Why and How to Create Custom Shopify Landing Pages That Convert

As your online store grows, you will want to start thinking about marketing campaigns, whether through email, social media, affiliate links or another method. But where does a campaign lead the customer? To a landing page. This is where a visitor land after they click a link in a social media ad, marketing email or Google search result.Oftentimes, campaigns will use product pages, the shop's main page or collections pages as landing pages, which is a marketing mistake leading to low conversion rates.Because marketing campaigns are customized according to the audience, landing pages should also be created to correspond to a specific campaign. The fact that custom Shopify landing pages are more effective than boilerplate pages is further supported by research. According to a 2018 report from Monetate,Shoppers landing from social media marketing campaigns are 29% more likely to bounce when they find a product detail page compared to finding a different one.A beautifully designed landing page is a great path to conversion, whether that's capturing leads or making a purchase.Unfortunately, Shopify limits your ability to create custom landing pages and store owners end up using other apps or platforms to get around this.This, of course, adds cost and time. If you know Liquid, Shopify's programming language, you can build a custom landing page. If you don't, you will need to hire someone who does, which is another added cost.Let's explore some of the solutions store owners resort to when it comes to creating custom Shopify landing pages.

Product Pages

1. It doesn't require you to build a new page.
2. The shopper clicked on a link for a product, so it makes sense to direct them to the product page.

...It actually takes away a marketing opportunity where you can further communicate with your shoppers. A well-designed landing page can evoke emotion and create a desire - two areas where product pages fall flat. Any marketer worth his or her money knows that just showcasing a product is not enough - you have to use images and well-written copy to create a feeling and tell a story. This is easily achieved with a custom landing page.

Custom Collections

Collectionscanbe used as a custom Shopify landing pages, but just like product pages, they are less than ideal.Let's recall that Shopify collections allow you to group products from different categories together, but the appearance of a collection page depends on your theme. You won't be able to customize it.Another pain point is that the flow of a marketing campaign is interrupted when a collection page is used as a landing page.Let's say you design a social and/or email campaign for a specific style of shirt and when a visitor clicks on a link in the email or social ad, instead of being taken to a landing page that follows a similar design, they end up on a collections page. A dedicated landing page that contains persuasive copy, beautiful product shots and tells a story is much more likely to convert. Your marketing campaign should have continuity and a landing page needs to entice the visitor rather than just show a collection of products without offering any extra information.Remember, only minimal customization is available with custom Shopify collection pages and you can't necessarily put in keywords, which takes us to our next point of why custom landing pages are so important for your business.

What About Custom URLs?

This is a frequent request from Shopify store owners that is yet to be resolved by Shopify. Without getting too technical, Shopify has predefined URL endpoints, which means custom URLs are impossible. Even if you know Liquid (Shopify's programming language) you are still bound by yourShopify theme limitations.

Multiple Landing Pages for SEO

Keywords and SEO are an important part of any business strategy. Differentiating between your target audiences and creating landing pages for each can make a big difference to sales.For example, let's say your shop sells house plants, but you know that certain plants appeal more to men while others appeal to women.You will need separate landing pages for each target market. Based on your research, specific keywords need to be used for each page. Your marketing team (even if it's just you for now!) needs to be able to quickly create as many landing pages as your marketing plan requires.Running multiple campaigns simultaneously allows you to understand what works and what doesn't, what keywords your audience responds to and which landing pages convert better than others.Multiple keywords and relevant content on your landing pages will increase your Google rankings, thus increasing your chances of reaching potential customers.

Maximize Your Marketing Spend

Your ad spend is an investment that deserves a dedicated landing page. It's simply a bad business decision to direct traffic to a landing page that's just an afterthought. Your marketing budget is more than just ad spend - factor into it your marketing team costs, creative costs...It all adds up. It's imperative that your budget maximize your returns.

Using Headless Commerce to Create Custom Shopify Landing Pages Without Coding

The beauty of headless commerce is that it allows you to completely separate your backend from your front end. Your Shopify-based landing pages can be designed and created exactly how you want them, and they can be created quickly.No need for apps or coding! Online store owners know that time is a precious resource in the world of eCommerce and a landing page that can be created quickly, which means your campaign is up and running quickly too.