The purpose of a homepage is to have users explore content, products, and offers. Some homepages even add information about the site and its values.
4. What is the purpose of a landing page?
Now, the goal of a landing page is to have the visitor follow the CTA. That is its only purpose!
Coming back to the Venice illustration, there is a canal called Grand Canal. Canale Grande in Italian. It sweeps through the heart of Venice. The figure it forms is a giant reverse S curve. It is the principal boulevard throughout the city. It connects Piazza San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and the arrival points of the rail station and bridge from the mainland.
From the Grand Canal, you could go to many of the other canals. And here is where the similitude with a home page can be derived. The Grand Canal and a home page are great points to start exploring.
Now, among the many canals in Venice, there are also blind alley canals. Imagine being in one of them. All you can do is go forward or turn back. There is no opportunity to explore. So, there is an example of a landing page.
5. Types of landing pages
Landing pages can be so diverse. And there are usually many terms that identify them.
When getting started, it could be a bit confusing. So, here we will boil it down to only two archetypal landing pages.
5.1. Lead Generation Landing Pages: it is common to hear terms such as lead gen or lead capture. They all refer to lead generation landing pages. Have you heard the term squeeze page? Guess what? It is also a lead generation landing page.
Here the goal is to get the visitor to fill in a form. That is the call to action. This form collects lead data that could be: name, email, etc.
Lead data is collected easier when websites offer something free. People are more likely to give their email if they receive an eBook or webinar in exchange.
5.2. Click through Landing Pages: clickthrough pages go straight for sales or subscription. The call to action here is a simple button. And it sends visitors to the checkout page, app store, or any other form of completing a transaction.
Reply
Thanks for letting me know that you found the comparison with Venetian canals helpful.
When learning something new, I have always loved it when instructors come up with examples.
I am glad you found the training helpful. If you like this type of content then I will keep publishing more periodically.
I hope everything is going well with your sites. All the best.
Good question. Thanks for asking. Jay here at Wealthy Affiliate has some training on how to launch a landing page. Jay always explains things in a way that is easy to understand. Step by step. I feel you should go check it out whenever you have a chance. Building Awesome Landing Pages
Sometimes simple metaphors do a great job when we're just starting. I hope this content is beneficial for the community.
