Now that you’ve got killer content that’s ready for public consumption, it’s time to think about how you’ll display it to your site’s visitors. As long as there’s at least 200-300 words per page, each of your new articles should be placed on a separate page of content, along with whatever other components you think are useful to have on every page. Since most people will “land” on one of your new articles after surfing from another link, or after doing a search on a search engine we refer to these pages as “landing pages”. You only need to design one landing page template for all your new articles, leaving a section to paste your new content into.

When designing your landing page template, you need to decide what additional components to include besides your content. Here’s a list of the most common components of an effective landing page template:

1. Top header with logo
2. Article or post title
3. Content body
4. Comments or Review section
5. Site navigation menu
6. Headlines of other recent or related articles
7. Trust seals or awards to build credibility with visitors
8. Action Link or Form

Get Some ACTION!
The first 7 components above are relatively simple to include on your page. They’re most likely pulled from other parts of your site. However, #5 takes some careful consideration. You need to figure out what action you want people to take on your site.

Here are 4 types of actions site owners typically want their visitors to take:

1. Purchase a product or service
2. Fill out a form (quote request, contact us, etc.)
3. Sign up to a newsletter
4. Register

Many people seem to forget that, when it comes down to it, the primary goal of your site is to get people to TAKE ACTION. While your new content is providing information to your visitors, the primary goal remains the same.

Think about it this way… you’re providing your visitors with information. Most people who land on your pages probably do not have their credit card in their hand, just waiting to purchase your product or service. They’re probably looking for information. It’s wise of you to give them what they’re looking for, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to get something in return. This is a fair and honest exchange.

Converting Information-Seekers into Action-Takers
So the savvy site owners and content producers know that the real trick is… converting these information seekers… into action-takers.

So what’s the secret to doing this? I wish there was a clever, sophisticated technique we could tell you about that would make us look like internet marketing geniuses. However, the truth is, the answer is so simple you may be left saying “dah – that’s it?”. The amazing thing is how many sites don’t do it.

All you need to do is figure out what action you want people to take on your site, and give people an EASY way to do it on every page of content! (See I told you it was simple.) Sometimes, this can mean placing a small form in a prominent position on the page, perhaps letting the content wrap around it to gain more attention. Other times, this will mean placing a prominent hyperlink with carefully crafted “Action Text”, which leads people to another page on your site where they can take action. “Click Here to Sign Up Now and Get Free Shipping!"

Lots of Traffic… No Action
Again, there’s an incredible amount of sites that fail to implement this most basic technique on their site. They spend loads of time developing great content. It ranks well in the search engines - check. Their visitors love the content - check. The search engines appreciate the content – check. Their ranks start to rise - check. Traffic increases - check. Everything is great!

Only one problem… no action!

Bottom Line
Don’t make the mistake of thinking the goal of your new content development efforts is to get traffic. The goal is to get results. The most important goal is to provide high quality content that will build trust with your visitors. Without quality content, no amount of additional traffic will be worth anything. Once you have quality content, you can think about achieving your next goal, to get your visitors to take action. Before just plastering your content onto your site, design and build simple, yet carefully-crafted landing pages that convert people from information-seekers into action-takers!

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