Landing Page vs Website: What's the Difference?

Your website and your website's landing pages are likely both important parts of your online marketing strategy. But what exactly is the difference between a website and a landing page? And when should you be adding a regular web page to your site, vs. using a landing page? While the two share some similarities, there are some key differences that are important to understand.

In this article we will outline the differences between a website and a landing page, and best practices for when you should use them.

Landing page vs website

Website

So, what is the difference between a landing page and a regular website page? Well, A website is an online presence that provides information about a business, its services, products, and contact information. It allows visitors to navigate through different pages, such as home, about, products, services, contact, and more. A website is typically more comprehensive than a landing page and is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of a business. Your website pages are generally more permanent information that needs to be display. Your standard web pages are linked in your navigation, and usually have important information for all your website visitors.

Landing pages on the other hand are specific to certain events or audiences. For example, if your business was having a Black Friday sale, you could create a landing page outlining all the details for your promotion. 

Landing page

A landing page, on the other hand, is more focused and typically serves a single purpose. It is often used to promote a specific product or service and is designed to capture leads or direct visitors to a specific page. Unlike a website, a landing page does not have multiple pages or navigation links, and it is designed to capture the attention of the visitor quickly and efficiently. Landing pages are often used as a part of a larger marketing strategy to drive traffic and generate leads.

When to use a landing page

When deciding between a website and a landing page, it is important to consider the goals of the business and the desired outcome. If the goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the business, then a web page is the better option. However, if the goal is to generate leads or direct visitors to a specific page, then a landing page may be more suitable. 

Landing page best practices

Create a clear Call to Action 

While websites are used to provide general information about a business, landing pages are designed to capture leads, promote an offer, or encourage a specific action. Above all, a landing page needs to have a clear call to action, or CTA, for its visitors. A 'call to action' is a prompt on your landing page that tells the visitor exactly what action they should take on the page. Most call to actions take the form of a button or hyperlink, usually with text that says "buy now", "sign up", "register", etc. 

A call to action can also include filling out a form, downloading a file, or taking a survey. Whatever it is, just make sure there is a clear intent of the landing page. 

Avoid visual noise 

On any web page it's important to avoid having too many elements that might be distracting to the user, but this is especially true for a landing page. Considering the intent of a landing page is to get the visitor to perform an action, you will want to avoid any necessary stimuli. 

Remove site menu

Avoiding visual noise includes removing navigation from the page. Your landing page does not need to include your header, footer, or menu that links to the rest of your website. This eliminates the potential for the page visitor to navigate off the page. 

Now you know the difference between a website page and a landing page and when to use them! If you're looking to create a landing page, you can create one for free with Pagecloud.