If you are learning about Digital Marketing you have probably heard the term “Squeeze Page” and are wondering what is all the hype about. In the world of digital marketing, the email list is considered one of the most important assets a business can have. This is when Squeeze Pages come to play.
A squeeze page is a single web page with the goal of capturing email addresses from potential subscribers by offering something valuable in return. The offer should be irresistible and not be available somewhere else, which creates a worthwhile, non-spammy trade.
Squeeze Page Vs. Landing Page
If you have heard of Squeeze Pages, you have probably heard of Landing Pages too and might wonder, where do they stand in comparison?
Technically, squeeze Pages are a type of landing page so, while all squeeze pages are landing pages, not all landing pages are Squeeze Pages. Wait…what? (you can take a minute to read that again).
What squeeze pages and landing pages have in common is that both are single page websites with one specific goal, but that is where the similarities end.
Squeeze Pages are generally shorter and with less information to avoid distracting the visitors from providing their emails. On the contrary, landing pages can include multiple sections, display different types of content, and have a variety of purposes: signing up for a free trial, downloading an eBook, registering for a webinar, making a purchase, etc.
| SQUEEZE PAGES | LANDING PAGES |
| Shorter, usually just one section | Longer, multiple sections. |
| Minimal form fields | Multiple form fields depending on the goal. |
| Unique goal (capture emails). | They can have different goals (making a sale, registering for a webinar, etc.). |
| Not usually a standalone webpage. | Could be used as a standalone webpage. |
Anatomy of a Squeeze Page
Considering that the main goal of a squeeze page is to convince the visitor to provide their email, other content and distractions are kept at a minimum. Unlike a typical homepage or directory page, a squeeze page usually does not include a search box, navigational links or any other ways to browse additional information.
Squeeze pages vary by industry and content type, but all include some combination of the following:
• A headline that clearly communicates the benefit you are going to provide.
• Supporting text that gives enough information for the visitor to make a decision.
• An opt-in form with just one or two fields (typically, name and email address) so visitors can take action without leaving the page.
• In addition to text, some squeeze pages also utilize informative ‘teaser’ content such as video that helps to promote whatever the squeeze page promises to deliver.
What makes a good squeeze page?
Since there are so many variables to consider like industry, authority, traffic, etc.; there is no real consensus on what the benchmark of success is for squeeze pages. However, most marketers agree that, with targeted traffic and optimization, you should expect a conversion rate of at least 25%.
This Squeeze Page by Landing Folio is a good example of best practices. It offers downloadable content in exchange for an email address and first name. It’s short, sweet, and has a single objective: get that email address.
It also does something that all great squeeze pages should do: present an ultimatum: either take the offer or leave the page. There’s no content or extra hyperlinks that distract the visitor from this ‘in or out’ choice.
Here’s a summary of what makes this (and other) squeeze pages so effective:
- It’s short.
- Offers a valuable resource
- It addresses a pain point and how opting in will solve it..
- There is a single call-to-action (CTA) button
- There are no distractions or “places” to go outside the offer.
Should You Use a Squeeze Page as Your Homepage?
To make it clear, no. Using a squeeze page as your homepage can damage your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), decreasing your position in search engine results pages (a.k.a. Google).
Your home page should be a rich home base, that includes enough content and credibility to bring in organic traffic.
In the ‘eyes’ of Google, having your Squeeze Page as your homepage shows little to no content and no internal links to other pages. That signals that your site has low-quality content, and your chances of ranking are gone.
How to create a high converting squeeze page?
If you have determined this is just what your business needs, the following section will take you through the stages to creating a great squeeze page
1. Create an enticing offer or “lead magnet” for your visitors.
Lead magnets are the free downloadable offer that you give away in exchange for an email address. Think: “To receive my free video course, simply enter your email here!”
Most customers nowadays know how lead-magnets work. For them to give away their email, your offer should be high-value content not easily found somewhere else. When in doubt, add more value.
If you know your audience, you know what keeps them awake at night, what they worry about and what piece of content you can offer to help them.
Some common lead magnets for squeeze pages include:
- eBooks
- eCourses/ Video Trainings (think more than a 20 min video they can get on youtube)
- PDF guides/ checklists/ resource lists
- Templates/ Worksheets
- Reports
Regardless of the format you choose, remember that the audience you want to capture is the one you will later offer your products/ service to.
