I've known about squeeze pages, or lead capture pages for a long time now, but it's not something I got into right away when I started my online business. Overwhelmed with all the new information coming at me from all different directions, I let this information pass me by while I focused on learning the basics of owning and operating an online business.

It's good to learn the basics first, but there are some things you just cannot ignore, like the squeeze page. I wish I had learned how to create one sooner, but there is a time for everything I suppose...

What is a squeeze page you ask? A squeeze page is like a one-paged advertisement that is meant to capture subscribers to your list, or to get clicks on your links that lead to the products and services you are promoting.

The idea is to make it quick and snappy so that you grab people's attention within a few seconds flat. You want to entice them, ever so craftily, to hurry up and subscribe or click before they miss the boat, the bonuses, or that answer to whatever problem ails them.

A squeeze page is usually written in uppercase, bolded, underlined, highlighted and fancy fonts that make your eyeballs go buggy when you see it. It is an attention-grabber to say the least.

Most online business owners will have a sales page that they promote in traffic exchanges and in the search engines. Sales pages are great at explaining the program or service you are offering, and while they are also attention-grabbers, they are usually quite long in their descriptions.

They will include long testimonials from happy and successful business owners using that system. They will include all the features, bonuses, and reasons you need to buy that product or service right now.

The problem with these sales pages is that people need to see that type of long page over and over again before they might make a purchase.

That's where the squeeze page comes in handy. It captures attention fast and if it's a good squeeze page that says all the right things, you will have new subscribers and clicks in no time.

The squeeze page isn't as hard to create as you may think. Once you know how a website works, and how to control and upload your files within your web hosting service, the rest is quite easy.

In fact, you can buy programs that will create squeeze pages for you if you really don't want to learn how. You can find content all over the web for your squeeze pages.

But why waste your money and time on that when you have the information you need right at your fingertips? If you are selling something online, chances are you signed up with a program via a sales page, or you have created your own sales page. All the text you need for your squeeze page is right there in the sales page.

All you do is write a captivating headline that really stands out. Then write a sub-headline that makes the reader want to read more of your page.

Next, write down a few benefits, bonuses, or freebies that visitors will get by subscribing, clicking, or joining the program. You may use pop-ups or fly-ins at this point.

You can add a testimonial or two, and finally your subscription form where visitors can enter their name and email address to get immediate access to their bonuses.

It's not an easy task to get visitors to give you their names and email addresses. If they are in business already, they are probably already getting hoards of emails in their inbox daily and don't want to subscribe to one more thing. For this reason, you must have a compelling reason for them to join that is stated on your squeeze page.

I also think it's important to establish trust by letting them know about your privacy policy, that you won't give out or sell their name to anyone, and your disclaimer and other legal information. You may also make your contact information available so that if they have questions or concerns they know where to find you.

Without a squeeze page for your online business, it will be a lot harder to gather subscribers or make those sales.

A good place to promote your squeeze pages is in traffic exchanges where you can quickly capture a traffic surfer's attention and get a quick sign-up before they click to the next ad.

You can also use squeeze pages in your forum signatures, at the bottom of your articles in the author bio-box, or in pay-per-click programs. They can only do your business good!