas, with billions of

Web sites competing for attention, marketing online is not simple at all.

On the other hand, marketing online isn’t rocket science. This book charts a

practical course of action to put your landing page — that first page visitors

see when they click an online ad or search engine result link — to work for

you. Whether you’re just beginning to develop an online presence or you’ve

been online for years and are anxious to build traffic, this book helps you

drive prospects to your site and convert them into customers.

Landing Page Optimization For Dummies leverages and enhances your

knowledge of marketing to the point that you can establish and build a

successful, income-generating online business. Because we’ve written this

book specifically for those who want to enhance their landing page presence,

you’re going to find a boatload of strategies you need to get those all

important conversions.

No simple formula says that shoe companies should use this Web marketing

method and architects should use that one. We urge you to keep a picture

of your customers or clients in mind while you read this book. If you always

ask whether a particular method would appeal to your target audience, you’ll

make the right decisions. Answer your customers’ question, “What’s in it for

me?” and your Web marketing plan will work magic for you.

About This BookThis book is a reference guide to landing page optimization. We wrote it how

we write good Web copy: short sentences, short paragraphs, short chapters,

with lots of bullets and tables so you can find information quickly.

Please look at the pretty pictures. Not only do they save you thousands

worth of words to read, but they’re good examples of what you want to

accomplish.

Dip in to a chapter when you confront a particular problem with landing page

marketing to find the information you need right then and there. The rest can

wait.

2 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies

This book is intended for business people, not techies. Whenever we present

technical information, we do so in a friendly manner, making it easy to

understand and directly applicable.

Conventions Used in This BookDoing something the same way over and over again can be boring, but

consistency makes stuff easier to understand. In this book, those consistent

elements are conventions. Here are the main ones:

✓ When URLs (Web addresses) appear within a paragraph, caption, or

table, they look like this: www.dummies.com.

✓ New terms appear in italics the first time they’re used, courtesy of the

copy editor (see URLs in the preceding bullet if you don’t believe us).

✓ Anything you have to type is in bold, but frankly, you don’t have to type

much. Mostly, you just have to think.

Fortunately, landing page optimization is platform- and operating-system

independent. Whether you’re on a Mac with OS X or a PC running Windows

Vista doesn’t matter, but we do recommend a high-speed Internet connection.

You can no longer realistically monitor your landing page, upload content,

review statistics, or research your market at turtle speed (also known as

dialup).

What You Don’t Have to ReadYou don’t have to read anything that seems irrelevant to your business! You

can scoot past any content that isn’t applicable directly to your landing page

goals. Be careful not to skip too much, however, because you’ll find helpful

tips and tricks spread throughout the book. A few of these tips can have a

real impact on your overall conversion rate.

The book is designed as modular; that is, you can pick it up, flip to any

page, and start reading. However, you can also read this book from cover

to cover because we made it flow sequentially as well. As much as you may

be tempted to skip some of the more seemingly mundane elements, such as

creating a landing page business plan, all the content you find between this

book’s covers is in some way, part of your landing optimization strategy.

3 Introduction

Foolish AssumptionsIn our heads, we constructed a picture of you, the reader. We assume you

(or your designated staff member) already

✓ Have a computer with high-speed Internet access.

✓ Are (or soon will be) an owner or a department manager in a small-to-

mid-size business.

✓ Have (or plan to write) a business plan.

✓ Frequently use standard applications, such as Word and Excel, e-mail,

and browsers.

✓ Are comfortable searching the Web by using keywords and search

engines.

✓ Can write and do basic arithmetic, especially when dollar signs are

involved.

✓ Have a passion for your business and a commitment to providing

excellent customer service.

If our assumptions are incorrect, you’ll probably find this book either too

easy or too hard to read. On the other hand, if our description is accurate,

this book is just right for you.

How This Book Is OrganizedWe divided this book into parts that follow a systematic development

process, from business planning and market research, through the design

of a marketing-effective landing page, and to online promotion that pushes

qualified traffic.

For information on a specific topic, check the headings in the Table of

Contents or look at the index.

By design, this book enables you to get as much (or as little) information as

you need at any particular moment. If you’re starting from scratch, you might

want to start with Part I. If you already have a successful landing page and

want to increase traffic, start with Part II or Part III.

4 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies

Part I: Landing Page BasicsUnless you have endless wealth and infinite time, you need some idea of what

you’re trying to accomplish online before you start. This section introduces

landing page basics and stresses the importance of landing page planning as

it intersects with all aspects of your business, including the financial

outcomes. Stocked with useful planning forms and checklists, this part shows

how to plan for success from the beginning.

Part II: Building Landing PagesProfitable business Web sites don’t happen by accident. From a marketing

perspective, a successful site attracts visitors, keeps them on the site, and

brings them back for repeat visits. This section addresses building a marketing-

effective landing page and implementing marketing ideas right on your site.

This section includes information on writing for landing pages, using trust

elements on your site, working on landing page aesthetics, and working

within the fold — the area a visitor first sees on your landing page before he

scrolls.

