Landing Pages vs. Homepages: What’s the Difference & Why It Matters

Reading an article on Zapier about the best landing page builders out there got me thinking about landing pages versus home pages, because I feel that there’s still a lot of confusion of the differences between the two.

So, today I want to go through the key differences between landing pages and homepages, specifically revealing how each one should be used for your marketing and sales goals and how not determining which one to use could be costing you in the long run.

Let’s go!

Landing Page Building Recommendations

Okay, so first off, the Zapier article I mentioned listed the following seven landing page builders as the best for creating winning landing pages:

• Carrd, for making free landing pages
• ConvertKit, for driving email newsletter signups
• Zapier Interfaces, for automation
• Instapage, for businesses with a budget
• Swipe Pages, for mobile-first landing pages
• Leadpages, for selling products on a landing page
• Landingi, for small businesses without a budget

I highly recommend checking out the article, as it gives a detailed breakdown of the features and benefits of all seven platforms.

So, now that we know where the best tools can be found to build a landing page, let’s get to the burning question: what is a landing page vs. a homepage?

What Is a Homepage?

Let’s start with the homepage, which is something every business website should have.

Think of your homepage as your brand’s welcome mat. It’s a general-purpose hub meant for first impressions and navigation. The homepage educates visitors about your business, products, or services and often features multiple calls-to-action (CTAs), such as “Learn More,” “Shop Now,” or “Join Our Newsletter.”

A homepage may include:

• Navigation menus
• Links to multiple sections of your website
• Broad information about your business
• CTAs designed for general engagement

While ideal for introducing your business and guiding visitors toward different areas of interest, homepages are designed to serve ALL audiences and typically prioritize providing options over specific directions.

What Is a Landing Page?

A landing page, on the other hand, has a single, laser-focused purpose. It’s designed to make visitors take one specific action, such as signing up for a webinar or purchasing a product. Businesses often use landing pages for paid advertising campaigns (e.g., Google Ads, Meta Ads) to align precisely with the ad’s message and objective.

A landing page typically:

• Focuses on one clear CTA (e.g., “Download Now,” “Get Started,” “Claim Your Offer”)
• Features minimal to no navigation
• Has content tailored to a specific audience or offer
• Is optimized for conversions

To put it simply, if your homepage is a Swiss Army knife, your landing page is a surgeon’s scalpel. Both have their place, but they perform different jobs.

The Power of First Impressions

According to Sender.net, it only takes 0.05 seconds for visitors to form an opinion about your website. That’s why landing pages, with their streamlined design and clear intent, are critical in paid advertising campaigns where you’re competing for attention.

Here’s where landing pages outshine homepages:

They keep the visitor laser-focused on the key action you want them to take, minimizing distractions.

Personalized CTAs on landing pages improve performance by 202%, illustrating how tailored experiences resonate with users.

Your landing page is not just a page—it’s a gateway to gaining leads, closing sales, and building trust. Poorly designed pages fail to capture attention, leading to wasted ad spend.

Conversion Rates & Paid Ads

The ultimate measure of a landing page’s success is the conversion rate—the percentage of visitors who take the desired action. If you’re running Google Ads or Meta Ads, you know how important each click is. Here are some eye-opening stats about landing page performance:

• The average landing page conversion rate is 7.12%. For context, the conversion rate for ecommerce product pages is 2.86%.
• Faster-loading pages significantly outperform slower ones:
• Landing pages that load within 2 seconds have a 9.6% conversion rate, compared to 3.3% for pages that load within 5 seconds.
• Simplicity matters. Adding multiple offers can reduce conversions by 266%.
• The wrong CTA matters, too—using the word “Submit” as a CTA decreases conversion rates by 3%.
• Optimizing for these small details could mean the difference between achieving a good ROI and wasting ad spend.

The Dos and Don’ts of Creating a Great Landing Page

Crafting the perfect landing page doesn’t have to be intimidating. Follow these dos and don’ts to maximize your chances of success:

The Do’s

• Personalized CTAs: Use language specific to your offer and audience. Phrases like “Get My Discount” or “Start Free Trial” tend to outperform generic ones like “Submit.”
• Optimize for Speed: Ensure your page loads in under 2 seconds. Slow pages lead to frustrated visitors and fewer conversions.
• Simplify Design: Keep your page clean and focused. Stick to one goal for your page and avoid distractions, such as unnecessary menus or multiple CTAs.
• A/B Test Elements: Test different headlines, images, and CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Ensure Mobile Responsiveness: With mobile traffic dominating the web, your landing page must look great and function seamlessly on all devices.

The Don’ts

• Avoid “Submit” as a CTA: This generic CTA performs 3% worse than action-oriented alternatives.
• Don’t Overload with Choices: Multiple offers reduce conversions by 266%. Keep your page focused on one action.
• Long Forms are a No-No: Reduce the number of fields—cutting even one field on sign-up forms can improve conversions by 50%.

The Paid Ad Campaign’s Secret Weapon

To sum it all up, a cohesive, streamlined, and fast-loading landing page will lead your visitors down a path where the only logical next step is to click “Sign Up” or “Buy Now.”

Understanding the difference between a landing page and a homepage is crucial for small business owners and marketers who want to maximize the impact of their digital marketing efforts. Homepages excel at providing general information and serving as a gateway to your website, while landing pages are powerful tools purpose-built to convert traffic from paid ads into tangible results.

When it comes to paid advertising campaigns, landing pages are your secret weapon. They make a powerful first impression, drive higher conversion rates, and, when done right, save you money on wasted ad spend.

Optimizing your landing pages starts with the right strategy. Focus on personalization, speed, and simplicity, and keep distractions at a minimum.

Now the question is: how optimized are your landing pages? If you’re ready to build a landing page, I recommend that you start by taking a look at that Zapier article. If you want guidance in building and optimizing your landing pages, book a complimentary strategy session with me to discover how Numero Uno Web can help you get maximized conversions from your landing pages.