By Kelly Forst January 14, 2021
Trying to figure out whether a landing page or website is better for your marketing campaign? Let this be your guide to getting your business online.
“Do I need a website? What should I use a landing page for? Do I need both?”
If you’ve asked these questions, you’re not alone. Like all online entrepreneurs, you want to set yourself up for success right away.
Carving out a place for your business on the internet is a great way to start building your audience. But there is more than one way to do it.
In this blog, I’ll share the similarities and differences between landing pages and websites, how to choose which is right for you, and how to get started.
Landing Page vs. Website: Definitions
What is a website?
A website is usually made up of five or more web pages, including:
- Homepage*
- About page
- Features, services, or products page
- Blog
- Contact page
- And more, depending on the business, it’s goals, and audience
*It’s worth noting that people sometimes use the term “website” and “homepage” interchangeably. For the purpose of this blog, I am calling a “website” a collection of web pages and the “homepage” the main page of a website.
Ultimately, the goal of a website is to encourage visitors to browse, learn about the company, get answers to their questions, and get familiar with what you do.
You’ve no doubt visited countless websites, but to show you how people are using both websites and landing pages, I’ll give you an example.
Check out the website for the podcast “Foodie Buddies” below. A visitor can easily navigate around the site to learn about the podcast, listen to the latest episodes, and get recipes.
To sum it all up: websites are a one-stop-shop for all information about your business.
But they can also be expensive and time-consuming to build. If you’re not sure if you need a website, you might want to consider starting out with a landing page.
What is a landing page?
Unlike a website, a landing page is a single web page with limited navigation ability. Meaning, you can’t click around to different pages on a landing page like you can on a website.
The goal of a landing page is to drive visitors to take one, very specific action, like: subscribe to a newsletter, buy a product, or sign up to receive a lead magnet. Ultimately, that means you have one main call-to-action (CTA) on the page.
You also don’t need a website to use landing pages. And you don’t need to decide between one or the other.
Remember the Foodie Buddies podcast website? Well, the podcasters also use landing pages as part of their marketing strategy.
In this case, the landing page is functioning as a link directory. This lets them use one link in their social media bios to easily direct followers to.
This is just one way to use landing pages as part of your marketing strategy. In fact, there are tons of ways you can use landing pages.
What’s the difference between a landing page and a website?
When it comes to how landing pages and websites are structured, think of your website as a continent; it has many pages that are all connected together and it’s easy to navigate from one corner of your website to another.
Now think of your landing page as an island off the coast of that continent. It stands alone, and does not connect to your continent.
That’s how a landing page is different from a website, structurally.
However, when thinking about the purpose of each, the difference between a landing page and a website is simply in the action you want visitors to take.
Do you want a visitor to do one thing and stay focused on a simple task? Or do you want them to explore and learn about you?
- If your answer is “do one thing,” then you need a landing page.
- If it’s “explore and learn,” then you may want a website.
But you may need or want both. Just as Foodie Buddies did, you can create a website and use landing pages.
But when it comes to getting your business online, there’s a time and a place for both. It just depends on what you want to accomplish.
How to decide if you need a website or a landing page
Still not sure which to use in setting up your online presence? Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I need a one-stop-shop for all information about my company?
- What do I want my visitors to do?
- Do I have the time, knowledge, and resources to build a beautiful website?
- Do I want to test an idea to see if it’s viable before investing time and money?
- What is my ultimate goal in establishing an online presence?
Do I need a website?
If you ultimately want to give your visitors a way to learn about your business, explore all your offerings, and you have the time, money and resources to create a beautiful website, go for it!
Keep in mind, even with a website, it may still be a good idea to use landing pages when trying to grow your email list, selling products or services, or offering a lead magnet. This keeps them focused and on task without the distractions of a website.
Plus, you can customize the URL of your landing page so it appears as if it’s part of your website and keeps branding consistent.
Do I need a landing page?
The beauty of a landing page is they’re usually more cost-effective than websites, especially if you’re just starting out or want to test a new idea.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get yourself online, sell products, grow your email list and connect with people, then a landing page might be the best solution for you.
Want more conversions? Create landing pages for your business.
No matter how you create your online presence, landing pages are a great tool to convert potential customers into leads.
Get the ability to create unlimited landing pages for no additional cost with AWeber Free.