What is a landing page?

Landing page

A landing page is a standalone web page designed for one purpose: to get visitors to take a specific action. Unlike your homepage, which invites exploration, a landing page removes distractions and focuses entirely on a single goal, whether that's signing up for a free trial, downloading an ebook, or making a purchase.

The name comes from where visitors "land" after clicking a link in an email, ad, or social post. That focused destination is what makes landing pages so effective at turning clicks into conversions.

Why landing pages work better than homepages

Your homepage has a lot of jobs. It introduces your brand, showcases products, links to resources, and serves visitors at every stage of the buying journey. That flexibility is valuable, but it comes with trade-offs.

When someone clicks an ad promising a specific offer, sending them to your homepage forces them to hunt for what caught their attention. Many won't bother. They'll leave.

Landing pages solve this by matching the promise to the destination. One offer, one message, one clear next step. There's no navigation menu pulling visitors toward your blog, no footer full of links to your careers page. Just the information needed to make a decision and a button to act on it.

This focus is why landing pages consistently outperform general website pages for campaign conversions.

The two main types of landing pages

Most landing pages fall into one of two categories, each suited to different goals.

Lead generation pages collect visitor information through a form. You offer something valuable, such as a guide, webinar registration, or free consultation, in exchange for contact details. These pages work well for building your email list and nurturing prospects who aren't ready to buy yet.

Click-through pages warm visitors up before sending them to a checkout or signup flow. They provide the context and persuasion needed to make a purchase feel like the obvious next step. Ecommerce brands and SaaS companies use these to bridge the gap between an ad and a transaction.

The right choice depends on where your audience is in their journey. Someone discovering your brand for the first time needs a different experience than someone comparing their final options.

What makes a landing page convert

Effective landing pages share common elements, though how you execute them depends on your offer and audience.

A headline that delivers on the ad's promise. Visitors should immediately recognize they're in the right place. If your ad mentioned a free template, your headline should confirm that's exactly what they'll get.

Copy focused on benefits, not features. Instead of listing what your product does, explain what it helps visitors accomplish. The difference between "automated email sequences" and "follow up with every lead without lifting a finger" is the difference between information and motivation.

A single, clear call-to-action. Every element on the page should guide visitors toward one button. When you ask people to do multiple things, many do nothing.

Social proof that builds trust. Testimonials, customer logos, review scores, and case study snippets help visitors feel confident they're making a smart choice. The more specific the proof, the more persuasive it becomes.

Minimal distractions. No navigation menu, no competing offers, no links that lead anywhere except your conversion goal. The page exists to answer one question: should I take this action?

Ready to build pages that convert? Create landing pages with ActiveCampaign using drag-and-drop templates designed for results.

When to use a landing page

Landing pages make the most sense when you're driving targeted traffic toward a specific outcome.

Paid advertising campaigns benefit enormously from dedicated landing pages. When you're paying for every click, sending visitors to a focused page instead of your homepage can dramatically improve your return on ad spend.

Email promotions convert better when the link leads somewhere purpose-built. A subscriber who clicks on your webinar announcement should land on a page about that webinar, not your events calendar.

Product launches and special offers deserve their own space. A landing page lets you control the narrative and remove anything that might distract from the limited-time opportunity.

Lead magnets need a home. Whether you're offering an ebook, checklist, or free tool, a landing page explains the value and collects the email addresses that fuel your marketing automation.

How to measure landing page success

The metrics that matter depend on your goal, but a few apply universally.

Conversion rate tells you what percentage of visitors complete your desired action. This is the number that matters most. A page with high traffic but low conversions isn't doing its job.

Bounce rate reveals how many visitors leave without engaging. A high bounce rate often signals a mismatch between your ad and your page, or a design that fails to capture attention.

Time on page indicates whether visitors are actually reading your content. Very short times suggest the page isn't compelling enough to hold attention.

Track these landing page metrics consistently, and you'll know exactly where to focus your optimization efforts.

Common mistakes that hurt conversions

Even well-designed pages can underperform when they include friction that drives visitors away.

Too many form fields create abandonment. Ask only for information you genuinely need. You can always learn more about leads later.

Slow load times cost you visitors before they even see your offer. Compress images, minimize scripts, and test your page speed regularly.

Weak or vague calls-to-action leave visitors unsure what happens next. "Submit" tells them nothing. "Get my free guide" tells them exactly what they're getting.

Missing mobile optimization ignores how most people browse. If your page doesn't work beautifully on a phone, you're losing conversions.

FAQs

How is a landing page different from a website?
A website contains multiple pages designed for exploration and information. A landing page is a single, focused page designed for conversion. Landing pages typically remove navigation and concentrate on one offer.

Do I need a website to have a landing page?
No. Landing pages can exist independently, hosted on their own domain or subdomain. Many businesses run successful campaigns using only landing pages before building a full website.

How many landing pages should I create?
Create a separate landing page for each distinct offer, audience segment, or campaign. The more targeted your pages, the better they'll convert. Businesses that increase their landing page count often see proportional increases in leads.

What's a good landing page conversion rate?
Conversion rates vary widely by industry and offer type. Focus less on benchmarks and more on improving your own performance over time through testing and optimization.

Want to see how landing pages fit into your marketing strategy? Start your free ActiveCampaign trial and build your first page in minutes.