There are a few different types of web pages that each serve a different purpose. Knowing the purpose of each will help your business decide which to leverage based on the goals you are aiming to achieve.
BlueWing, a Darwill company, is here to help you understand the difference between a website, landing page, and microsite so you can use them strategically to produce a rise in website traffic and campaign results.
Questions to Ask
Deciding on whether to use a website, landing page, or microsite will be based on the business goals. Some questions to ask before you make a selection are:
- Is the goal to provide general company knowledge to customers and prospects?
- Is the goal to provide information on a service or product?
- Are you trying to create buzz around a particular campaign?
- Are there multiple pages in need of creation that will be tied together?
- Does it make sense to include it on the main website?
- Is the goal to gain leads from an online form fill?
Narrowing down the focus and cause for creation will help to determine which format should be leveraged. In general, most businesses will want to have a website in place first and then can build off of it with landing pages and microsites. But first, let’s help you understand the difference between the three.
Key Differences Between a Website, Landing Page, and Microsite
Having a basic understanding of the purpose and differences between each type of web page will help lead you to the selection of the appropriate one.
Website
Of the three types mentioned in this article, a website is the largest with the most functionality. Most businesses will need to have a website in place if they plan on reaching customers and prospects online. The purpose of a website is to describe and explain the business, products, and services. Websites have the most navigation and interconnectivity, allowing visitors to click their way through the website to learn more.
Web users search for websites when they want to learn more about the company or products. Websites are commonly the first interaction a prospect has with your brand, so you’ll want to make a good first impression by making sure your website contains key details about your business and offerings.
Websites hold all the information about the company’s products, services, blog, contact methods, locations and hours, and more. All of these pages are interconnected through navigation menus, making your website the hub for all the answers visitors are searching for.
With website analytics, you can see how your website is performing and then decide if any updates are required based on how visitors are using your website. Analytics will give insight into the top-visited pages, where visitors are clicking, the amount of time spent on each page, underperforming pages, and more.
When to use a website: You need to tell your business’ story, mission, values, explain products, provide resources, list locations, and contact methods, etc.
Landing Page
Landing pages are designed for a specific product, service, or offer with the purpose of driving sales or capturing leads. Unlike websites, they are simple and clear when it comes to the thing they are promoting. They do not house all the business information like a website, instead landing pages have simple navigation directing the visitor to take an action. This navigation includes a call to action and a fillable form where they can collect the offer or ask to learn more about the product or service.
Landing pages are separate from the main website and have their own subdomain. This makes it easier to organize content for a specific topic and tracking the incoming traffic directly tied to the service or campaign.
When to use a landing page: When you have a new service, product, or offer to promote, and need to drive engagement and leads. Landing pages can also be used to promote new locations and events. They can also be used to test personalization variants in your marketing to discover which high-performing elements should be carried over to your website.
Microsite
A microsite is essentially a smaller website that describes the business, product, or service on a single page. This is a good in-between option for content that you want to highlight in a campaign but requires more real estate than a landing page. They create excitement about the product or service and provide all the information about it in one place with more navigation than a landing page. Microsites will typically have a navigation menu or internal links that take the visitor to different sections across the page.
Similar to a landing page, a microsite will have its own subdomain for tracking and analytics purposes. Using this subdomain on marketing helps to keep the visitor’s attention on the focus of the microsite instead of getting lost in other information that is on the main website.
In some cases, new businesses may opt to have a microsite instead of a website based on investment and time.
When to use a microsite: To create buzz around new products, seasonal products, or large-scale promotional campaigns. Perfect for content that is too important to be tucked away on the main website but too big for a single landing page.
BlueWing Helps You Get Started
If you still aren’t sure which of the three to leverage for your business and campaign goals or you’re not sure how to get started, BlueWing can help! BlueWing can help you make a selection based on your needs and guide you through the process. Contact us here!