Landing Pages, Lead Boxes, and Pop-Ups: When to Use What

It can be confusing to decide when to use a landing page, a lead box, or a pop-up on your site. Let’s define each of these, take a look at their benefits, and consider when it is best to use one or the other.

Landing Page

Landing Page Defined

A landing page is a stand-alone web page that asks a person to take one single action. It might ask a person to enter an email address to grab a free download. It might ask a person to register for a seminar. It might ask a person to call the office for an appointment. A landing page could be as simple as a form to fill out to download a free PDF, or it could be as complex as a long sales page to encourage sign-ups for a 6-month group program. A good landing page will have no distractions and be laser focused on one call-to-action.

Landing Page Benefits

One thing that makes a landing page particularly useful is that it has its own URL. That URL can easily be shared in an email, on a social media posts, or on paid ads. Another benefit of a landing page is that there is no limitation on space. If you want to include more information, you simply make the page scroll farther down.

When to Use a Landing Page

Use a landing page when you want to have a unique URL to share to promote a free or a paid offer. Also choose a landing page for any product or service that requires a long explanation to encourage sales.

Lead Box

Lead Box Defined

A lead box is a box that pops up on your website when a person clicks a button. It usually asks a person to take an action, such as entering an email to receive a free offer.

Lead Box Benefits

One benefit of a lead box is that it allows you to encourage an action (like enter an email address) without taking up space on the web page itself. Another nice feature of a lead box is that it is non-obtrusive. It only pops up when a person chooses to click a button to make it appear. A lead box is a polite version of a pop-up box.

When to Use a Lead Box

Use a lead box when you want to have a form on your website without being “in-your-face.” The lead box allows you to have a simple line of text or image that gives your site visitors control over when they see the information in the box that will appear.

Pop-Up Box

Pop-Up Box Defined

A pop-up box is a box that appears on a website according to a programmed schedule. Pop-up boxes can be programmed to appear only the first time a visitor comes to the site, every time, or only until they complete the form. Pop-up boxes can be programmed to appear immediately, after a certain number of seconds, or when a person is about to leave the site. A pop-up box can be programmed to appear in the center of the screen, from the bottom, from the side, or in the corner. There are many different ways to program a pop-up box, but the defining characteristic is that it appears without the site visitor initiating that action.

Benefits of a Pop-Up Box

We almost all think that pop-up boxes are annoying, but the benefit is that they really do capture people’s attention. The benefit of a pop-up box is that it works. You will get more people acting on your offer and entering an email address if you use a pop-up box.

When to Use a Pop-Up Box

Use a pop-up box to encourage people to enter an email address to sign up for a free offer, an e-newsletter, or any other quick offer you want to promote.