The Distraction-Free Oasis

The web is a distracting place. It’s not just what you put on YOUR page, it’s everything else too. A typical web browser offers many distractions in the form of bookmarks, search boxes, and buttons, buttons and more buttons. Add to that whatever is happening behind the browser — icons, windows, chat boxes, feeds, etc. — all enticing you to do something other than attend to the page in your browser. Now add to that what you put IN that browser. The one thing within your control is that page. And it’s already at a disadvantage. Browsing the web is not a quiet or focused activity.

These home pages must appeal to a plethora of audiences. Each of those audiences has perhaps one or two small pieces of the home page that connect with them. The odds that they are willing to spend the time and energy to find those needles in the haystack are slim. This is most true for those highest up in the funnel. First-timers are the least invested and are the most browse-minded. This means that if I’m new to these companies and my first interaction with them is their website, I’m lost.

In contrast to these screenshots, passive media like television is (usually) going to keep your ad as free of distractions as possible. Of course, you could be competing with screaming kids, barking dogs and the doorbell, but at least the screen is single minded. And you could have those same issues with the web. With print, the theory is that you’re reading the content around the ads — and some of that engagement will rub off — especially if the ads are well matched. Of course both the television and print examples are far less immediate and interactive, but they’re definitely less cluttered.

Websites, as first impressions, are flawed. They promise and encourage participation, but make it very difficult for people to engage. They put a tremendous burden on their users. It’s the burden of overwhelming choice. Limiting that choice is one of the greatest services a brand can deliver online. Putting people in touch with the content that applies to them is the job of landing pages, not websites.

Good conversion paths are landing pages followed by segment-specific ‘best of’ albums of niche content. They are targeted doorways into the piece of your organization that best fits a segment of your audience. The more varied your messages, the more landing pages you need. Use them everywhere you can. As first impressions, they are far superior to your home page or deep links. But they are equally adept at clarifying intrasite, nurture/drip and re-marketing experiences.

Think of your landing pages as your opportunity to relieve information overload. Provide a distraction-free oasis where what’s on the page is focused solely on your user’s need or intent. Do your part to clarify and your users will be more likely to do their part to engage and convert.

Comments

[Robert Brady]

I 100% agree that landing pages need to be simple (and refreshing). Reminds me of what Marketing Experiments is always preaching about avoiding "unsupervised thinking." What I was hoping to see in the post was a good example (I'm sure you have thousands of them). The 3 images of busy webpages are great, but how about a simple, clean one near the end of the post?