Mobile Landing Page Design

If you do business on the web you know the importance of a properly designed landing page to convert website visitors into qualified prospects and paying customers. Now more than ever, it’s also important to make sure that your landing pages not only have the proper design, layout and messaging, but are also properly formatted for the rapidly growing number of visitors who access the mobile web via 3G and 4G networks on smartphones such as iPhone, Android and Blackberry, as well as tablets.

Why A Mobile Landing Page?

Standard website landing pages that are designed for desktop viewing do not display well on a mobile device. If you want to convert visitors on mobile you need to ensure that your landing pages are properly designed for handheld display and touch-screen interaction. Conversely, if you send users to web pages that are difficult to view on a handheld it will make a negative impression and there’s a good chance they’ll move on to a competitor that offers a better mobile experience.

Key Elements of a Mobile Landing Page

A mobile landing page is similar to any other landing page in the sense that the goal is to produce a conversion by offering highly targeted content and a strong call-to-action. In the case of a mobile landing page however, there are some other design and development factors that are specific to handheld devices, including:

• Mobile Page Design & Layout – you’ll want to make sure that your mobile page is formatted for viewing on smaller handheld or tablet screens, while retaining your overall brand identity and consistency with your desktop site and other marketing collateral. You’ll also want to consider the bandwidth limits for many users on 3G and 4G and networks, and ensure that your pages are coded lightly for quick download and minimal data usage, within reason.
• Mobile-Specific Content – it’s important to remember that reading comprehension is different on the web compared to printed materials, and that’s especially true for mobile web pages. Viewers on mobile devices are best served by streamlined content that is easy to digest at-a-glance, so this may mean rewriting some of your copy for mobile-friendly reading
• Touch-Screen Interface – when designing for the mobile web it’s important to bear in mind that many of your users are going to be on touch-screen devices, particularly if you’re targeting visitors on tablets or smartphones like iPhone and Android. It’s important to make sure that any interactive page elements (submit buttons, form elements, links and navigation) are sized appropriately for a touch-interface. 
• Device Detection – If your campaign targets users on both mobile and desktop then you will want to place device detection on your standard desktop landing pages, so that users on handhelds will be detected and redirected to the mobile equivalent.
• Call-to-Action and Conversion – as with any landing page, you’ll want to ensure that your mobile landing page includes a strong call-to-action that will inspire visitor action and lead to conversions. The call-to-action will vary depending on your goals, but the same conversion actions that are available on a standard website are also available on mobile, for example:
  • Request info
  • Product purchase
  • Special offer
  • Newsletter signup
  • Donate or volunteer
  On mobile web pages in particular, there also other mobile-specific actions users can take:
  • Place a phone call
  • Send a text message (SMS)
  • Download an app
  • Take a photo
  • View mapping/directions (GPS)

How do Visitors Arrive at a Mobile Landing Page?

There are a number of ways targeted traffic may arrive at your mobile landing pages, including:

• Mobile Search Engines – as with standard desktop search, mobile search is a popular way for visitors to find your website via engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. When targeted traffic is driven to your website by relevant keyword searches on mobile, you want to make sure that those visitors are presented with a mobile-friendly landing page in order to make a good first impression with a user-friendly experience.
• Mobile Advertising – most search advertising programs such as Google AdWords allow you to display ads on mobile devices as well as desktop. If you don’t direct those ad-referred prospects to a mobile landing page from your ad it’s a missed opportunity. Many 3^rd party native apps (that users download to their mobile device) display advertising as well. In short, if you’re advertising on the mobile web a mobile landing page is a must for your ads.
• Email – More people than ever now read their email on smartphones and other handhelds. Ideally, your promotional emails should have a mobile option for these users, with links to landing pages designed for mobile viewing.
• QR Codes – QR Codes are a new way to link offline and online media; users scan the QR Code on their mobile device, which then directs them to a web page. Because you know the viewer will be on a handheld it is important to make sure the QR Code points to a mobile landing page; pointing a QR Code to a standard desktop website is a mistake.
• Links from Other Websites and Directories – As with any website, there is a good chance users will be referred to your website or landing page on the mobile web from other web pages such as blogs, reviews, press releases and directory listings.

In short, on the mobile web there are a range of avenues users may take to arrive at your website, so it’s important to provide these visitors with a positive user experience when they view your landing pages on a mobile device.

Mobile Landing Page Design Services

We fully admit it – we’re psyched about all the opportunities mobile web marketing holds for our clients, and the future of web development in general. With over a decade of experience with website design, development and Internet marketing we have seen a lot of changes over the years, but the mobile web truly marks a new frontier for connecting with target users, wherever they may be. Let us help you make the transition to leveraging the mobile web in your future marketing efforts.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs for mobile landing page design, and ideas for integrating mobile into your organization's overall communications strategy.