Website vs. Landing Page

Are you thinking about finally launching that online business you dream about?

Congratulations! This is a very exciting time for you! 

Now that you’re ready to take that leap, one of the first decisions you need to make is if you need a website, landing page, or both. Either can help you achieve a professional online presence that converts, but first you have to determine what will work best for your business. 

Websites and landing pages are very different functionally and we’ll get to that, but first let’s go over the basics.

What is a website?

A website is a multi-page platform where you can house information about your business, share resources, post blogs, connect with your audience, and more. The purpose of a website is to showcase all the aspects of your business. 

Each page or section of your website will have a different purpose. For example, you might have an About You page that tells your audience who you are and you might also have a Resource page that houses your opt-in or newsletter signup. Both pages are helpful for your business and they each have a different purpose and call to action.

Websites are great if you need a multi-page online presence to effectively connect with your audience.

What is a landing page?

A landing page (or sales landing page) is strategically designed to move your audience through your sales funnel. The purpose of a landing page is to direct your audience to your offers. 

Sales landing pages are often used for marketing campaigns. For example, if you're offering a new course and want to create a place for your audience to easily find information specific to that campaign, then a sales landing page is a great option. 

Landing pages are great for sharing information about a specific product or service and/or generating interest with qualified leads. 

How are they different?

The major difference between websites and landing pages is their purpose - websites are built to inform and landing pages are built to convert. Both are very helpful for online entrepreneurs, but it is important to understand the differences. 

Understanding how websites and landing pages function will help you find the best fit for your online business. Just remember that you’re not limited to one - you can always choose to have both! 

We have a main website (where you’re reading this blog) and a sales landing page to house our website templates, Canva templates, and digital product kits. Our main website’s purpose is to inform our audience and share resources and important information about our business. Our sales landing pages' purpose is to connect our audience directly with the digital tools they need to launch, promote, and grow their business. 

How to get started!

After building multiple websites and landing pages, we understand how important it is to find the right resources and tools. Of course you can outsource the design and copywriting work, but these are resources and tools you’ll need whether you outsource the work or DIY it. 

Host Platforms: First, you need to choose a platform to host your website or landing page. This will require a lot of research in order to find the right fit for you. So the best place to start is by getting really clear about your business goals and how you want to share your expertise. 

For example, if you’re a course creator then you’ll want to look at platforms that will help you build your courses and house them. Or maybe you want to do 1:1 services and you’ll need a platform that integrates with your booking system. 

Expect to spend some time on this step! It may seem time-consuming, but it will save you a lot of time (and sanity) in the long run!

Brand Kit: Branding is an important step in launching your online presence. Choosing brand elements that stand out and represent who you are helps build recognition. You can start with a simple brand board with your logos, submarks, typography, color palette, and brand imagery. Or you can build/purchase a complete brand kit that includes all the basics plus marketing and branding templates (lead magnet, workbook, social media posts, emails…). 

Canva is a really great design platform where you can pull all of your brand elements together. Canva Pro users get a brand kit built in or you can use the free Canva version and a brand board template (here’s a link to our FREE Brand Board Template!). 

Just a quick note about brand elements: we strongly recommend choosing elements that *YOU* actually like. Don’t feel limited to a certain style! If you’re really clear about who you are, then that will shine through your visuals and your audience will appreciate the authenticity. 

SEO Software: Once you launch your website or landing page you’re going to need a way to get traffic and one of the best ways to do that is through search engine optimization. The purpose of SEO is to increase your organic traffic and generate quality leads. 

SEO content writing requires that you understand who your audience is and how they are searching for help. There are a lot of tools that can help you find the keywords that your audience searches like Ubersuggest, Google Search Console, Semrush… but even with powerful software, you have to understand the needs of your target audience. 

You should also consider an analytics tool that will help you see what’s working and what isn’t. A lot of host platforms include built in analytics and you should definitely track that, but a tool like Google Analytics has way more capabilities. 

Don’t cut corners on copywriting! 

SEO drives traffic and copywriting converts. Once you get your audience to your website or landing page you will need strategic copywriting to move them through your sales funnel. Copywriting should be personal and resonate with your audience’s needs. 

Effective copywriting will also include keywords, but it’s not the same as SEO. Your website or landing page copy should tell your audience why to choose your brand; your SEO is how your audience finds your brand. Your copy is what sets you apart from your competitors, but your SEO will mirror your competition’s SEO. 

Copywriting exercises are a great way to dive deeper into your message so that your audience isn’t left with questions or hesitation. Try this really simple USP exercise - a unique selling proposition is a one-line statement that differentiates your business. 

You could also hire a copywriter or use copywriting templates - the important thing is that you understand how impactful your copywriting is on your bottom line!

Launching a website or landing page (or both) is a really important step for building a professional online presence. It will take some time and you should expect to make regular updates as your business grows. Just remember that you don’t have to do it all! There are a lot of resources to help you get started. 

We design website, marketing, and branding templates to help female entrepreneurs quickly and affordably build their dream business. You can check out our shop or send us a message with any questions.