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As an ecommerce brand, you probably use several different methods to help customers find your store and make purchases. For example, you might send out email newsletters or messages to existing customers, alerting them to new sales and products. Or you might use paid search ads to help people who are looking for something similar find you. But how do you greet those potential customers? When someone clicks through an email or an ad, do they end up on your site’s homepage? Or have you created a special page, known as an ecommerce landing page, that’s tailored specifically for them?

While you can send people to your homepage, you’re likely to get better results (in the form of more conversions and sales) if you use ecommerce landing pages.

What Is an Ecommerce Landing Page?

An ecommerce landing page is a page of your website that lets you reach a particular goal. According to Hubspot, a landing page should be targeted at a particular traffic stream. For example, people clicking through from a search engine ad or from an emailed message should find a landing page.

It’s also important to understand what a landing page is not. A landing page is not the same as your website’s homepage. An ecommerce landing page needs to be focused and targeted. Otherwise, visitors “landing” on it won’t have any idea where to go or what to do next.

Why Should You Create Ecommerce Landing Pages?

You might be thinking, “My brand already has a website and homepage. Why do we need to create separate ecommerce landing pages as well?” There are several reasons.

Landing pages create leads

Most ecommerce landing pages include forms for people to fill out. Visitors submit contact info in exchange for an offer (such as 10 or 15 percent off, or free shipping). When people fill out the form, your brand gets their contact info.

Landing pages keep your site orderly

Few things are more annoying than getting directed to the wrong place when you’re trying to buy something online, or when you’re trying to take advantage of a special promo from a brand. When you create landing pages, you give each promotion or special offer a place to live online. You also ease the burden on the customer when it comes to finding what they’re looking for.

Landing pages help you see what does and doesn’t work

Let’s say you have two offers running for people who sign up for your email newsletter. One offer is free shipping on their first purchase, the other is 10 percent off. If more people hand over their email address in exchange for free shipping compared to 10 percent off, you’re able to see which one is the preferred promo.

Landing pages help you get to know your audience

An ecommerce landing page can provide you with plenty of data and information about your customers and audience. When you create landing pages, you’re able to see where people are coming from (social media, search, email, etc.) and what they’re responding to (for example, a how-to blog post or a PPC ad). You’re then able to use that information to better tailor your product offerings and descriptions, and to better shape the online shopping experience for your customer.

What Are Ecommerce Landing Page Best Practices?

Once you’re ready to create an ecommerce landing page, following these best practices will help you reach your goals and increase leads or conversions.

Have a goal

Why are you creating a landing page in the first place? Are you trying to get people to sign up for your brand’s newsletter, contact you for a quote, or make a first purchase? If you don’t know, the audience won’t know either.

Limit where the visitor can go

Remember a landing page is separate from the rest of your brand’s website. Don’t include a navigation bar at the top or along the side. You don’t want people clicking away to your blog or your product pages without submitting the form on the landing page.

Make the copy clear and compelling

Come up with an emotionally engaging, catchy headline. You might use the same headline in your email newsletter or search engine ad as on the landing page, so that people can clearly see that they’ve come to the right place. Use clear copy so that people get the point of the landing page easily, and so that there’s no confusion.

Include a call to action

Don’t assume that visitors to the landing page are going to know what to do once they get there. Include a call to action, and make sure that the call to action links back to your goal (for example, “Sign up for our newsletter and get free shipping on your first two orders!” or “Click here to chat with us and get a quote today!”).

Don’t ask for too much

You don’t need that much from your audience to hook them in. The less you ask for, the better. For example, name and email address will probably be sufficient for most ecommerce landing page forms. You don’t need things like mailing address or phone number, at least not until someone makes a purchase from you. If you ask for too many details right off the bat, you’re more likely to scare potential leads or converts away.

Simple is best

Both in terms of the copy on the landing page and the design of the page itself, it’s better to keep things simple. If there’s too much going on design-wise, the page is going to look cluttered and confusing. A busy design can also obscure your CTA and the form you want people to fill out. When it comes to the information you give the audience, less is more. Too many details will confuse the point and make people forget why they’re on the landing page in the first place.

Examples of Effective Ecommerce Landing Pages

What do ecommerce landing pages that follow best practices and get results look like? Here are a few examples:

MM LaFleur Ecommerce Landing Page

MM LaFleur -Try a Bento Box

MM LaFleur is a women’s workplace clothing company that offers a service called a Bento Box. They send women a collection of pieces to try, and the women have the option of keeping the entire collection, keeping a few pieces, or sending everything back. The landing page they created for the service is part of a PPC ad campaign for the keyword “J.Crew.” The page fully explains the concept, including the fact that there’s no commitment, then includes a quick and easy survey to complete to get started.

AirBnB Ecommerce Landing Page

AirBnb – Rent Out Your Home

Here’s a landing page for a different type of ecommerce. AirBnb makes money by getting people to act as “hosts” and post their homes on the site. Its landing page, specially designed for potential hosts, gives people a quick way to see how much they stand to bring in each month, and a quick way to sign up as a host on the site.

Dinnerly Ecommerce Landing Page

Dinnerly – Meal Kit Comparison

There are a lot meal subscription boxes/kits out there, so how can one stand out? Dinnerly has a solution: It’s cheaper than the rest. Its landing page clearly shows how the kit stacks up to the competitors out there by having a chart that lists price per meal front and center. Navigation on the site encourages you to “Try Now” or “Start Cooking.” Both buttons take you to the same sign-up page.

Whether you’re hoping to get new customers to purchase what you’re selling, or are looking to meet the needs of returning customers, a well-executed, crystal-clear ecommerce landing page will help your brand meet its goals.