What is a Landing Page and What Should It Include?

A landing page is a website page created to persuade visitors to take a specific action, converting them into leads. In most cases, users might come across our landing page after clicking through an advertisement – both on social media or paid search engine campaigns. However, they might also find our landing page through organic social media posts and organic search results, homepage, or email campaigns. 

In other words, when asking ourselves what a landing page is, the answer is simple – it is the page where people land for promotional purposes – whether it’s to buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, redeem a discount, and so on. The purpose of a landing page is to collect our users’ contact information in exchange for something else (the offer presented).

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‍The Difference Between Homepage and Landing Page

A typical homepage aims to inform users about our brand, our products, and, well, everything about us. Even more so, the homepage represents our website's centralized hub and navigation hub, with tons of links and CTAs that redirect visitors to other web pages. Yes, our homepage is one of the most important parts of our digital identity. But it doesn’t necessarily mean they will convert into a lead. And that’s the entire point.

Compared to a homepage (and other pages within the website), landing pages are standalone web pages serving a completely different purpose – driving conversions, generating leads, and collecting user information. A landing page design has only one CTA – a clear, focused call to action designed to drive visitors toward our specific conversion goal. 

Plus, they are also paired with slick ads promoting a single offer, making what we are offering clear from the start. And if done right, it has the power to do a better job than what our brand is already doing.

When it comes to how our landing pages are structured, they are designed to serve two distinct purposes:

1. Lead Generation Landing Pages: this type of landing page design is used for lead generation and collecting user information. For this reason, the primary CTA is represented by a form where users introduce their data (such as name, email address, age, and so on) in exchange for our offering. This way, we can use the data collected to nurture leads through other targeted campaigns. Plus, they have a higher return on investment (ROI) and are more likely to convert into customers.

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2. Click-Through Landing Pages: Compared to lead generation pages, click-through landing pages have the function of directing our users to the next step. Here, we don’t have a form anymore – instead, we have a CTA button. For example, it might say “Order Now!” or “Schedule an Appointment”, and so on. The difference between these two landing pages is that they are more sales-oriented rather than collecting information for future marketing campaigns. These are also more fitting for e-commerce websites. 

We’ve already established that they have the purpose of converting users. So, here’s how landing pages work:

1. A user sees our advertising campaign that redirects them to our website landing page;
2. The user fills out the form or presses the CTA button that directs them to an action;
3. The information collected is stored in our contact lead database;
4. We market to the lead through other targeted campaigns. 

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We can use landing pages for the following:

• Email Newsletter signups
• Pre-orders of our products
• Free content resources (like ebooks or whitepapers)
• Event registration or RSVP
• Scheduling appointments or demos
• Special offers or promotions
• Contests and giveaways

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We should not use landing pages for the following:

• General information about our brand
• Presenting various products or services
• Complex navigation
• Too many CTAs
• Linking to other web pages of our websites

Of course, we want to create a compelling landing page. But how exactly do we do that? We’ve got you covered with the best landing page practices. 

1. The Headline is Key: Focus on developing a headline that will catch the attention of our users. Even more so, make sure that your headline is clear and concise and states the value they will get from the start. This could involve posing a question, highlighting a key benefit, or creating a sense of urgency.
2. Convey Your Value: Do you know about the blink test? Well, this states that we must convey our message before our user has time to blink. What exactly does this mean? We have less than 5 seconds to ensure that we immediately grasp the attention of our users. From our headline to the CTA, the design, and even how our content is structured. Because if we don’t do that successfully, it takes one blink to decide if we want to read more about something or not.
3. CTA/Form: Our form or CTA button is one of the most, if not the most, important elements of a landing page, and it should be one of the first things they notice upon landing on the page. We recommend placing the CTA button or form above the fold so our users can see it without scrolling. 
4. Provide Testimonials: As people, we base our opinions on other people’s experiences. Everywhere we go – be it a hair salon, a new fashion store, or a restaurant – we always try to see what others think about it. This is why it’s necessary to include testimonials, especially on landing pages.