by Titus Hoskins © Copyright 2005

Capturing leads is perhaps one of the most vital elements of 
your web site. Done properly it can increase sales, boost 
traffic and transform any site (including yours) into one of 
those fantastic Internet success stories we all read about.
Yet, many webmasters are unaware or ignore these crucial lead 
capture elements when designing their web sites.

'Lead capture' simply means capturing or obtaining the contact 
information (name and e-mail) of your site's visitors. You obtain 
permission to contact these subscribers at a later date to inform 
them about your site's updates, special events, or any other 
promotional material dealing with your site. Many marketers refer 
to this as building your 'opt-in list', visitors opt-in or give 
you permission to contact them. 

Any webmaster can build a loyal list of contacts, customers, or 
interested parties that will return again and again to your web 
site. One of the tools to capture leads are landing pages:
Landing Pages. This tool is mainly used in affiliate marketing. Basically, a landing 
page is just that, a potential customer/visitor first lands on your 
landing page and is then directed to the affiliate page or product you're 
promoting.

Why do this?

To capture your visitor's contact information for further follow-up. 
It is commonly known that it takes up to six or seven e-mails before a 
potential customer buys a certain product. By using a landing page, you 
build a contact list for people interested in your product or promotion. 
You now have a targeted list of interested leads to promote your products to.

These landing pages can be very simple, a few sentences and an e-mail 
capture form. Some marketers make these landing pages more elaborate 
- offering special bonuses and offers if the potential buyer buys your 
featured product.