Your client wants to grow their business. That means your landing page design needs to sell.

A well-designed landing page can make the difference between a visitor bouncing off the website and a visitor converting into a customer. Below, we look into the different kinds of landing pages and their end uses, essential rules for creating a great landing page, and a handpicked selection of 14 excellent landing page examples to help you kickstart the ideation process on your next project.

What's the purpose of a landing page?

Landing pages are standalone web pages that are usually the first contact point for potential company customers. This page aims to introduce the visitor to your brand or product offer. A landing page is the first thing a visitor sees above the fold(?) when they click on a link from a search engine or an advertisement. It is the page where a user "lands" after clicking on a link.

What should a landing page include?

A landing page should include information like a top-level product details and names, brand positioning and value it brings to people who use it, and a clear call to action that encourages the visitor to take a specific action, like purchasing a product.

Design landing pages in accordance with psychological principles of good product design, like familiarity (the page should use common design patterns that make it easier for users to understand how to interact with the page), a sense of trust (through the use of professional imagery, testimonials, and clear messaging) and SEO optimization, so that potential customers can easily find it.

What kinds of landing pages are there?

There are three kinds of landing pages that are most common. They are:

1. Lead generation landing page.

This page is designed to capture contact information from visitors, such as their name, email, and phone number. A call to action button is the main focal point of the landing page. This button opens an online form that visitors have to fill out to provide their information.

2. Click-through landing pages.

These pages are designed to create a context for site visitors and encourage them to continue browsing the website for more information. A classic example of a click-through landing page is a promo page for a product.

3. Sales landing pages.

Sales pages are designed to encourage users to buy a product or service by including all the product information a user needs to make a purchase, with clear call-to-action buttons that minimize friction, and the clicks required to purchase the product.

A landing page can also be a combination of the above types. For example, you could combine the sales landing page and lead generation page into a single page by offering two call-to-action buttons, like "buy now" and "request a demo".

Visitors can purchase a product by clicking "buy now," or leave their contact information to receive more details about the product by clicking "request a demo." Saas (Software as a Service) companies typically use this type of landing page because many clients need a demo before deciding whether the service is good for them.

What is a landing page vs. a website?

The primary difference between a landing page and a website is the number of pages and respective goals.

A landing page is a web page designed with a specific purpose in mind. A website, on the other hand, is a collection of web pages that are linked together and have their own respective purposes. For example, a company website can have a “products” page, which describes all products it offers, and an “about us” page, which shares information about the company.

A landing page isn’t the same as a single-page website (or one-pager), either, because a single page website has to consolidate all information that would otherwise be distributed on different pages for a regular website onto one page. (Check out our handpicked collection of single page website examples to learn more.)

They also differ in their primary goal. Not all pages on the website are designed to make the user convert; some pages, like blog posts, aim to provide information about different topics to inform visitors. In contrast, the landing page is designed around one particular topic, and it aims to convert visitors into customers.

Landing page principles: What makes a successful landing page design

When you design a website, landing pages serve a single marketing or sales goal, from generating leads to encouraging subscriptions. That’s why the conversion rate (the number of people who convert versus the total number of visitors) is used to evaluate their effectiveness.

While there is no magic formula for getting an excellent conversion rate, there are seven web design recommendations that can increase your chances for success:

1. First impressions matter.

It takes about 50 milliseconds for a visitor to form a first impression about your website, and this impression will be largely based on what they see. The visual language you use to communicate with your visitors matters a lot—a page with fine imagery, crisp typography, and eye-catching animations will more likely create a positive impression.

2. One page, one goal.

Having a clear goal is essential. The design of your landing page should be geared towards the action you want your visitors to take. Do you want them to sign up for your service, leave their email address or anything else? Don’t ask users to do multiple things; for maximum efficiency, focus on one and only action.

3. Strong arguments.

Put key messaging above-the-fold, because content that users see in the top area of the screen directly impacts user engagement (if the content is relevant and interesting, they are more willing to scroll for more info).

4. Easy to scan layout.

Users don't read on the web, they scan. It's essential to design scannable layouts that help users find what they are looking for at a glance. Design a clear visual hierarchy that guides readers' eyes toward the content you want them to see, in the order you want them to see it.

5. Prominent call-to-action buttons.

Visitors should be able to spot the primary CTA immediately as they land on a page. Use a blur test by adding a 5–10 px Gaussian blur to your design in a photo editor to validate your layout and see what element attracts the most attention. If it’s a CTA button, then everything’s fine.

6. Actionable call-to-action text.

Avoid vague labels like "More info" for call-to-action buttons. Instead, use actionable language with a verb that entices users for action and is very clear in what you want them to do. Labels like "Buy now" or "Get instant quote" are more likely to encourage users to do something.

7. Test your design.

No matter how much time you spend designing your landing page, it’s vital to test them with users. The testing doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. Try a