Capture Page vs Landing Page: Differences and Similarities
Most of the time people wrongly use the terms capture page and landing page interchangeably but these two terms mean two totally different things.
These two types of pages have many similarities but they also have a number of differences that distinguish one from the other.
For you to know the differences you have to understand what each term represents.
What Is a Landing Page?
This is the page your visitors arrive at when the first navigate to your website.
This could be the home page of your website or it could be any other page on your website that the visitors land on when they first get on the website.
You should make sure that your landing page is designed to focus on a single objective and that it offers your users a personal and customized experience.
You should always put into consideration where your visitors are getting to your face from when creating your landing page.
This will give you vital information about who they are and also enable you to know what exactly they need so you can provide it to them.
You should make sure that the landing page you create is a logical extension of the link or advertisement that first interested your visitors before they got to your website.
Your chances of engaging with your users greatly increase when you match who your prospects are with what they are interested in. the main agenda of your landing page should be to convert those people who randomly stumble through your website into viewers who are interested in what you have to offer with the ultimate goal of turning them into actual buyers.
If your landing page is properly designed then it will increase your conversion rates significantly.
You should ensure that you let the visitors know exactly what they need to do on your landing page and provide them with what they are looking for and let it be straight to the point.
When Should You Use Landing Pages?
When you have knowledge of where your visitors are coming from and you already have a set goal then you can create and utilize a landing page that targets a specific audience.
Examples of goals that you can set for your landing page include engaging visitors to read specific content, enticing the prospect to opt into your email list, and convincing the prospects to make a purchase of your product or service.
What Is a Capture Page?
This is a page which has been created with the main aim of getting visitors to share their email addresses with you and subscribe to your email list.
The most effective way to achieve this is by offering the visitors something in return for the information they give you.
The most common things that are given to prospects by brands include audio recording, written reports, and blueprints.
Other factors that contribute to the success of a landing page include using limited navigation, using a captive headline, and also utilizing good graphics.
The most important thing you have to keep in mind when creating your capture page is the fact that the offer you give your prospects has to be something that people would actually want to have otherwise they will not feel compelled to share their email addresses with you.
Most of the capture pages that have been created and were actually successful were created with the following steps:
• You first describe the problem that the prospects are going through
• The next step you should take is offering the said prospects a solution to the problem in exchange for their contact information
• The final step is the actual delivery of the solution you offered
When you continue to build a relationship with those people who decided to sign up for your contact list you end up creating a very valuable asset that will enable you to earn from it time and again.
A capture page can be used in the following way: as an effective and valuable asset in the marketing system that benefits from leads that have been captured once and leveraged so as to gain profits from them for a long time after.
In general we have learned that a capture page can actually be a form of landing page but a landing page does not have to be a capture page. It can be any page within your website.
Differences between a Landing Page and a Capture Page
• A capture page has to contain a form where the visitors can fill out their information while a landing page does not necessarily have to have an opt-in form
• A capture page can be called a landing page but a landing page is not always a capture page and can be any other page on the website including the home page.
• The landing page has to provide its users with valuable info that is relevant to them base on where they originally accessed the site from while a capture page offers its users a sort of bribe so they can share their contact information
• Capture page gives its users something of value when they fill out the opt-in form but not all landing pages do this for their visitors
• The most important thing that you have to consider when creating you capture page is the offer you are giving your prospects while the most important thing to keep in mind when creating a landing page is where the visitors are getting to your page from and what it is exactly that they are interested in finding
Similarities Between a Capture Page and a Landing Page
These two types of website pages have a number of similarities. They include the following:
• The main purpose of both pages is to get a visitor to take action on the page where in capture pages it is to them to fill out their information and in the landing page it is to do a number of things like make a purchase, fill out information etc
• Both pages are found on the main website of a brand and are there to provide users with information that they really need
• Both landing pages and capture pages are created with the needs of the prospects in mind
• Both website pages contain content that show the visitors that the product/ service that the company/business is offering is the solution that they have been looking for and thus can be said to be effective marketing tools
• Both the landing pages and capture pages contain CTA buttons that tell the user what action they are expected to take on the page
• Both landing pages and capture pages require the designer to put time and effort to personalize them for the prospect’s sake
• Both capture pages and landing pages help to increase the conversion rates of a brand’s website by encouraging the users to take action.
• Both pages require headline that will capture the attention of the visitor and entice them to stay on the page and continue interacting with the contents of the page.
As you can see these two terms are different and thus should never be used interchangeably.