What is a landing page?
By Tom · Last reviewed · 4 minute read
A landing page is a standalone web page created for a specific marketing or advertising campaign. Unlike your homepage, which has lots of jobs, a landing page has one focused goal, such as capturing an enquiry, making a sale or getting someone to sign up. Visitors 'land' on it after clicking a link in an email, advert or social media post.
On this page
Three types of landing page
The different types suit different campaign goals.
Lead generation landing pages
Designed to collect visitors' details through a form in exchange for something useful: a free guide, a consultation, a quote or a newsletter. For example:
- Free guide download
- Newsletter sign-up pages
- Free consultation booking
- Quote request forms
- Webinar registration pages
- Free trial sign-ups
Click-through landing pages
These warm visitors up with information before sending them on to take action. They're common in online shops, to explain a product before the purchase decision. For example:
- Product feature pages linking to the checkout
- A service explanation before a contact form
- Pricing comparison pages
- Feature highlight pages
- Free trial information before sign-up
- Event information before buying a ticket
Sales landing pages
Longer pages designed to sell a product or service directly, often used for courses, software or high-value items. For example:
- Online course sales pages
- Software product pages
- Membership pages
- High-value service offers
- Limited-time promotions
- Product launch pages
Essential elements of a landing page
Every effective landing page includes these core parts. Missing any of them can hurt your results.
| Element | Importance | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A strong headline | Critical | Says instantly what you offer and why visitors should care. Match it to your advert or email for consistency. |
| A clear offer | Critical | Explains exactly what visitors get and why it matters to them. Focus on benefits, not features, and answer 'What's in it for me?' |
| A strong call to action | Critical | One clear, prominent button telling visitors exactly what to do. Use action words like 'Get', 'Start', 'Download' or 'Book'. |
| Social proof | High | Testimonials, reviews, client logos or case studies that show others trust you. It reduces the perceived risk. |
| Relevant images or video | High | Shows your product, your service or the result customers get. Real photos usually work better than stock images, and video can help too. |
| Works on phones | Critical | Most web traffic now comes from phones, so your landing page must look good and work perfectly on phones and tablets. |
Common landing page mistakes
Many businesses undermine their landing pages with these mistakes.
Too many calls to action
Problem: several calls to action confuse visitors about what to do, so fewer of them do anything.
Solution: stick to one main action. If you need secondary options, make them visually less prominent.
Including the site navigation
Problem: navigation links give visitors escape routes, leading them away from your goal.
Solution: remove or minimise navigation on campaign landing pages to keep visitors focused on the offer.
Slow loading
Problem: every extra second of loading time costs you visitors, and some will leave before the page even appears.
Solution: optimise images, keep the code lean and use fast hosting. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights.
Weak or vague headlines
Problem: visitors decide in seconds whether to stay. A dull headline means they leave straight away.
Solution: lead with your strongest benefit, and be specific about what visitors will get.
Asking for too much information
Problem: long forms put people off, and every extra field means fewer people finish.
Solution: only ask for what you really need. A name and email address are often enough to start.
No social proof
Problem: visitors have no reason to trust you, especially if they've never heard of your business.
Solution: add testimonials, reviews, client logos or case studies.
A/B testing your landing pages
The best landing pages aren't designed in one go; they're found through testing. An A/B test compares two versions of a page to see which does better.
What to test
- Headlines: try different benefits, lengths and tones. Headlines often have the biggest effect.
- Call-to-action buttons: try different colours, sizes, wording and placement.
- Form length: try fewer fields against more questions. Sometimes less is more; sometimes more questions filter out poor-quality enquiries.
- Images and video: try product photos against photos of people using the product, and try adding or removing video.
- Where the social proof sits: try testimonials near the button against at the top, and different kinds of proof (quotes, logos, figures).
- Page length: try short, punchy pages against longer, detailed ones. The right length depends on your audience and offer.
A/B testing tips for small businesses
- Test one thing at a time so you know what caused the change.
- Let a test run until each version has had plenty of results, not just a handful.
- Start with the elements that matter most: headlines, calls to action and main images.
- Use the testing built into your landing page platform or a dedicated A/B testing tool.
Tip: A landing page lives or dies by its button. See what makes a good call to action.
Questions people ask
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a standalone web page created specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign. Unlike your homepage, which has multiple goals, a landing page has a single focused objective, whether that's capturing leads, making a sale or getting someone to sign up. Visitors 'land' on this page after clicking a link in an email, advert or social media post.
What is the difference between a landing page and a homepage?
A homepage is the main entry point to your website, with navigation to every area and several calls to action. A landing page is a focused, standalone page with one specific goal and usually no navigation menu. Homepages serve general visitors exploring your business; landing pages target specific audiences from campaigns, with a single action in mind.
Why do I need landing pages for my business?
Landing pages can noticeably improve how many visitors take action, because they remove distractions and focus people on one thing. Instead of hoping visitors will find your offer, a landing page takes them straight to it. It also lets you match the page's message exactly to your advert or email, which builds trust and encourages action.
What makes a good landing page?
A good landing page has a clear headline that matches your campaign, a strong offer, social proof (testimonials, reviews, client logos), a prominent call-to-action button, minimal distractions (often no navigation), fast loading and a design that works well on phones. The best landing pages focus on benefits rather than features and answer visitors' objections directly.
How long should a landing page be?
It depends on how complicated your offer is and how well your audience already knows you. Short pages (under 500 words) work well for simple offers, free resources or people who already know you. Longer pages (1,000 words or more) tend to do better for expensive products, complex services or cold audiences who need more convincing. Test both to see what works for your business.
Do landing pages help SEO?
Landing pages can help SEO when they're written around search terms. Many businesses create SEO landing pages targeting specific searches like 'emergency plumber Cardiff' or 'wedding photographer Bristol'. Traditional campaign landing pages (for ads or email) usually focus on getting action rather than ranking. The best approach combines both: pages that rank well and turn visitors into enquiries.
How many landing pages do I need?
Each distinct offer, audience or campaign should ideally have its own landing page, because a page written for one purpose usually does better than a general one. A tradesperson might want a landing page for each service area; an online shop might create pages for different product categories or seasonal promotions.
What is a good landing page conversion rate?
It varies a lot by industry, offer and where the visitors come from. A free download will usually convert far more of its visitors than an enquiry about a high-value service. Rather than chasing industry averages, measure your own pages and focus on beating your own results.