subject: The Pros And Cons Of Landing Pages [print this page] Having been an internet marketer for some time now, I find my self critiquing much of what I see on the internet as I browse. It seems that every time you click on a link as you browse around you see one type of ad or another. In many cases, these ads take the form of landing pages.
One of the most common types of ads you will see is a single page ad that gives a description of a free product or report in exchange for an email address. This is what is known as a squeeze page. Internet marketers and search engines alike have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with squeeze pages. We love them because they are extremely proficient at what they do, that being harvesting emails. We hate them because they are the internet equivalent of driving to the end of a dead-end road. Once you get to the end, you either have to drive into the woods or turn around.
It is this lack of options that defines squeeze pages and many search engines scoff at this property in that they lack functionality that makes for a pleasant browsing experience. To put it plainly, there are no leaks on the page meaning that there are no exit points or options in the form of links taking you to other pages other than the opt-in form. It is true, they do make for a crummy browsing experience, but they also accomplish their purpose. They force the visitor to tell up front whether or not they are willing to play ball with the marketer, so-to-speak.
The other type of landing page you have probably seen is a sales page. When I describe what a sales page is you will know exactly what I am talking about. A sales page is an extremely long single page sales letter with a flashy, eye grabbing headline that makes an outrageous claim. Generally, you will see a great deal of emboldened text, enlarged fonts, multicolored fonts, flashy graphics, highlighted keywords, a list of benefits of what is being offered, tons of testimonials revolving around the successful use of the product and, finally, a giant "buy now" button that is unavoidable.
Sales pages, as landing pages, are also noted for having little to no leaks or links leading to other web-pages. Again, any link that could distract the potential buyer from clicking on the "buy now" button is a potential lost sale. For this reason, sales letters are kept leak-free.
Landing pages are and will continue to be an essential component of marketing for the foreseeable future. As stated before, search engines do not like landing pages because they take away from the user experience. They do take away from the user experience, but at the same time, they are very good at what they do. Squeeze pages are great at harvesting email addresses and sales pages are great at selling a product. Do I worry about the fact that search engines do not like landing page templates? Yes, but only a little. Search engines are not the only way to market landing pages. Web 2.0 is also a great way and is not subject to search engine rules.
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