“Why do I need a website for my small business when I have social media business profiles?” If you’ve asked this question before, you’re not alone.

As of a little over a year ago, 56% of small businesses still didn’t have a website. And to be frank, that statistic isn’t all that startling. We hear from clients all the time that one of their biggest marketing challenges is evaluating and choosing the most effective ways to get found online. And some of the time, a business website just doesn’t make the cut.

But when it comes to how you get found online, a multi-page website with complex navigation isn’t your only online option. Have you ever considered a landing page? Do you know what one is, or how you could use it to grow your business?

The fact of the matter is, 85.9% of people don’t actually know what a landing page is. But nearly every kind of business could benefit from one or more landing pages.

What a Landing Page is Not

Let’s get one thing straight. Many of us use the term “landing page” to describe a page consumers reach when looking for something online, most of the time a page within an existing website. Maybe you’ve even used it interchangeably with the term “home page.”

While that may be an OK use of the phrase, digital marketers use the term “landing page” to mean something else entirely. To digital marketers, landing pages aren’t just the pages consumers see first when they find you online, and they’re not your website’s home page either.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a stand-alone web page designed to convert online traffic into leads, prospects, or even paying customers.

Whereas you may have various goals for your business website, which you can design and build to achieve those goals, landing pages focus on calling people to action – getting them to fill out a form, book an appointment or even buy a product or service.

Most simply, landing pages compel people into action.

How and When to Use a Landing Page

Landing pages are most commonly used in the world of lead generation. Lead generation is how businesses identify potential customers and collect their information for nurturing down the line. Basically, it’s a way to build confidence in a brand at a high enough level that consumers are willing to trade their information to learn more. Then, it’s on the business to get in touch, sell, sell, sell, and turn these folks into paying, loyal customers.

Landing pages are a big piece of the lead generation puzzle. That’s because they’re useful throughout the entire process. They help with anything from initial information collection to final appointment booking or sale.

Landing Pages for Small Businesses

Lead generation isn’t just for big businesses. For years, local businesses have relied on their ability to generate leads using marketing channels like print and online listings, search engine marketing, display ads, social media, direct mail and more.

But for some reason, the illusive landing page has been historically ignored and underutilized. Which is crazy, because they can be so, so useful.

Popular uses for landing pages:

  • Build your contact list by collecting emails or phone numbers
  • Help consumers download a piece of content (like a guide or how-to video)
  • Allow consumers to book appointments or request calls back from your business
  • Promote events like webinars, conferences and trade shows
  • Generate revenue by allowing “buy online” capability

So if a website’s not for you, or if you have a website that’s not achieving your conversion goals, landing pages could be a great option for your business.

Landing Page Best Practices

The most effective landing pages share a few things in common.

  • They’re simple and have clean designs.
  • They’re easy to read and understand.
  • Their offers are clear and compelling.
  • They focus on one, single call to action. (So they make it easy for consumers to make a decision and act quickly.)

There are tools out there that help marketing professionals build effective landing pages and connect them with your business’s internal systems (like your CRM). But if you’re not in the business of web development, you may want to explore other options to engage your consumers online.

Whether it’s via an automatically generated engagement page for your business, or call-to-action buttons on your website and social media that help customers get in touch with you, Thryv is built to design these specifically for your business. Learn more today.