Preparing the Perfect Squeeze Page:
Get a Grip on Your Buyers
When visitors come to your web site they don’t always land on the home page. They might enter via a landing page or zone page based on the query words they entered into the search box. Now, for smart on-line retailers, this isn’t a problem. If you sell tools on-line and a search engine user queries ‘hammer,’ it’s better that the visitor land on the hammer page then the home page and have to do a site search to find hammers.
The objective of a search engine is to not only deliver links, but relevance, too. So, by directing that visitor to your hammer page the search engine is providing the most relevant link within your site. (This assumes your site is optimized and that each page has a HTML tag describing its content.)
All well and good. Then, along comes the squeeze page. A squeeze page is the first thing a visitor sees when clicking on a site link. It asks the visitor to “opt in” for a newsletter, an e-book or access to the site.
So What Good Does a Squeeze Page Do?
A well-written squeeze page has one objective. To gather email addresses of visitors. And why are those email addresses so important? Because they’re added to the site owner’s database and can now be used for every email blast the site launches. As long as the visitor opts in and agrees to accept goodies from the site, it’s not spamming. But for a lot of web users a squeeze page is annoying.
The perfect squeeze page provides a taste – a taste of things to come. The copy should be informational and pique the curiosity of the visitor enough to offer up his or her email address in exchange for more of that same quality information – a bigger taste.
Once the visitor has opted in (A $99 VALUE – FREE JUST FOR SIGNING UP!), the email address is gold to the savvy marketer who starts sending free articles, the tip of the day, free downloads and other information. Some is good, valuable content, some not so much. Either way, it enables the site owner to keep his or her URL in front of the one-time visitor who elected to receive content by opting in.
So, the first objective of a squeeze page is to provide enough information to whet the appetite of the visitor who then opts in, providing an email address.
Second, the squeeze page provides solid, factual, useful information. No fluff allowed. This is a requirement for two critical reasons. A squeeze page that’s pure hype won’t do much for your opt in rate. Opt ins recognize the value of your offer because of the information contained on the squeeze page.
Also, that squeeze page will be indexed by search engines. Providing good information, with just a smidge of sizzle, won’t detract from how search engines view your site.
Types of Squeeze Pages
The first type of squeeze page gives the visitor two choices: opt in or leave. Visitors can read the squeeze tease, but if they want more they have to give an email address or hit the digital bricks. Which is what most visitors do when they see they’ve landed on a hard-sell squeeze page.
Most visitors will (rightly) think that, within weeks, their in-boxes will be filled with junk mail. (Remember, it’s not spam if the recipient requested the information.) These site visitors envision auto-responders week after week, each one a bit more desperate than the last.
They may expect that newsletter to which they subscribed, only to discover that the “newsletter” is nothing more than a bunch of sales hype disguised as informational content. Any decent web writer can create sales copy that sounds like news. That’s why the perfect squeeze page delivers good content, not hype. The sell is woven into the information. Same with the newsletter, press release or email. Think “content” when you think of the perfect squeeze page.
The perfect squeeze page also provides the visitor with a third or fourth option other than opt in or leave. Provide a “learn more” option. No opt in required. Just a link that takes visitors to another page where they can learn more about the site, the offer, the information, and whether it’s something they want to opt for or click the back button of their browsers.
Squeeze Page Tips
- The ideal squeeze page should be laid out for quick eye scan. Don’t expect visitors to read through a ton of text to get to the deal.
- Use short blocks of text and single sentences.
- Talk directly to the reader, i.e., You know the aches and pains that come with age.
- Use bulleted lists to detail the benefits of opting in. Benefits differ from features. Tell the visitor how his or her life will be better, easier, happier, more productive or whatever. Describe benefits, not features.
- Use charts, graphs and illustrations to convey detailed information.
- Provide options. Lots of them. If the only choice is to opt in or leave, most visitors will leave. Use text links to draw in visitors to specific pages of your site.
- Use pictures. This is especially true if you sell products. Show your wares on the squeeze page. They’re a great draw.
- Provide more than one opportunity to opt in. If the only place a visitor can elect to receive email from you is the squeeze page, some visitors won’t be able to find it without reloading their browsers. So, provide an opt in box on the home page.
When used properly, a well-developed squeeze page can work wonders in building up your database. And, if the opt ins receive good information from you each day or week or month, you’ll quickly build a loyal following – visitors who become buyers.
Expand your presence with the perfect squeeze page and get a grip on your buyers.
Get a GRIP.
