The entry page metric is a simple one - it denotes the first page viewed when a session began at the domain. However, as simple of a metric as it is, some confusion can arise regarding the relationship between the entry page, a landing page, and a home page. Whereas the entry page can be any page a visitor first viewed at a domain, the home page and a landing page are designated pages created with the intention of welcoming visitors to the site or introducing them to a promotion (respectively). The home page of a domain is routinely the basic domain URL for that site (i.e. amazon.com or netflix.com). A landing page is often the linked address attached to clickable advertisements that appear on external websites and on other pages on the organization's own domain.
Entry page metrics can tell the domain operator which content or products are drawing visitors to the domain, and this often relates closely to the most common desires of visitors, but also to referrer. For example, if Nike were to find that a disproportionately large rate of sessions at their domain began at the entry pages for the Nike Flex running sneaker, that could cue to the brand that that item was a popular and interesting item for consumers that was drawing them to the domain.
The entry page metric only tells half of the story, though. Knowing the most popular referrers can also provide information about which ad buys are performing strongly (with good click-through-rates). If the web traffic to the entry page is primarily coming from organic search engine inquiries, then it stands to reason that the product has gained traction through word-of-mouth, social media buzz, or non-digital advertising (i.e. print, television, radio, billboards, etc.).
Other considerations include disparities in entry page metrics across platforms (desktop vs. tablet vs. mobile) and how to mediate an undesired entry page. For example, if a brand were to find visitors were commonly landing on an undesired entry page and this was resulting in too many bounces or preventing a promotion from gaining traction, the domain operator could then alter their SEO to funnel searches to the desired entry or landing page. Additionally, ad buys could be invested in drawing traffic to more desired pages via linked external advertisements.
Entry pages are only the start of the visitor path (or, potentially, the path to purchase). They can also be analyzed in reference to what visitors do after entering a domain from a specific page. Ivan Bager of siteimprove.com suggests the use of scroll map and click map to trace the visitor behavior following the beginning of a session at an entry page. Even if an entry page is not seen as problematic to a domain operator, some entry pages might outperform others in terms of leading visitors towards other content, longer sessions, and a high conversion or purchase rate. Tracking visitors from the point of entry to their final action on the domain can help organizations learn how to optimize their site map and linking to create better outcomes and produce more deliverables.
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