Homepages and landing pages: which job should each do?

A homepage introduces a website and offers routes for several visitor needs. A landing page usually serves one audience and one campaign action. Neither page type is automatically better for a visitor; the right destination depends on what they expect when they arrive.

Understand the homepage's broad role

Someone arriving at a homepage may be a first-time buyer, returning customer, job applicant or person seeking support. The page should establish what the organisation does and guide those groups to relevant detail. It cannot give equal space to every possible task, but it should not hide essential routes.

Test whether a new visitor can explain the offer and find a next step. If a campaign sends people to a homepage where the promoted offer is difficult to locate, that route may add avoidable work.

Use a landing page for a defined promise

A landing page can continue the message from an advert, email or event invitation. It should explain the offer, its limits and the action requested. A focused page may remove some competing navigation, but it still needs information that helps someone decide freely.

The content should match the traffic source. If an email promises a guide, the destination should identify that guide immediately. A generic sales page that introduces a different offer can make the visitor feel misdirected.

Choose the destination by intent

Send broad brand searches or general introductions to pages that help visitors explore. Send a specific campaign to a page that answers the campaign question and supports its action. If the audience is uncertain, test both journeys instead of assuming one structure fits everyone.

Consider the next step after the page. A landing page should have a confirmation that fulfils its promise; a homepage should connect to service, product and help pages without dead ends. The campaign landing page design guide covers the focused route in more detail.

Measure each page by its own job

Do not judge a homepage only by one campaign conversion rate or a landing page by the number of pages people browse. Look at whether visitors understand the offer and complete the intended task. Ask what information people needed before acting and whether the page provided it.

Both page types can improve as you learn. The goal is a coherent path from the visitor's starting question to a useful next step.

A visitor may also arrive directly on a service or article page from search. Check that those pages explain their own context rather than relying on a homepage introduction nobody has seen.

Frequently asked questions

Should paid adverts always go to a landing page?

No. A focused page is often useful for a specific promise, but the destination should match the visitor's intent and provide enough information.

Can a homepage include a campaign promotion?

Yes, if it does not obscure the site's main offer or routes for other visitors. Check that the promotion remains current and relevant.

Does a landing page need navigation links?

It needs whatever helps people understand and trust the offer. Remove irrelevant distractions, but keep routes to essential information and support.