The Difference Between A Landing Page and A Website

Are you a business owner who is confused about creating a landing page or a website, or both? Or have you wondered what the difference between the two is? Or do you have no idea what a landing page or a website is? Well, without further ado, let’s dive right into it!

What Is A Landing Page?

A landing page is a single standalone webpage specifically designed to convert leads into customers. It does this by promoting a definitive Call-To-Action (CTA) to encourage users to claim an offer, as part of an online marketing strategy. These CTAs could include signing up for an email list, filling out a form, buying a product, getting eBooks, discount coupons, and more.

The ultimate use of a landing page is to direct the attention of your users to your offer, which will drive them to subscribe as new leads or to convert them into paying customers. Instead of a landing page explaining your business, it highlights just one specific thing which is expected to convince users to take a particular action. Customers usually arrive at landing pages by clicking on an online ad or email link, or through search engine advertisements. Its goal is to remove all distractions and provide them with all the necessary information that will cause them to act.

What Is A Website?

A website is a group of web pages that contain hyperlinks to each other and are usually made available online by companies, individuals, educational institutions, governments, and organizations. Its job is to describe everything about the business or organization that it represents. It provides all the information on what you do, the products and services offered, and customer reviews. For example, it can contain an about us page, a contact us page, a page about products and services offered, and a separate blog page. The linked webpages that make up a website always share a unique domain name and are published on one server which can be assessed through the internet. If you want to thrive in today’s competitive business world you must have a website because it provides a lot more opportunities for your business.

Why a Landing Page and a Website are not the same

What a landing page means is different from what a website means: A landing page is a single standalone webpage with a limited amount of information while a website consists of linked webpages that contain all the information a user might need about a particular business or organization. It is a hub of related web resources and multimedia content. However, a landing page does not contain this much information.

Purpose: the only reason for a landing page is to capture leads and increase sales. It is an ideal place to convert your audience to customers and even retain them in the long run. It is specially designed to help you to focus on a particular area of interest and it is usually the extension of an ad. The overall purpose of a landing page is straightforward, unlike the website. A website intends to provide a wide variety of relevant information to its target audience about what the website is about. It provides information on different areas of interest. It conveys information about your business or product on a collection of web pages, each page giving specific details about the business.

Content: the contents of a landing page are concise and straightforward to persuade users to take action that will drive sales and increase conversion. The elements of a landing page are fewer: images, text, CTA, forms, and GIFs. Meanwhile, a website’s primary objective is not to sell but to inform, so it is not limited in scope and content. Its content is generally appealing visually and very informative with a bit of marketing in it. It usually has multiple home pages which are all accessible to users.

Audience: The type of audience that a website attracts is interested generally in your business type, products, and services that you offer. A website attracts a broader audience than a landing page because a landing page attracts users that are strictly interested in the offer alone. A landing page reaches a more targeted audience who already know what they need and are looking for a specific solution to their need.

When to Use a Landing Page vs When to Use a Website

If after reading what has been discussed above and you are still confused about when to use a landing page this will further break it down for you. Landing pages are single webpages with one intent only; you know you need a landing page when you want to:

• Advertise. In this case, landing pages are used when running a digital marketing campaign as part of the strategy. The best idea is to link your advert to a landing page that will include a CTA and concise information that will encourage leads and conversions. Keeping your landing page design consistent with that of your ad and branding will encourage a better user experience and encourage conversions. Landing pages can be used in these types of ad campaigns; PPC (pay per click) ads, social media ads, and banner ads.
• Test new ideas. Because a landing page has a single focus it is easier to use it in testing for new ideas, like testing between two or three copies for the most effective. This is also known as AB Testing (read more about AB Testing here). A landing page is ideal for testing different variants of new ideas and picking the better variant of these ideas, plus it is also less costly than using a website to test new ideas.
• Create a lead magnet. Lead magnets are a great way to turn visitors into customers. They are helpful contents offered to visitors that will get them to fill out a form or opt-in address in return for a free piece of content. Types of lead magnets you can offer include eBooks, webinars, and free trials. Using landing pages for lead magnets makes it easier to design a page that focuses on a headline, copy, form, and a call-to-action, without disrupting the setup of your website regularly by having to update it frequently.
• Display a user-friendly notice. Landing pages can also be used to show notices to your audience, notices like your page is under construction or you are temporarily down or even coming soon pages for new products and services or a new website. 404 pages and login pages can also be landing pages.

You can use a website when you want to:

• Put everything about your brand out there. If you want to tell your brand’s story to the world, a website is what you need. It gives you room to describe everything about your brand and talk in detail about the goods and services that you offer. It also gives you room to field questions from your audience about your business. You can tell your brand’s story through an about page, FAQ page, and a Contact page.
• Describe your goods and services. Your website is the best place to direct online users who need more information about what you offer. Since the major purpose of a website is to provide information, you need to ensure that your content is as helpful as possible. The pages on a website that are used to describe goods and services include an online store page, location pages, and a service page.
• Improve your ranking on SERPs. Having a website is the best bet for improving your ranking on search engine result pages like Google and Bing. The higher you are ranked, the more visibility and exposure your brand gets. This is where Search Engine Marketing comes in; it is a strategy used to increase your ranking and invite quality traffic to your website (read more about SEM and why it is crucial for your website’s growth here)

Wrapping it up

A landing page is ideal when you have a simple plan in mind, however, a website is more ideal when you want to tell your brand’s story, answer every possible question a user might have, and foster two-way communication between your brand and your audience. Landing pages have a simpler setup than websites and are easier to create and manage.

Can you use a landing page as a website? Well, yes you can but take note that there is not much that you can do with this ‘website’, and eventually, you would have to create a proper website. It is always better to have the two for your brand; a landing page and a website, because together they will take your brand to higher heights of success!

We offer very affordable services to help your brand develop the best and most suitable landing page and website that your brand needs. We have a team of smart and reliable consultants ready to work with you and make your dream a reality. Book a consultation with us here today!