You may have taken a look at your website lately to see where you can make some improvements, or are suffering with the nagging feeling that you may not be getting the leads you had hoped for.

Squeeze pages and landing pages can help you with these challenges and goals. Simply stated, these types of web pages are designed to do exactly what their names imply.

Landing pages are web pages set up to receive traffic directed from an outside source, possibly even a search result. You can send out an email or e-newsletter, or begin a social media campaign and include a link to a page that is relevant to the topic, or possibly a new page set up specifically for that campaign. That is a landing page: where you want your web traffic to land.

A squeeze page can be a landing page, but it can also be a standalone page. This kind of page is designed and the copy created to supports the squeeze—in a warm, cuddly sort of way—of your visitor into an action. Actions can range from registering for an event, buying now, downloading now, signing up for a newsletter, or even making a request for someone to call them to learn more.

The sole purpose of a squeeze page is to guide the visitor to an action. If the squeeze is any kind of buy now, you’ll need to know the buying process and the buying triggers in order to make this work. This kind of page in particular should be watched carefully and tested often. Tweaking for continual improvement is a good idea to improve the success of your squeeze pages.

An example of a landing page that possibly requires no change to your website is when you launch a campaign that promotes either a specific item or service. You would provide the link to the page on your site that specifically details that item or service. Just be certain that the landing page has calls to action visible so that a visitor can take the immediate action that you desire.

You might need a new page that speaks to a special you are offering or maybe a specific event you are looking to promote. You might even be sending your visitors to an article or blog post. The point is that somewhere on your site should exist a page that is relevant to your campaign message, be it a standard page already there, or a new page created to offer the specifics that support your campaign.

An example of a squeeze page is the sign up page for your newsletter. Think of it as a funnel: the top should proclaim the value or answer the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ and the copy and images should be compelling enough that they have to act immediately. The form should be short and simple enough that they don’t have to schedule time to fill it out. It also shouldn’t be so intrusive that it makes the visitor doubt your intentions—a name and an email might be all you need to start. Keep this page as clean and simple as possible, limiting any distractions that might get the visitor to leave the form for a shiny new object.

Also, to ensure that search engines don’t mistake the page as potential spam, and to make sure that this page gets indexed, consider having some content before and after the form. Content here could help the visitor get affirmation that they are doing a good thing. Testimonials and other content that is keyword rich and visitor friendly would be ideal.

The terminology of landing and squeezing might sound harsh, but think about it in a more productive sense of leading and directing visitors. And don’t forget the calls to action—make sure you are clear about what you would like your visitors to do while on the page and guide them to get it done.
Now you have a lead—the rest is up to you. Good luck and happy selling!

Mardy Sitzer is a Certified Inbound Marketing Professional, and President of Bumblebee Design & Marketing. Since 1993, Mardy has been delivering creative and innovative marketing solutions. An avid reader of all things internet and marketing, she also writes blogs, articles and web content for industry magazines as well as for Bumblebee’s clients. Follow her on Twitter (twitter.com/MardySitzer) or email her at mardy@bumblebeellc.com.