Landing page v. home page

In many sites, the home page is one and the same as the landing page. Landing pages, sometimes referred to as transactional landing pages, however, perform a different function than homepages. In some companies, rolling both the homepage and the landing page into one can work depending on the transaction; for other sites, however, there could be a distinct disadvantage in doing so.

A useful way to understand differences between the homepage and the landing page is to analyze how each is accessed by users. A landing page is often accessed by a visitor who clicks on an advertisement, such a banner ad or PPC (pay per click) ad, an external link, or sometimes as a search engine result. As such, the landing page extends the advertisement and aims for high conversion. Although it is often optimized for search engines, its primary function is conversion.

Although a landing page is part of the site, it is not found under the “Home” button with which users have become accustomed to clicking for general information. That, of course, is where the homepage resides. The homepage is often accessed through the user having been directed to the company, service or product, or by way of a search engine result. It is not the page to which external advertisements aim to direct users.

A homepage primarily aims to establish credibility. It provides general information about a company, product or service and is not necessarily geared at generating sales. It performs a secondary function to the landing page with respect to sales, but is equally important in that it establishes the golden crown of credibility. In short, it aims to establish trust. It should also be heavily optimized for search engines and performs better at this job than the landing page since the homepage copy does not perform the heavy “sales lifting” that is the domain of the landing page.

With respect to persuasive techniques, both types of pages perform a critical function; however it is the landing page that carries the crucial task of direct conversion. In some ways the landing page can be likened to the salesperson sent out to the field. The homepage, on the other hand, is the “face” of the company. In order to best utilize both kinds of pages, the function of each page must be kept firmly in mind.

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