Part III: Getting to Know Your CustomersWant to know one of the secrets for creating successful landing pages? Get to

know your customers well. The better you know exactly who your customers

are — their likes, dislikes, age, and so on — the more conversions you’ll

make. This section is all about getting to know your customers and meeting

their expectations, which is a critical part of your online success.

Part IV: Increasing Your SalesSelling well online doesn’t happen by accident. Rather, developing a strategic

approach to your sales provides the best results. This section looks at the

techniques for increasing your online sales, including fine-tuning your landing

page and closing online sales.

5 Introduction

Part V: Driving More Visitors to Your SiteLanding page success is closely linked with driving qualified traffic to your

site — traffic that is specifically looking for what you have to offer and is

ready to buy. A book about landing page optimization would be incomplete

without discussing the strategies used to drive traffic to your site. These

strategies include pay per click (PPC) campaigns, keywords, search engine

marketing, and more.

Part VI: The Part of TensLike all For Dummies books, this one has a Part of Tens. These chapters list a

ten-point inspection list for your landing page as well as ten surefire ways to

increase conversion rates. Turn to the Part of Tens for good ideas again and

again.

Icons Used in This BookTo make your experience easier, we use various icons in the margins to

indicate particular points of interest.

Whenever we provide a hint that makes an aspect of Web marketing easier,

we mark it with the Tip icon — just our way of sharing what we’ve figured out

the hard way — so that you don’t have to. Of course, if you prefer to get your

education through the school of hard knocks, be our guest.

Ouch! This icon is the equivalent of an exclamation point. Heed these

warnings to avoid potential pitfalls.

This icon is simply a friendly reminder. More details are in this book than any

normal person can remember. Use this icon to help you remember basic

principles of Web marketing. Look up all the rest when you need it!

Sometimes we feel obligated to give developers some technical information;

they don’t always know as much as they think they do. We mark that stuff

with this geeky guy so you know it’s information to share, not necessarily to

understand.

6 Landing Page Optimization For Dummies

Where to Go from HereYou’ll find helpful features on the companion Web site for this book at

www.justmakeiteasy.com.

From the site, you can download workshops, various articles on landing page

optimization, and other business-related content. Use the information on this

site to help develop your own landing page optimization marketing plans.

For convenience, you can use the live links to key resource sites to stay up-

to-date, subscribe to blogs or newsletters, or simply find out more than fits

between any two covers.

If you find errors in the book or have suggestions for future editions, please

e-mail Mike at mikej.harwood@gmail.com.

Part ILanding Page

Basics

In this part . . .

In this part, you get a full-scale introduction to landing

pages — what they are, what their function is, and

what types you can choose from. You discover not only

what a landing page is, but also what a landing page is not.

We also review online marketing and debunk some of the

more common online marketing myths. We also look at

the customer lifecycle management — specifically the

relationship among acquisition, conversion, and

retention.

Finally, we look at developing a business plan for your

landing page business. A comprehensive plan is a great

place to start when you create your online business.

Chapter 1

Introducing Landing Page Optimization

In This Chapter▶ Understanding what makes up a landing page

▶ Determining the focus of your landing page

▶ Understanding your audience

In the past few years, the popularity of online marketing has exploded.

Advertising opportunities from Google, Yahoo!, and social networking

sites (such as Facebook) have all brought with them new online marketing

avenues. For many individuals and companies, these online opportunities

are simply too good to pass up. Just imagine being able to take a product or

a service, mix in some creativity, add a little bit of hard work, and from that,

create an income-generating online business? This sounds too good to be

true — and it often is. The brutal fact is that few people can even augment

their salaries, much less earn a living from the results of their online

marketing efforts.

Face it: Moving from a concept to a successful online marketing campaign

can be a difficult, hard road to travel with many wrong turns, roadblocks, and

the occasional pothole. But knowing the lay of the land may help you avoid

some of the bigger potholes.

The one key feature of the online marketing landscape is the landing page —

that (hopefully welcoming) doorway to your online storefront, which you

present to your Web site visitors. You may not be too familiar with the

concept or aren’t quite sure what’s all wrapped up in the idea of a landing

page, but don’t let that bother you now. With this book in your hands, you’ll

be okay because it acts as your landing page GPS, steering you in the right

direction.

In this chapter, we introduce what landing pages are, what you use them for,

and who they’re designed for.

10 Part I: Landing Page Basics

Introducing the Landing PagePerhaps the most logical place to start a book on landing page optimization

is to come up with a clear, concise definition of landing page. We believe that

creating a successful landing page starts with a good understanding of its

intended purpose, so here’s our attempt at crystalline clarity:

A landing page is the Web page your visitors arrive at after they click an

online ad or an e-mail link, or follow a search engine result or any form of

offline advertising campaigns, such as radio ads. The landing page is an

extension of these ads and is designed specifically to generate interest

and persuade the visitor to take a desired action.

For a real-world landing page example, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.google.com to open a Google search box.

2. In the Google search box, type running shoes.

In the new Web page that appears, you see search results displayed on

the left side of the screen as well as a list of Google ads running down

the right, as shown in Figure 1-1.

3. Click any of these Google ads to view an honest-to-goodness, bona fide

landing page.

Figure 1-1: The Google

search results for

running shoes.

Search results Google Ads