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How Long does a Landing Page Need to be?
When it comes to the length of a landing page, digital marketers have very different (and strong!) opinions on the matter. Some swear they never go below the fold line while others like to channel Charles Dickens as they write and keep their landing pages long.
As with many other aspects of digital marketing, there is no right answer. Depending on your product, your audience and what exactly you’re trying to promote, you might not need much space to get your message across. On the other hand, if your topic is more complex, you might need to explain a few things to your customers first before they decide whether or not to act on your call-to-action (CTA).
So how long does your landing page need to be? What are some pros and cons of the different lengths? Get the answers to these questions and more about landing page length below.
Short landing pages
A short landing page is essential when your point is already pretty clear and the risk of your point is fairly low. Shorter pages go great with offers like “save 10 percent” or “free two-week trial offer.” Both have a low risk and they’re fairly obvious as to what the deal entails.
If you own a property development company, for example, and you’re trying to get business owners to come to the open house for the new building you want to sell space in, then your message probably won’t be that complicated: come to our open house. Simple as that. You shouldn’t need to explain what an open house is, and your text can briefly explain where the building is and some of its benefits.
In this example, the risk factor is pretty low. The event is free, and business owners can decide at the site if they’re interested. They won’t have to make any upfront investments before attending. For offers like this, it’s best to state your business and let the consumer decide if it’s worth the time or investment.
So in short, short landing pages are perfect for short messages.
Long landing pages
Landing pages that are much longer than average certainly have their place. There are times when a reader needs to know as much as possible about your product and offer before making any sort of commitment.
If you’re introducing yourself to new clients, your landing page might be longer to tell your readers exactly who you are and what you do. You’ll want to introduce your best product or service to new readers and show them how your product or service can make their lives easier. You also might want to include testimonials and positive reviews from Google+ to show that others are satisfied with your company.
Expensive products and services usually require a lot of information and convincing so if you’re promoting one in a landing page, it’s best to make your copy longer rather than shorter. A more expensive product or service means that there’s a bigger financial commitment, which takes more convincing. You want to ease your readers’ anxieties and show them as clearly as possible why your product is worth the investment.
You also might have a longer landing page if your product or service is simply complicated. Have you ever seen an advertisement for a Bowflex machine on television? Their most complex machine – the Xtreme 2 SE home gym – has so many different components to it that it wouldn’t be helpful to show only one type of exercise the machine can help you do. To truly show the value of the machine, you have to show a large number of exercises the machine can help you do, rather than just one or two.
If your product is like a Bowflex home gym – extremely beneficial yet slightly complicated to use – then don’t be afraid to show it off.
Somewhere in the middle
Though all of your information may be valid and useful, remember that an unending landing page will not keep readers’ attention forever. As with all other copy, be concise and to the point. Long landing pages serve a strong purpose, but even your most dedicated readers will give up after 10 minutes of endless scrolling.
Likewise, if you have a quick promotion or message and you’re trying to stretch it out, you might end up losing more readers. If your text is wordy or your design looks messy, you’ll lose readers fast. While it’s okay to have a long landing large, remember not to bog your page down with:
- Unnecessary or excessive images
- Intricate though pointless designs
- Multiple colours and fonts
No matter how useful your landing page copy is, no reader can withstand miles of copy that consists of mainly stock photos and rapidly changing fonts. If you try to add these elements to your shorter landing pages to make them seem longer, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
When all is said and done, the length of a landing page can be what you want it to be. Experiment with the length of your landing pages and try them out to see how your audience responds. You’ll never know unless you try.
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