if a visitor doesn't come to your site in order to look for the availability of the domain
do you think you can convice somebody to to buy the domain??
Evidently is nobody is visiting your landing page then it doesn't matter how your landing page looks like and what content you put there since it won't be seen.
But if an interested party contacts you and asks if your domain is for sale ( and they didn't look at the landing page, but for example found your contact information through a WHOIS search) you can always say that the domain is for sale and give your landing page as a reference link prior to negotiations.
versus
why should a bad landing page keep someone from buying,
if they were looking to buy the domain?
I never said a bad landing page won't sell your domain. I sold domains that I parked on Sedo (and I would dare to say that those are bad landing pages
) before I was using my own landers.
I just sold a lot less domains on Sedo (and had to pay commissions on top of it).
In any case, yes you're right: if the visitor really wants your domain and they can afford the price they will buy it, regardless of the quality of your lander.
But in a lot of cases it's not as clear-cut as this. A few pointers why I think you need to have a good lander:
- A lot of times a potential buyer has some interest in your domain but it's not their only choice so they are not desperate to own it. That's when a good landing page will give you better results compared to a poor landing page. Why do you think so many marketers use great (and not poor) landing pages when trying to sell a product or service? Because those landers convert better.
- A good landing page makes your business look legit as well so it comes with instant trust.
- You know what they say about first impressions right? I believe that concept works for domain landers as well.
- Part of the negotiation (for example "explaining why your domain is valuable") can already be integrated in the landing page as well (aka the sales pitch) so you no longer need to convince your buyer during actual negotiations that your domain is worth more than the $100 USD he's offering.
- I strongly believe that a great landing page can make your domain name look more valuable that it really is. Just like a great website and logo can make your business look more valuable that it really is.