Attracting and Converting Traffic with Glossary and Directory Landing Pages

Glossary and directory landing pages succeed when they provide users the information they seek—either a definition or a link to an article or product.

A glossary landing page, as the name suggests, is a glossary on a website that lists dictionary-like definitions of words, phrases or concepts.

Glossary landing pages attract traffic and include conversion architecture that urges users to subscribe or engage in some other transaction. Like the article landing page, the objective of the glossary landing page is to capture the user’s interest in the editorial content and lead him to a transaction.

One publisher has told Mequoda editors that a full 50 percent of his site’s incoming traffic is the result of its rich and diverse glossary landing page.

Have a look at this exemplary glossary landing page from Ceramic Arts Daily.

Because the field of ceramic arts has such a rich jargon or technical language, a glossary landing page is a welcomed feature of www.CeramicArtsDaily.com. The glossary landing page features dozens of technical terms of interest to the ceramic artist, each of which links to a signup page for their free email newsletter.

This site is a cornucopia of advisement for the ceramics hobbyist. There are prominent text links to other ceramic topics, tips, tools, artists and supplies. Most of the site’s pages begin with a large OFIE and feature links to several rapid conversion landing pages and sales letter landing pages for paid products.

Full disclosure: Ceramic Arts Daily is a Mequoda consulting client.

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The goal of a directory landing page (not to be confused with a directory website) is to move the user to another webpage. Directory landing pages are lists that help users browse down further into the website.

Directory landing pages include home pages, topic pages and category pages that list articles appearing on other webpages. A directory landing page on a retail website moves the user to a product page.

Like glossary landing pages, directory landing pages are designed to be search engine friendly and attract traffic. They include conversion architecture that urges users to take the next step in the transactional process. At a minimum, such architecture usually includes order forms in editorial (OFIEs) or hypertext links to order forms.

Don’t underestimate the value of well-crafted directory landing pages that encourage users to browse. Experts such as Jared Spool have determined that product pages reached by browsing generate six times higher conversion rates than product pages reached by search.

This exemplary directory landing page on the Harvard Health Publications website helps the publisher sell nearly 75 information products online.

First, it features a long list of common medical conditions, each of which is a link to a paid information product.

Second, it lists the publisher’s numerous newsletters, books and reports, some of which link to free article pages, and some of which link to paid subscription newsletters.

Note that this directory landing page also serves up a floater to any unknown user, offering a free email newsletter.

Glossary and directory landing pages succeed when they provide users the information they seek—either a definition or a link to an article or product, regardless of whether it’s free or paid.