‘Coming soon’ pages are a highly effective way to initiate online branding and presence. Yet, most businesses overlook this valuable marketing opportunity.
Whether you’re working on design, writing content, or snapping the last few photos, a coming soon page:
- Tells current and potential clients you’re producing a new website, which generates anticipation
- Provides visitors contact information, so they can inquire about your offerings or partnership opportunities
- Gives your website a headstart on the SEO front, so you can attain desired rankings sooner
Optimize Your Coming Soon Page
By including your name, brief description about your company, products or services, you’re helping Google and friends understand what your website is about. To further optimize your website, be sure to include descriptive terms in your title, keyword and description tags.
Building some history on the Web will help your website get out of Google’s sandbox sooner, which means it can attain desired rankings once it’s launched. In fact, it’s common to see coming soon pages with Google PageRanks of 1, 2, or even 3 out of 10, which indicates they’ve already gained Google’s trust. As Google owns more than 70% of the search engine market, it’s a relationship your business needs to nurture.
Other Coming Soon Elements
While launching a coming soon page, be sure to fully leverage it. Here are some other elements you can add to help your visitors, your future website, and your bottom line:
- Your logo
- Relevant photos or images
- Contact information, including phone and email
- Information on what the website will be marketing
- Brief company introduction
- Launch date, or at least the quarter, season or year
- Periodic updates
- Newsletter subscription
- Social media sign-ups, including Twitter and Facebook
So don’t delay. Always get your host and domain working for you ASAP.
I think this is clever, especially as soon many people think OH, I’ll have my website up in three weeks, and it turns out to be a year.
When you’re planning a new website or business, get a domain right away and follow this advice. But don’t pick any domain, or you’ll be forced to take a huge step back later. A domain is as important as a business name, maybe more.