Within the world of search engine optimization (organic SEO for this post), keyword targeted landing pages are very important on a website. The search engine algorithm preferred method for
creating landing pages continually morphs over time, but the practice itself will remain strong as the landing page represents typically the final destination for a web surfer. Many websites make the cardinal mistake of sending most (if not all) of their keyword traffic to their home page, and this makes for lower conversion as the visitor has to then navigate further to find what they are looking for. Enter the landing page.
Normally, a web surfer will go to a search engine and enter a keyword search query. Then, the search results pages display and the visitor will click on a link that looks favorable and most matched to their request. When this person arrives on a page that is very specific to what they are looking for, their chances of becoming a customer (in any capacity) have now greatly increased. I like to recommend “theming’ or blending landing pages within the website’s main navigation structure so the website’s conventional (a.k.a. what most are used to) navigation links are seen, but are also highly relevant to someone searching for a key phrase.
Up until last year, many SEO professionals would simply create keyword specific landing pages (one keyword = one landing page) and simply stuff them in the footer and/or sitemap. As the algorithms got smarter, they began to penalize websites with many related keyword pages with correlating keyword dense copy. These days, I recommend “semantically combining” key phrases (combining 2 or more keywords rather than using them individually) per landing page and keeping the keyword density between 1.0-1.5%. By doing so, your website’s pages will read more naturally and the search engines will reward you with more visitors. In addition, your landing page conversion will be higher.
About the Author: Rhett DeMille, the owner of PalmettoSoft, is a leading search engine optimization consultant located in the Charlotte NC and Charleston SC areas.
