Within email the landing page can be the difference between a successful and a failed campaign. From acquistional emails and drip campaigns to a newsletter or an informative update it’s often essential that email recipients go on and engage with a landing page.

So why does it seem that landing pages are often an afterthought? A designer can put a pain staking amount of time into making sure a responsive design email works well across every possible device, but if the landing page isn’t eye catching then what’s the point? A marketer can make sure the copy of an email campaign reads well, but if the landing page isn’t planned just as precisely then the end result may not be the one required.

Here are some quick do’s and dont’s which are worth keeping in mind when creating email landing pages (or any kind of landing page).

Do

Be consistent – make sure your landing page is relevant and in sync with the campaign the visitor has just come from. If a user has clicked through from your email the likelihood is they want what you’re offering, so don’t then confuse by incorporating a different design or CTA into the mix. Make sure the transition from email to landing page is seamless.

Be specific – this one is specifically aimed at acquisitional and promotional campaigns. When mentioning a particular product link directly to that product, don’t go to a generic page where the user has to look for the item. If you make it easy for the visitor to convert, they are far more likely to. Give them work to do and they may well go elsewhere.

AB test – this tip actually translates to the email as much as the landing page, but test test test, make sure the copy and CTA’s are proven and work for you. Why not send users that have clicked on the email to an AB tested page? Split the visitors and find which version of your landing pages works best, this winning formula can then be replicated and refined moving forward. This is easy to do with many split content testing tools including the free Google Analytics Experiment tool.

Don’t

Confuse and send recipients to a page with more than one end goal; have one goal for your landing page otherwise it could confuse the visitor and decrease the chances of them converting. If there is another goal you’d like them to complete try adding it to the thank you page; that way you’ll have the entire visitor’s focus.

Miss your chance of getting more valuable information from your visitor. You’ve obviously got their email address so take this opportunity to gather more information on your recipient by asking them a different question on the landing page. By progressively profiling your recipients you can market to them more effectively.

Be basic and send people to your homepage, this is a quick and easy thing to do but it won’t lead to your required goals being met. Even if it’s a branding/awareness campaign consider whether there is actually a more relevant page you could send visitors to, such as a landing page introducing your company’s values.

These are some really simple tips to keep in mind, for some more detailed resources on the subject check out Unbounce and Crazy Egg; they have some really interesting case studies which are of use to anyone looking to improve their user experience.