Are you working on a marketing project and wondering, “Do I need a landing page for this?” If so, you’re reading a great resource for the answer!

Lots of marketers wonder what’s a landing page versus a website page. It’s a good question to ask! A landing page and a website homepage have different purposes. It’s the purpose of the page that determines whether you need one or the other and whether the one you choose is effective.

What a Website Homepage Does

• Establishes your brand identity.
• Captures interest and attention from your visitors about your company.
• Directs visitors to view other pages of your website that contain the relevant content they’re looking for.

What a Landing Page Does

• Satisfies a visitor’s specific request for relevant content that answers their question.
• Captures interest and attention from your visitors about a specific offer.
• Converts visitors with a single call-to-action.
• Click-through landing pages or squeeze pages encourage visitors to click through to another page and buy.
• Lead generation landing pages turn visitors into leads by capturing their contact information in a completed form.

12 Ways to Know What's Best

1.   Landing pages are built to convert. Homepages are not.
2.   Visitors have a range of reasons for visiting a homepage, such as learning about a company and its products after searching online. Visitors have a specific reason for visiting a landing page related to a specific marketing campaign.
3.   A landing page is often linked to pay-per-click ads, social posts and ads, emails, and other outside traffic-building vehicles. A homepage is the page visitors see when they navigate to your main website address.
4.   A homepage contains robust website navigation, which speaks to one of its main purposes. A landing page contains no navigation that could inspire a visitor to leave the page. You want them to do only one thing, whether it’s clicking on a button or filling out a form.
5.   The desired action of a visitor to a homepage is to visit more pages on your website. The desired action of a visitor to a landing page is to click a single button or complete a simple form.
6.   Landing page headlines focus on a specific offer, using language that connects the visitor to the content they just clicked, so there’s no question they’re in the right place. Homepage headlines focus on clearly communicating your company’s value proposition.
7.   Both homepages and landing pages utilize subheadings that serve as segues to the body copy. Landing page subheads often reinforce the value of taking the offer. Homepage subheads often speak to a visitor’s bigger-picture interests in your company.
8.   Both landing pages and homepages feature images, artwork, photos, illustrations, and video. Landing pages typically feature only one that illustrates the product or service in the offer.
9.   Homepage text tells the story of your company and makes different points about your brand. Landing page text gets right to one point, is value-based, singular in nature, and relates only to the offer at hand.
10. Both homepages and landing pages take advantage of the power of persuasion from social proof. Testimonials, reviews, evidence of social media likes and follows, media mentions, verification or trust seals, and great statistics can enhance the messaging on each page.
11. Landing pages need a simple form that is placed above the fold for visitors to take the offer. The form’s effectiveness is measured by the percentage of visitors that complete and submit it. If a form is placed on a homepage, it is also simple but often placed below the fold.
12. Landing pages can improve with testing. Optimize conversion rates of landing pages by utilizing A/B or split testing, which compares a control page against a variation of the page. Landing page elements that are often tested include the headline, on-page copy, call-to-action copy, images versus video, form length and style, as well as CTA button design, page design, social proof, and the offer itself.

11outof11 for Homepage and Landing Page Design

When you need web design services from a full-service online marketing agency that can help you improve the functionality of your homepage and the conversion rates of our landing pages, connect with 11outof11. Request a complimentary call with an 11outof11 expert. Contact us to learn more.