Landing Pages vs Websites

What is Right for me?

Landing pages vs websites? That’s got to be a trick question! However, it’s one of the most common things that we’ve noticed people ask. That’s because it can be hard to grasp the meaning and purpose behind these two ‘techy’ terms. If that’s you, then never fear…

Who, What, Where and Why

There should be ‘no beef’ between landing pages and websites. They each hold their place; neither should replace the other both are a crucial part of driving traffic. In the question of landing pages vs websites, the difference is the WHO, WHAT, WHERE AND WHY. This means:

  • WHO you’re attracting –ie. your target audience.
  • WHAT are the outcomes you’re after – eg. to capture leads/make conversions or to get website traffic in general.
  • WHERE you want visitors to go – eg. to just one online form, click to a phone number or is it the start of a sales.
  • WHY – eg. drive a specific marketing campaign goal or flesh out a complete online impression.

Landing Pages can be a strong part of any website strategy from the outset of the initial planning or utilised as an add-on to create a strong independent campaign. Now, you’re well on your way to making the distinction between landing pages and websites. Most importantly, you’re beginning to understand how to use them most effectively. Eventually, you’ll realise that you most certainly need both.

What is a Landing Page?

What is a Landing Page?

A landing page is utilised in online digital marketing for a VERY specific purpose. In explaining the need for a landing page in addition to a website, let’s look at the following analogy:

“You visit your local medical practice for things like a stuffy nose or a stubbed toenail. But you’re probably not likely to trust your family doc with triple bypass surgery. Instead, you’ll go to a surgeon who performs just this and NOTHING else. Your landing page is the equivalent of a specialist surgeon. It works on a precise level and it performs a crucial task – one that you just can’t afford to ignore!”

Every time you have a special offer or promo, you’ll want your landing page to stand up and do its job. A landing page is also required when you need to let people know about any important news – launches, store location, opening hours, etc. It’s for all those things that would really hurt your business if your customers were to ‘miss the memo’.


Why Do I Need a Landing Page?

A Landing page is made to describe or display one offer and to serve one purpose.

You need a landing page because this ‘honed in’ way of presenting information results in a lesser likelihood that your intended customer will get distracted. In this fast paced and competitive digital space, people easily click away. Plus, giving someone too many options can mean they get overwhelmed and don’t make a decision.

A landing page generally focuses on one section of the purchase funnel. It should be well designed and kept clean in order to attract and retain attention. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tailor the content. Pages that personalise usually have much higher conversion rates. Ideally, you’ll need to create a unique page every time to keep things fresh and laser-focused.

What Should Make Up a Landing Page?

Here’s where we get down to the ‘meat-in-the-sandwich’. A landing page will typically comprise:

1. A single-page website with an attached landing page.
2. Limited functionality which usually only involves text, images and a form.
3. Only that information which details a specific offer, news or some other focused item. Text should be concise and oriented to what entices a conversion ie sales copy.
4. Very limited navigation (may not have a top navigation so viewers/readers can’t bounce to another page) and clean design.
5. A CTA (Call-To-Action) a Lead Page (with lead magnets) and integration with PPC (Paid Per Click Advertising).

If you’re wondering about that last point, we won’t leave you hanging. Click HERE to skip to this section.

NOTE: Landing pages can be on the same URL as your website (or maybe a different URL) but they are always distinct in their purpose to deliver to a specific segment of the market or goal.


Really, how is a Landing Page Different to a Website?


In comparison, a website is generally five pages or more with interconnecting pages. They generally, contain comprehensive information and details about the business, products/services. E.g. you’ll usually have an ‘about page’, possibly testimonials and even a blog.

A website important for your digital presence but it can be a lot to take in with 55 % of users spending fewer than 15 seconds on your website. With only a goldfish-like window of data absorption capability available, it’s necessary to set crucial information apart with an effective landing page.

Other Things to Know

Landing pages seem like simple things but there are a few extra ingredients that will add some extra spice to this piece of the pie. To make the most of your digital marketing strategy you’ll want to connect all the dots with the following:

Call-to-Action (CTA)

A call-to-action is no different from a call-to-arms. It’s your action-oriented spiel used to sign off any landing page worth its salt. Not the time to be shy, you’ll want to consider deliver a sense of urgency to any promotion that you feature. Sometimes you might even want to impose a time limit on your offer to really pack a punch. Or perhaps you prefer ‘carrots’ to ‘sticks’ and would prefer a nice incentive to entice someone to complete your lead form. And, what will your obliging prospect receive? Well, that’s a great segway into the next point:

Lead Pages/Magnets

Just like the lure of the anglerfish lead magnets should be shiny and dazzling. But instead of aquatic prey, the idea is to attract and convert a good number of those human-type visitors. Overall, the method is quite similar. You’ll use your landing page to dangle an attractive lead magnet, which might look more like a free webinar or an ebook (far more appealing than your fishy’s luminous dorsal spine).

While your end goal is likely to be very different from that of the anglerfish, the prospects will be just as juicy! These lead magnets will need to be ‘gated’ by a form, ie lead page. A user will fill out the form on the landing page (providing at least their last name an email). This is the most common method used to capture those succulent leads.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Last but not least, let’s talk about PPC. It’s the vital link in the chain(mail) in the battle for digital marketing supremacy! But what is PPC? Paid-Per-Click advertising is the model Google uses to select ‘winners’ which appear in the valuable real estate on its search result page. When you’ve paid for PPC and ‘hit the jackpot’ it’s critical to capitalise on this with…you guessed it… an effective landing page!

Ready for an audit?

At Eightball media, we’re here to answer your queries and wave the white flag on the issue. Plus, we’ll pave the way to your most dynamic digital marketing strategy yet! BONUS: you’re going to want to check our handy 5-point guide to what should make up a landing page.

Digital Strategy

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