When product pages become your landing pages
When we shop online, we search for products. This means one of the first pages we’re likely to visit on an e-commerce site will be a product page. When people search using specific long-tail keywords, product pages are often the pages they are presented with (Check out your Landing Pages report in Google Analytics and you may be surprised.)
In this article, we’re going to look at how product pages can (and do) function as landing pages, leading to conversions.
What is a landing page?
A landing page is an entry page a web developer has specifically set up to capture a visitor for a specific topic. This page will ideally meet your needs and encourage you to get moving on to the next phase of the sales process or for data capture. However, a generic landing page may be uninspiring and not what the shopper is looking for.
The downfall of using a poorly targeted landing page on an e-commerce store is that you lose the visitor’s attention quickly and they hit the back button to head towards alternative competitor pages and products.
In this instance, the landing page is a barrier. Sending users to the homepage or to a generic landing page will break the flow of the user’s journey.
Wait. So, what is a product landing page?
This will be a product page that is relevant to the landing page from visitors’ original search. If they come from an ad or organic search, then the page needs to be specific and not a generic landing page. And if the product isn’t exactly what they want and need, it should be easy for them to continue exploring, for example, having similar items below the main product will help the shopper maintain some shopping flow.
A product page will, therefore, need to be more than an isolated product with its own separate information. After all, it is one platform of many to give a great first impression and engage the user to become a potential buyer with strong sales and trust signals.
Show them who you are, everywhere
A shopper won’t be arriving at the home page where you have your introductory paragraph about your store, so they will need to know who you are from each page they land on. Your brand’s message will therefore need to be consistent wherever it is the shopper comes into your site, so consider using the same designs on each page.
Encourage shoppers to shop
Don’t let them wander around and hope they’ll learn about your store by themselves. Tell them what you want them to know on every product page.
Their buying intent will be high having arrived directly from a search, so the path you lay for them needs to be free from obstacles. Use wording that from the perspective of the customer will benefit them. Use their voice to inform them of what they can expect. This will provide better traction than blurb which is only self-promotional.
Things to consider for the product landing page:
- Have an ADD TO CART button the customer cannot miss.
- Use a selection of clear images for the product with a concise description that is easy to find.
- Delivery and returns info should be clear and accurate
- After the product is added, making it easy to get to the shopping basket.
- Make sure you are tracking sales and conversions
- Use video as product explainers where appropriate
- Where possible add positive customer reviews/testimonials
- Integrate social sharing buttons
- Test the page and make sure it loads fast on desktop and mobile
What else should a product page have?
A wishlist! This is a handy safety-net for prospective buyers who are unable to make a purchase in the moment. Adding a product to a wishlist will make it easy for the shopper to return and find their favourite products.
Or, with some well-placed social-sharing buttons, they can notify others about the products they like.
If you’re offering discounts, entering promo codes needs to be made easy.
Access to terms and conditions is another important factor to consider. An intrigued customer who wants to know the ins and outs can do so if there is a link present.
Don’t forget the delivery! Details of delivery need to be clear, covering all the user’s queries. How will the item be delivered? How much will it cost? How long will it take? Will it take longer in busy periods? If so, say so.
At the checkout
There can be a lot of information here. The user must pay attention and they will want to know any delivery dates if you have them. This is an opportunity to build a relationship and to get them signed up to your newsletter if you have one.
Post-conversion
A user would like some confirmation of their purchase. Some dedicated customer service in the form of a thank you email is important for the shopper’s history. A personal link to you in their inbox is a reference if they ever want to look you up again. After this keeping them updated when an item is being shipped can be really helpful and build trust.
Dive into the data
In Google Analytics, start using the data from product pages to see how many visitors you are getting and how many convert into enquiries and purchasing customers. This can be used to measure whether the messaging, images, and price points are suitable, and will alert you where edits need to be made.
Improve on what you’ve already got
Encouraging users to buy something from your store doesn’t require any additional pages. You can create this improved experience by making tiny tweaks to the pages that are already being landed on by eager shoppers.
Make the landing page experience seamless with a predictable flow, clear messaging, simple layouts, and consistent branding. Avoid anything that will cause confusion, if you want conversion.
