When establishing an online presence, two of the most common options are creating a website or building dedicated landing pages. But what exactly is the difference between a landing page and a website? When should you use a landing page vs. a website? This article will compare landing pages and websites, including their purposes, benefits, and creation requirements, to help you choose the best option for your business.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a single web page focused on a specific call-to-action. It allows you to target your messaging and design to get website visitors to take one particular action, like:
- Sign up for your newsletter
- Purchase a product
- Download content
- Provide contact information.
Landing pages direct visitors towards converting on that one goal instead of navigating them around links on your site. They help you capture more leads and generate conversions from your traffic.
What is a Website?
Websites consist of multiple pages connected by hyperlinks for site navigation. They have a homepage, subpages, menus, sidebars, and other standard website elements to create a connected system of content.
Websites allow you to have a comprehensive online presence with information about your business, products and services, company information, blog, contact pages, and more – all on different sections of the site. Visitors can browse and click through many areas to learn about your offerings.
The Difference Between Landing Page vs Website
The main differences between landing pages and websites come down to:
Purpose
- Landing Pages: Serve one specific purpose – to get visitors to convert on a call-to-action
- Websites: Offer an in-depth experience with information and links across a collection of pages
Focus
- Landing Pages: Highly targeted messaging for that one goal
- Websites: Broad content to communicate overall brand, products, and services
Conversion Optimization
- Landing Pages: Extremely optimized for conversions on the one call-to-action
- Websites: Some optimization but also need to balance other goals: sharing information, establishing credibility, housing blog content, etc.
Navigation
- Landing Pages: One page, no site navigation links
- Websites: Multiple pages with menus, sidebars, and link flows between pages
When to Use Landing Page vs Website
Generally, landing pages complement websites rather than replace them entirely. Here are instances where each works best:
Landing Pages
Landing pages make the most sense when:
- Running targeted ad campaigns and wanting to direct clicks to convert
- Offering something specific to capture leads like gated content, webinars, consultations
- Launching a new product and collecting pre-orders
- Promoting a special promotion or sale item
They capture that first interaction with high relevancy for conversions.
Websites
Websites are preferred when:
- Establishing overall brand credibility and identity
- Communicating the full breadth of products, services, and content
- Housing blog content, videos, and downloads that bring in organic traffic
- Supporting customer retention post-purchase for continued nurturing
- Providing contact points like about pages, contact forms
They allow people to fully explore your offerings and self-navigate interactions.
What’s Needed to Create Landing Pages and Websites?
If you decide to utilize dedicated landing pages or want to build out a full website, what exactly do you need?
To Make Landing Pages
The key elements of effective landing pages include:
- Clear, Benefit-Focused Headline: Draw attention and interest
- Targeted Messaging: Communications aligned with the offer/goal
- Good Visuals: Images, and videos explaining and demonstrating
- Minimal Distractions: No excessive links, ads, or menus
- Clear Call-to-Action: Standout button/offer code to convert
- Lead Capture Form: Collect contact information from site visitors
You’ll also need landing page software or a web hosting plan that enables custom page templates optimized for conversion.
To Make Websites
Creating websites requires these core components:
- Homepage: Intro to brand, key messaging
- Subpages: Expanded information on products, services, and content areas
- Menus & Site Navigation: Links between pages
- Visual Identity Elements: Consistent logo, colors, Fonts
- Calls-To-Action: Buttons for desired actions across the site
- Varied Content Types: Text, images, videos, downloads
- Site Hosting and Customizable Templates
Conclusion
A landing page and a website ultimately work together to attract and convert visitors, as well as establish credibility. Landing pages enable targeted lead generation, while entire websites facilitate broader discovery of products and brands. Optimizing both as part of your internet presence gives you the best chance of customer acquisition and retention.
I recommend Service Key if you need expert help creating high-converting landing pages or full-feature websites. Service Key is a landing page design and web development agency that can deliver on both fronts. Are you curious about how to choose an ideal website development service?
Their team can create landing pages with the essential elements for driving conversions and conversion-focused site architecture. They also build custom websites with all the key components – intuitive navigation, versatile content, responsive design, and more—to support overall brand-building and digital engagement goals.
With deep expertise in these fields, Service Key is a company worth exploring for critical landing page and website projects. Using a service like theirs ensures you get assets with maximum impact and effectiveness for your online marketing and conversion success.
