Landing Page vs Website Page: Key Differences Explained

Landing page vs website page is a common debate between new business owners and marketers. Deciding the right time for creating a landing page or a website can be confusing. Over the last decade, many people have asked me the difference between a landing page and a website. The answer to this question lies behind the purpose of creating such pages.

So in this article, I will talk about landing page vs website page and try to clear the confusion surrounding it. If you are someone who still can’t differentiate between a landing page and a website or want to learn how both of them can be helpful in marketing, then this blog is just for you.

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a webpage with a clear focus on a single call to action. A call to action or CTA can be filling out a form or click-through to the next page.

When the visitor fulfills the specified action present on a landing page, it is known as a conversion. Marketers track such actions with the help of tools like Google Analytics, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, etc. They use such collected data for improving marketing campaigns.

Landing pages help promptly educate the visitor about a service or a product. It increases the visitors’ chances of turning into a lead. For example, you can use a pre-launch landing page if you are preparing to launch a product. It helps make potential clients aware of your product and its features beforehand and allows them to sign up for early access.

What is a Website?

A website can have many purposes. It can act as your homepage, showcasing to visitors all the services or products you offer. It can also be a blog page, passing relevant information to readers and establishing your brand as an expert.

The point is, unlike landing pages that have a single goal, a website can have multiple purposes. They help strengthen your online presence and create a digital space for you and your customers.

Now we have a clear understanding of the aim of a landing page and a webpage which makes it easier to discuss landing page vs website page.

Landing Page vs Website Page: Key Differences

Websites have a lot of web pages that interlink with each other. It assists in providing visitors with a seamless experience while going through your site.

In contrast, a prospect reaches a landing page either through an ad or a link in a relevant blog post. A landing page focuses on converting the visitor into a lead by increasing their confidence in the brand by various means, like, social proof, USPs, etc.

Let’s understand landing page vs website page by comparing both by their features.

1. Call to Action

Let’s start with the main one.

Call to Action – Landing pages usually have one goal or a single call to action.

Compare this to your website – On your homepage, e.g. you can have a newsletter signup or a lead magnet form and some other links. On a landing page, however, there is just one single goal.

But a webpage can have one or more than one links. That’s why a landing page can be a webpage the vice versa, is not true.

2. No Navigation

Yes, I know it must sound surprising, but landing pages have no links to any other pages. The aim is to actually limit choice. It is a proven fact that when people are given more choices, they end up taking no action. So by having no links, we focus all our attention on that single goal.

3. Cohesive Structure

Landing pages should have a well-defined structure. For a typical lead generation landing page, you can start with a benefit-focused headline, build up trust by showing social proof, and have features listed out in a way that a user can easily skim through the content.

Compare this to a homepage example on a website. The page has quite of links and a summary of some of the services/products where visitors can click through. A homepage is more of a navigational page which is good for directing visitors to certain on the website.

I have put together a template that you can easily download to check what elements you should include in your landing page.

4. Relevancy

While understanding landing page vs website page, we need to explore how the audience reacts to both of them. It will help you in building efficient marketing strategies with minimum effort.

Relevancy basically means you match your ad copy with your landing page. It soothes user experience and establishes a trusting relationship with the potential customer.

For example, say I type in ‘Nike Air Force 1’ in Google.
So imagine two scenarios,

Scenario 1

After typing in on the SERPS, I see an ad which says ‘Nike Air Force 1 – Offers Up To 50% Off. When I click on the ad it takes me to a homepage with hundreds of product lines. Now on this homepage, I will have to navigate and click through at least five different pages to reach the ‘Nike Air Force 1.’

Scenario 2

The ad takes me to a landing page, where an of list all features and benefits are present along with social proof. It also offers a 50% discount coupon which users can easily copy.

Which of these 2 scenarios do you think has a better user experience?

Clearly, it’s the landing page route, as the landing page is super relevant to the search query of the customer.

5. Audience Targeting

Now let’s look at the previous example and expand it.

So if a visitor types in “Nike air force 1 junior.”

Then we can effectively copy the same landing page and change some of the elements to match that audience. Because landing pages are built outside your website, they are easy to update and deploy. This allows marketers to create better-quality campaigns without the need for I.T.

6. Usage

As now we have covered some differences, let’s look at where you should use landing pages and webpages.

a. Paid Traffic Campaigns

For paid traffic campaigns like Google Ads or Facebook Ads, I will also recommend using landing pages.  As you are spending money for every click, so every visitor is important. With a clear focus and attention, you can get better results.

b. Promoting Content on Social Media

You can use specific lead generation landing pages on your Twitter/Instagram bio to generate leads. These are called lead magnets where basically you exchange an ebook or a freebie with your prospect’s email address.

c. SEO

There is one area where I wouldn’t recommend using Landing pages hosted outside the website. This is for search engine optimisation. Because of the nature of landing pages where you can do split testing and keep changing the content, I recommend sending organic traffic to your main website.

Check out my other article to know more about AB testing your landing pages.

Final Thoughts

After comparing, we can understand that landing pages and websites have benefits of their own. The winner from the landing page vs website page debate depends on a marketer’s final goal.

If you want to increase your online presence and make it easier for customers to explore your products and services, then the website is the best option. For more targeted marketing ventures and finding quality leads, a landing page is the better choice.

You can also use landing pages for passing important messages to your audience. Check out my types of landing pages blog to know more: 13 Different Types of Landing Pages: How and When to Use Them

It is crucial to use the right page for the right purpose; otherwise, your audience might get confused. This brings an end to our landing page vs website page discussion. I hope it was helpful to you.

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