A: Landing pages are important to B2B and B2C marketers alike. However, B2B and B2C landing pages have different goals — and therein lie their differences.

According to a recent survey, both B2B and B2C marketers think conversion is the best metric for measuring the efficiency of a landing page. What that conversion should look like, though, depends on whether the page is designed for B2B or B2C prospects.

B2C companies are more interested in direct sales from product landing pages, whereas B2B businesses — which often have a long sales cycle that can take months to complete — are often more interested in quality lead generation than an instant purchase. That means B2B businesses are looking for an increase in click-throughs rather than an increase in lead-to-conversion from landing pages.

Although B2B and B2C landing pages have differing goals, both types of landing pages contain common elements. In the previously mentioned study, both B2B and B2C respondents recommended simplifying landing pages, redesigning them, and including these items in the pages:

• A compelling headline
• A strong, clear call to action
• Simple copy focused on one message

For B2B businesses, analytics that provide information about the number of clicks — and who clicked — are highly valuable. For B2C, the primary measure of a landing page’s success is increased sales.

When you have clear goals in mind for your landing pages and a way to measure their performance, you’ll find it much easier to make your landing pages work for you — whether you’re B2B or B2C.