If you're a small business owner, you've probably asked it: "Do I need a landing page, or a full website?" The short answer is that it depends on what you want to happen in the next three months. The useful answer is below, and it takes about 10 minutes to read.
What a landing page is, and what it's for
A landing page is a single page built to get one action: a call, a quote request, a booking, a purchase. It has no long menu and no ten different sections. Everything on it nudges the visitor toward that one step.
Think of it as a salesperson who only answers one question, but answers it really well.
A good landing page usually has:
- A clear headline that says what you offer and who it's for.
- Three or four sections: benefits, how it works, proof you can be trusted, and FAQs.
- A button or form that shows up more than once.
- Little or no navigation, so nobody wanders off.
What a full website is
A website is your home on the internet: several connected pages, like Home, Services, About, Blog and Contact. It helps people find you, get to know you and decide whether to trust you, even if they're not ready to buy yet.
A website makes sense when:
- You offer several services or products that each need their own explanation.
- You want to show up in search for many different queries, not just one.
- Your business runs on trust, like a clinic, a law firm or a consultancy.
- You plan to publish content regularly, like this blog.
The difference in one sentence
A landing page converts someone who already knows what they want. A website explains and builds credibility with someone who's still getting to know you.
When a landing page is the right call
Go with a landing page if any of these sounds like you:
- You have one clear offer. A dental clinic that wants to fill its calendar with whitening appointments this month, for example.
- You're about to pay for ads. If you're sending traffic from Instagram or Google Ads, it's better to land people on a page built for one action than on a homepage where they get lost.
- You're just starting and want to test the idea. A landing page is faster and cheaper than a full site, and it tells you whether there's demand before you invest more.
- You sell through DMs, email or phone today. A landing page gives you a professional link to put in your bio and your messages.
When you need a full website
Choose a website if:
- You have several services, and each deserves its own page.
- You want to be found through search on many different terms. More pages with useful content means more ways in.
- Your customers compare before they decide. They need to see who you are, how you work and what you've done.
- You'll have a blog, a catalog or a client area.
It's not a forever decision
Here's the good news: you can start with a landing page and grow from there. A well-built landing page becomes the homepage of your future site, or one of its service pages. What we don't recommend is the opposite: paying for an eight-page site nobody will maintain, when what you really need is leads this week.
That's the path we suggest to a lot of small businesses. First, a landing page that works. Then email on your own domain. Later, if the business calls for it, a full website.
Three questions to decide today
Answer without overthinking:
- What's the one action I want my visitor to take? If the answer is clear and single, start with a landing page.
- How many different services do I need to explain? If it's more than three, you're heading toward a website.
- Will my traffic come mostly from search, or from social and ads? If it's social and ads, a landing page pulls more weight. If it's search, you need more pages.
What every site needs, whichever you choose
Landing page or full website, check that it has these:
- Mobile-friendly. A lot of your visitors will arrive on a phone. If it looks bad there, it looks bad.
- A domain in your name. Your address, accounts and code should belong to you. We cover this in What to ask a web developer before hiring.
- A contact method that's easy to find. A form, a phone number or an email, one click away.
- Fast loading. Every second of waiting costs you visitors.
- Email on your own domain.
hello@yourbusiness.combuilds more trust than a generic address. Here's how: How to set up business email on your domain.
What we do
At GU Consulting we build both. Our landing pages come in tiers with a written scope, and we also build multi-page websites. If you're not sure which fits, that's exactly the conversation we have with the founders on the first call, no strings attached. You can see the options on Services and pricing.
If you already know what you want to achieve, tell us about your project and we'll reply within 24 hours.