For example, if you want to capture homeowners looking to get a kitchen renovation, you will do a lot better with a lead magnet of “10 things to consider when hiring a contractor” than with “10 trending materials for kitchens” which could as well attract designers, contractors, etc.
2. Choose a platform to build your Squeeze Page
Seems like there is a new Landing Page Builder launching every day. Meaning, options can be overwhelming so we will save you some time and mention only the ones that made our top cut.
a. Unbounce
Unbounce was the first landing page software and it’s still is one of the best out there. The Unbounce landing page editor is incredibly straightforward and easy to use.
It puts a lot of emphasis on conversion, offering support for A/B testing, AdWords integration, and visitor stats.
Pricing: $79/month for the Essential plan. The Premium plan is $159/month and the Enterprise plans begin at $399+/month.
b. Instapage
As the name suggests, Instapage is all about speed. Creating a landing or squeeze page takes no more than 2 minutes thanks to their 100+ templates. The builder is more basic than Unbounce which makes for faster customization and barely any learning curve at all.
Instapage is slightly cheaper than Unbounce but features like A/B testing, heatmaps, and some personalization tools require the most expensive plans. If you’re already paying for these features with another platform, the Core package might be enough.
You can set up your pages on your own domain URL with the flick of a switch or integrate via a WordPress plugin.
Pricing: $99/month for the core plan — which should give you everything you need to set up and capture leads in 15 minutes. Agency and Team plans begin at $179/month.
c. Clickfunnels
While Clickfunnels is more than a landing page builder, it’s still worth mentioning due to how easy it is to use and the amount of support and resources the company offers.
Clickfunnels it’s a sales funnel building software that creates high-converting landing pages using an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor.
When it comes to creating high converting sales funnels and landing pages, Clickfunnels are industry leaders with impressive experience stretching back years.
While Clickfunnels is great for beginners, customization of pages is not their strength so, unless you work with a great designer, your web presence can look a bit outdated.
As well as an editor, Clickfunnels provides users with autoresponders, email marketing software, and a shopping cart to help streamline and manage an online store.
Pricing: The basic Clickfunnels plan costs $97 a month, while the Clickfunnels platinum plan $297 a month.
3. Craft your perfect message
Believe it or not, a slight change in your message can cause your conversion rate to change significantly. The key with squeeze pages is to keep it simple, tell the readers what’s in it for them and what to do to get it.
This is not the place to talk about your business, offers, or convince visitors to work with you. You will have time to do all of that once you have their email.
Your goal here is to explain how opting in solves their problem or improves their situation. You can often do this in a pretty straight forward way. For example, a fitness trainer might use this headline, and no other content, to pitch a lead magnet: “This Guide Will Help You Correct the 5 Mistakes That Are Keeping You From Making Progress.”
If you find you need to write several paragraphs to explain it you probably need to reconsider your offer—it’s a sign that your lead magnet isn’t an obvious fit for your audience, your business, or both.
4. Optimize your Squeeze Page Conversions
The best way to optimize squeeze pages and improve conversions is through A/B testing. This the process of comparing two variations of a page to determine which one performs best.
To run an A/B test, you want to test one element at the time. Select the element you want to test on your squeeze page and create a variation of the page changing said element. After you have received enough data on which version is performing better, you can devote your resources to the best version.
Some elements you can test are:
- Length of headline
- CTA button size
- CTA button color
- CTA button copy
- Form position
- Page length
- Background image
- Bulleted list copy vs. paragraphs of copy
My Squeeze Page it’s Squeezing, now what?
If your squeeze page is successful, you will have a ton of new email addresses. These are people that have expressed some interest in a topic related to your business, so the best is to follow up with them ASAP.
- Show a “Thank You” Page –Use this as an opportunity to tell your visitors what will happen next and answer any questions they might have.
- Send an Immediate Email – Set up an automated email that triggers whenever someone signs up to squeeze page. Remind visitors why they gave you their email address in the first place, Attach whatever was promised and explain what they can expect from you next.
- Push Lead Info Into Your CRM –You’ll want to set up your squeeze page so the leads get added to your customer database.
- Follow Up with Drip Marketing – Add any leads that come through your squeeze page to a drip-email campaign. This will keep them moving further down the funnel, and closer towards a purchase. You can recommend similar content, offer them promotions, or add them to your newsletter.
BONUS: Download your squeeze page template here
We hope you enjoyed this guide to squeeze pages. Do you have any other questions or advice? Tell us in the comments, we reply to all of them!
