3 Differences Between a Landing Page and a Website Homepage
Landing Page and Homepage. It’s basically the same thing right? Wrong.
I’m ashamed to admit, up until a few years ago, I really had no idea what a landing page was! I knew it was growing in popularity but I always dismissed it because I assumed I didn’t need one if I already had a nice website homepage. Another assumption I made was that people only had them built because they didn’t feel like getting a full website made. And I had the nerve to call myself a designer! Since their growing popularity in the recent years, landing pages have become a necessity for businesses attempting to drive attention to products or promotions. Landing pages functions as a separate web page designed for a specific purpose, such as marketing, advertising campaigns or the collection of visitor information. Websites on the other hand, focus primarily on your business and telling its story. But enough of that, let’s get into the details. Here are three differences between a landing page and a website homepage!
Purpose
The purpose of a landing page is to generate “leads” by involving visitors in specific promotions. When an online advertisement sends a curious visitor to a landing page, the page asks them to take an action, which is the purchase of a product, service or to leave a contact email. Emails are known as leads. LEADS ARE GOLD! They are basically a lifeline to potential customers who have low attention spans and short term memories. Leads allow your business to reach out to these customers and basically shout “I’m here! I have something that you might like!”
Websites homepages on the other hand, explain who you are, what you do and the value that you can offer your customers. Your site can contain various links, images and other links that refer to other pages within the site. For example, a website usually contains a standard navigation menu at the top of the page with similar page links:
- Home
- Services
- Products
- About us
- Contact us etc.
Call to Action
One of the biggest differences between landing pages and website homepages is that landing pages are action-oriented. In other words, the landing page must contain a Call-to-Action (CTA) to encourage readers to take a specific action. Additionally, the landing page has only ONE call to action. A CTA can come in many variations, whether it is joining a mail list, calling or purchasing a product, its job is to tell the viewer to do something. Regardless of your CTA, it should be clear and simple. For example: “Get a free evaluation” or “Call us now!” are excellent examples of a CTA. In short, you’re giving the viewer a single and simple task.
On the other hand, the website homepage has multiple call-to-action options. These CTAs must stand out more than a landing page CTA because they must battle for attention against all the other information appearing on the webpage. Additionally, they must be placed strategically on the homepage to always be in reach regardless of how far the viewer has scrolled down the page. Typically, you’ll see a small CTA near the top menu of the homepage, a larger CTA in the middle of the page and finally a small CTA in the footer of the homepage that may also appear in subsequent pages. These CTA will also differ visually from their surrounding graphics in order for them to stand out.
Here are a Few Examples of Alternative CTAs Used by Websites and Landing Pages. Pay attention to the Intentional Use of Words!
Instead of Contact Us
- Contact us today for a …
- Learn how to …
- Get a …
- Sign Up for a Free 30-Day Trial
Instead of Call Us
- Call Us to Get Started
- Call today and find out …
- Call now for a free 30-minute consultation
Consumers respond to urgency and scarcity because they don’t want to miss out. When they know a deal is going away or a limited run of products might sell out, they want to get in on the action.
Instead of Join Our Email List
- Join to get access to weekly exclusive member deals and discounts
- Subscribe now for…
- Join 5,000 other Professionals for Monthly Industry Emails
As mentioned earlier, your email list or “leads” is the lifeblood of your online business!
Design
The design of the landing page is very simple whereas, a website homepage is more complicated. When you create a landing page, your layout needs a focal point to direct the attention of visitors. This focal point should be accessible without having to scroll all the way down the page to find it. As an example, a landing page may contain the following features displayed in a prominent manner:
- A Short form for capturing emails or other information
- A single product for sale
- A sign up form for an event
Website homepages on the other hand, must be more strategic with their design. Color placement, contrast, text choice, etc., are all important aspects a designer much pay attention to in order to enhance the experience of the visitor. Attention must be paid to how the user will navigate through the website homepage as a whole. The uses of design elements will determine if you visitor will stop for a second and leave, or stay for a while and explore.
And there you have the three main differences between landing pages and website homepages. One has a single CTA, is attention grabbing with a very simple design and the other has multiple, strategically placed CTAs with a more complex design. Both are highly effective for what they are made to do. Simply put, the landing page is a simplified and more concise version of the homepage with a specific call-to-action.
If you have any more questions regarding landing pages or websites please contact us!
If you would like help developing something crazy creative, schedule an Imagination Session with us! We’d love to help!
