Landing Page or Website? The differences between them and why it matters

Landing Page or Website? The Differences Between them and Why it Matters.

Katie Batchelor

July 9, 2021

With landing pages becoming more and more commonplace in the world of online marketing, we thought it might be as well to explain what on earth one is and how it differs from your website. Landing pages can be extremely useful for getting people to digest small bits of information which trigger an action on the viewer’s part, otherwise known as a CTA, or call to action. So, what’s the downside to landing pages? Well, there isn’t one exactly when used appropriately. They can be a great marketing medium in certain situations. The problem is that some people are misunderstanding what their purpose is and in what scenarios they should be used.

At Deearo Marketing, we’re always looking for new ways to simplify things for our clients, so we’re here to give a run down on what a landing page is and isn’t, what they can be used for and their limitations in modern online marketing.

Landing Pages - What they aren't

We’ve heard it said that landing pages are like simple websites for businesses and products. The idea behind this being, we assume, that you don’t need a flashy multi-page website with lots of different content. This is not accurate at all. Landing pages and websites fulfil different functions.

Landing pages are sort of like single page websites in that to navigate, you scroll down, rather than clicking the navigation button to see your options for the different pages of the website. Landing pages are only one page and therefore need to focus on a single topic, be to the point and have a single CTA at the end of them. The purpose of a landing page is to give enough information to the viewer to get them to accomplish one simple action. That might be signing up to your e-newsletter or trying to get them to buy one of your products. Either way, the information needs to be succinct and brief, so they don’t lose interest before clicking on your CTA link.

Landing Pages - When to use them

Digital Strike advises that “Your homepage is the face of your website, but a landing page is more of a temporary microsite, meant only for use in conjunction with marketing campaigns”. Landing pages need to be much more specific than the information on your website, so they are perfect for if you are launching a special offer or ad campaign focused on one of your services or products. Your landing page needs to elaborate on information already contained in an advert or social media post. An advert or post can only contain a certain number of words to be effective, so if someone sees it and wishes to find out more, they will click the link to the landing page and therefore find out how to access whatever it is you are offering. That might be a free e-book or guide which they can download in exchange for giving you their email address. Or your landing page might be promoting one of your services to boost that aspect of your business, in which case your call to action would be something like “call today for your free quote”.

Landing Pages - How to use them

Whatever your call to action, make sure the landing page is linking to something, for example a paid advert. Otherwise, the odds of anyone stumbling across it on the off chance aren’t good. The idea is that they respond to your advert or post by clicking through to the landing page, then they respond to your CTA whatever that may be. That is where the landing page journey ends. You also need to keep your landing page on topic and as short as you can. It’s not an essay or an article, landing pages are more like an extension of an advert where you can fill in a bit more information.

The key to a good landing page is to keep it short and keep it simple. Don’t overload people with information. If they want more information on your history as a company or the other services that you offer, they can look at your website. The landing page experience should be quick and result in an action being taken by the viewer, taking them from viewer to customer. Anything that distracts from this, does not belong on your landing page. Other content that does not relate to this specific request, belongs on your website, not your landing page

Now that you know what a landing page is and isn’t, you’ll understand that a landing page is not a substitute for your website. Your website is vital to the success of your business and in keeping all information about your company in one easily navigable place. This cannot be compared to a landing page which contains just enough information to get the viewer to complete a simple action.

So, just to recap: landing pages should be used in conjunction with an ad campaign or something similar, as an extension of that. They should take no more than two minutes to read and should contain a clear call to action. Now you’re a landing page expert, why not talk to Deearo Marketing today about which aspects of your business could be benefitted by building a landing page to support and boost revenue? We’re always here to help you make the most of your business and to make your marketing work harder for you. Click here to talk to one of our marketing experts today.