We can’t blame the marketers because designing and developing a viable website takes a long time. The most important things are to have a good plan, do some wireframing, make changes to the template, edit the code files, and so on. It is a time-consuming process.
So, what are you going to do? Nobody likes paying online marketers to do nothing until the website goes live. Believe us, you don’t have to. There is something you can do to promote your business online, even if the website is not ready. Just design and develop a Coming Soon page for your website.
Coming Soon page is far better than featuring a blank page or a generic template developed by your web hosting company. The good thing about this Coming Soon Page is that it takes little time to design or develop. The idea behind this is simple – creating a buzz for the brand. The purpose of a Coming Soon Page is to give the users a good idea of what to expect when the final version of the website goes live. It encourages the audience to interact with your brand and become subscribers to know what the website has in store.
Some websites use a Coming Soon Page to encourage people to join their beta program, but in most cases, companies add a ‘Subscribe’ form so that people can be notified when the final version of the website is launched.
Now, there are a few factors that you need to take into consideration before you start designing a Coming Soon Page for your website. Allow us to explain them to you:
Focus On Brand
Since your website is in the development stage, we can assume that you have some design elements ready or at least have already agreed upon. For example, if the logo is prepared or the designer has selected a color scheme for the final design, you can start building something around it. Use the color scheme, logo, or font type while creating the Coming Soon Page. This will help you make people familiar with the brand. When the final version goes live, this familiarity will help people relate the new design with the design of the Coming Soon Page. This will give your marketing campaign a great start.
Curiosity
You want people to talk about your brand. Of course, getting people to talk about your brand can take time to achieve. However, this is not an impossible feat by any means. You need to add some elements of curiosity in the design of the Coming Soon Page that will make people think about it or at least talk about it. For example, if you are trying to sell a new washing machine via your website, a call-to-action like this – ‘Tired of washing clothes? We have Something Revolutionary for You. Sign up to get notified.’ A simple and intriguing message like this is enough to make people feel curious about your brand. Be sure it’s big and bold with a prominent button to click on.
Give Them Some Hints
When people land on the Coming Soon Page, you’ll need to give them some information about the upcoming product or the project. A gorgeous background image with random text like ‘This is a Coming Soon Page’ will not help people understand the page. Why should they care about a page that does not give any information about the upcoming website? They will ignore it. It would be best if you did not let this happen. However, we are not asking you to spill the beans; you need to give them some information; otherwise, they might not feel interested in the Coming Soon Page. For example, if you are launching a new book, you might consider adding some parts to generate people’s interest. It’s all about first impressions and perception. Give them something to think about, like a thoughtful tagline.
Keep Them Updated
People will only visit the Coming Soon Page a few times a week, so you need to add a Subscribe call-to-action that allows people to get updates about the product or the website. However, there is no fixed rule about how often you must send emails to keep them updated. Sending one or two emails before the final version of the website goes live is a good idea. Please don’t push it too hard. Just keep it simple.
Don’t Forget the SEO
It is a fact that Coming Soon Pages are not likely to rank high as they don’t contain much information. But that should not stop you from making them a bit search engine-friendly. Make sure that you have included metadata and that you have not blocked anything via the robots.txt file. Don’t stuff too many keywords on the page because search engines would consider that an attempt to inflate the website’s ranking artificially, and therefore, it can get penalized.
Plan your Plan and remember these aspects of a Coming Soon Page design. Good luck with your new website.