by Amy HabashiA common question we get asked a lot at Silvertoad is, what’s the difference between a Landing Page and a Homepage? In most instances, our clients mean the homepage, however, we would like to help answer this question and help clarify!
So, what are the key differences? First of all, we have to take into consideration who the target audience is, as they are the reason why the two pages differ.
A landing page is specifically designed for a user to ‘land’ on when they click on an advertisement to the website, therefore it will more likely to be seen by users who are interested in your business, product or service. A landing page allows you to capture a visitor’s information through a lead-capture form (or a conversion form).
The aim for landing pages is to allow the audience to either:
- Perform an action
- Leave the page
Therefore, a landing page should be distraction-free with prominent call-to-actions such as “Get Your Free No Obligation Quotation”, “Call Us Now” or “Sign Up Today for 10% Off”.
Landing pages stem from digital adverts, such as Google AdWords links, to entice an audience that is searching for specific products through the keywords used in search engines such as Google. For example, if you were searching for fridges, you may be shown a paid advert for a retailer’s range of refrigerators which would then transfer you to a page specifically designed for fridges instead of a homepage that also sells ovens and microwaves. Landing pages only have one goal: converting traffic.
Your homepage is the front page of your website, and is completely different from a landing page. Homepages are aimed for direct visitors who are looking for varied traffic sources and links across your entire website. For example, you would have a menu, site links in the footer and perhaps social media links – all of these help your visitors find what they need or interact with the site in a way that you’d hope. This may also be the page that you want people to go to from seeing a paid advertisement, but it is less specific and introduces the user to your whole website.
Here is a visual breakdown of the differences between a Home Page and a Landing Page.
Home Page |
Landing Page |
|
Direct visitors, looking for relevant content |
Requested specific content |
|
Broad range of visitor intent |
Specific visitor intent |
|
Varied traffic sources |
Specific campaigns |
| Overall business information and content |
Specific content of benefits for the desired action |
|
Draw visitors deeper into the website |
Click/perform a single Call To Action |
| Is the page associated with your domain? (eg Silvertoad.co.uk) |
A separate page of your website (eg, Silvertoad.co.uk/printing) |
| Links to all the important pages of website |
No links except Call To Action or the Home Page |
| Open options to connect in other ways (eg, social media links) |
No option except to perform Call To Action |
| Permanent fixture |
Not necessarily permanent |