Insights · Convert
What makes a landing page work, and how it differs from a homepage
A landing page has one job. A homepage has many. Confusing the two is one of the most common reasons good traffic does not turn into customers.
The short version
- A landing page is built for one action, from one source of traffic, with one message.
- The message someone clicked should continue on the page they reach.
- Clarity and speed usually matter more than clever design.
One page, one job
A homepage has to serve everyone: new visitors, returning customers, people looking for support, people checking you are real. A landing page does the opposite. It is built for one action, from one source of traffic, with one clear message.
When someone clicks an advertisement about a specific problem, the page they reach should continue that thought. If the ad talked about faster delivery and the page talks about your company history, the visitor has to start over, and many will not.
What tends to help
- Continuity. The message that earned the click carries onto the page.
- A single clear action. One obvious next step, not a menu of options.
- Speed and clarity. A fast, readable, accessible page beats a slow, clever one.
- Proof and reassurance placed where doubt naturally appears.
Why testing matters
A change is only a real improvement when the numbers back it up. Opinions about what works are cheap; measured results are not. That is why we test where it matters rather than redesigning on a hunch, and why a landing page is never truly finished.
Common pitfalls
Where this usually goes wrong.
- Sending an ad about one problem to a general homepage that starts the visitor over.
- Adding so many options that the one important action gets lost.
- Guessing at changes instead of testing them against real behaviour.
A quick self-check
If people visit but few act, our Conversion Optimisation work studies where interest is getting lost, and tests changes rather than guessing.
Keep reading
Where this fits, and what to read next.
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