--- title: How Do You Design a Landing Page That Gets Customers? | Blue Lake Web Design description: What a landing page is, how it differs from your homepage, what to put on it, and how to decide whether your business needs one. A plain guide for owners. url: https://bluelakewebdesign.com/landing-page-design/ --- How Do You Design a Landing Page That Gets Customers? | Blue Lake Web Design - Call # How Do You Design a Landing Page That Gets Customers? What a landing page is, how it differs from your homepage, what to put on it, and how to decide whether your business needs one. A plain guide for owners. Eric Plotts / October 19, 2026 Want this handled for you? Custom sites starting at $899. Most go live in about two weeks. Get a free quote Or call (248) 800-1855 A landing page is a single web page built to get one thing from one visitor: a phone call, a quote request, a booking, or an email signup. Good landing page design means a clear headline, one main button, proof that you are who you say you are, and a page that loads fast on a phone. Your homepage does a different job, and most small businesses need to understand that difference before they pay anyone to build anything. This guide is written for owners who have never run an ad campaign or hired an SEO (search engine optimization) specialist. We explain the terms, show what goes on the page, and tell you what to ask before you hire someone. Bluelakewebdesign Turn More Visitors Into Customers Blue Lake Web Design creates fast-loading websites with integrated SEO to help Michigan businesses improve visibility and turn visitors into customers. Explore web design ## TL;DR A landing page has one goal and no menu. A homepage introduces your whole business and sends people to many places. - Build one when you are sending a specific group of people to a specific offer, such as visitors from a Google ad or a mailing. - Put these on the page: a headline that names the problem you solve, one main button near the top, honest proof, and a short form or phone number. - Speed matters. Slow pages lose visitors, and photos and extras are usually the cause. - Ask any designer for a fixed price, a written list of what you get, and no long contract. ## What a landing page is, in plain words Picture two ways to greet a customer. One is a front desk in a lobby: people can go to sales, service, billing or the break room. The other is a person standing next to one product saying, “Here is what this does, here is what it costs, want it?” The lobby is your website. The person at the product is your landing page. According to HubSpot’s comparison , a landing page is a single standalone page made for a specific marketing campaign, while a website is a set of connected pages such as home, about and services. The website informs and builds your brand. The landing page pushes toward one action, and it usually has no navigation menu so the visitor is not tempted to wander off. The word “campaign” just means any effort to bring people in: a Google ad, a Facebook ad, a postcard with a web address, an email to past customers, or a sign with a QR code on it. ## Landing page or homepage: which one do you need? People search for “landing page vs homepage” and “landing page or website” because the two look similar on a phone screen. They are built for different visitors. Homepage Landing page Main job Introduce the business and point people to the right page Get one specific action Menu at the top Yes Usually none Who arrives Anyone: customers, job seekers, vendors, curious neighbors People who clicked a specific ad, email or link Content Overview of everything you do One offer, one audience Number of buttons Many One main one, repeated A practical way to decide: - You have no website yet. Start with a small website, not a lone landing page. People who search your business name will want to see an about page, your service area and your contact details. - You run or plan to run ads. Send ad clicks to a landing page that matches the ad. If the ad says “Same day furnace repair in Novi,” the page should say that in the first line, not open with your company history. - You offer several different services. Each service can have its own focused page. A roofer who does repairs, replacements and gutters has three different customers with three different worries. - You want more calls from local search. Your service pages and local listings do most of that work. A landing page can support them but does not replace them. If your budget allows only one thing, the usual answer is a small, complete website where each key page is built like a landing page: one clear purpose and one clear next step. That is how we approach our own builds. ## What goes on a landing page, from top to bottom There is no secret layout. Search Engine Land’s guide to landing pages describes a structure that holds up across industries: a benefit-driven headline, a primary button visible without scrolling, social proof, and no top-level navigation. Here is that structure in order, with examples a local business can use. ### 1. A headline that names the problem or the result The first line decides whether someone stays. Say what you do, for whom, and where. “Emergency plumbing in Oakland County, a real person answers” beats “Welcome to Smith & Sons.” Do not be clever. Be clear. ### 2. One main button, visible without scrolling The part of the page you see before scrolling is called “above the fold.” Put your one action there: “Call (555) 555-0100,” “Get a free quote,” “Book a time.” Pick one main action. If you offer a call, a form and a chat window all at the same size, visitors freeze. ### 3. A short explanation of what you do Three to five lines, or a simple three step plan: you contact us, we visit or review, we do the work. A short plan lowers worry because people can see what happens next. ### 4. Proof that you are real Proof can be reviews from real customers, your years in business, licenses, photos of your own work, or the name and face of the owner. Support for this idea, and ways to present customer stories well, shows up in guidance on using short customer testimonial videos . A legal point matters here. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that when you show a testimonial, people read it as the experience a typical customer can expect. An FTC enforcement speech warns that showcasing extraordinary results can count as deceptive advertising, and that a “results not typical” note does not fix it. So only use reviews that are real, and do not feature a best case story as if it were normal. If you are unsure, ask an attorney who handles advertising. ### 5. A short form or a phone number Every extra form field costs you some visitors. Ask for what you need to call back: name, phone, and a line about the job. Skip “company size” and “how did you hear about us” unless you truly use them. ### 6. The button again at the bottom Someone who reads to the end has shown interest. Do not make them scroll back up. ## Design choices that help on a phone Most local visitors arrive on a phone, so design the phone version first. - Big, tappable buttons. A thumb should hit them without zooming. A “tap to call” button is worth having for local services. - Short paragraphs and plain type. If you need to squint, you are already losing people. - Contrast. The button color should stand out from the rest of the page. Which color matters less than the button being obviously different. - Few images, chosen on purpose. A photo of your actual team or truck says more than a generic handshake picture, and it costs less in speed. - Same content as on desktop. Google mostly uses the mobile version of your page to decide what to show in search. Google’s mobile-first indexing guidance says that hiding content on mobile can cost you visibility. Tabs and collapsible sections are fine for saving space, as long as the main content is there. ## Speed is part of the design A beautiful page that loads slowly is a poor page. In a web.dev article on fixing website speed across teams , Google’s developer team reports that even a one second delay on mobile can cut conversions by up to 20 percent. A conversion is just a visitor who does what you wanted: calls, books or submits the form. The same article notes that pages with fewer images and page elements tend to convert better. Google publishes three speed and stability targets, called Core Web Vitals. In plain terms, and per web.dev’s business guidance : - Largest Contentful Paint: how fast the main content appears. Google suggests 2.5 seconds or less. - Interaction to Next Paint: how quickly the page reacts when someone taps. Google suggests under 200 milliseconds. - Cumulative Layout Shift: whether things jump around while loading, such as a button moving as you tap it. Google suggests under 0.1. You do not need to measure these yourself. You do need to ask your designer whether they check them and what they do when a page falls short. Google’s own explanation of Core Web Vitals says it recommends site owners aim for good scores. If you run Google ads, we wrote about fixing these scores on ad landing pages . Also be wary of anyone who promises a page will rank first on Google. Google’s guidance on core updates says there is no secret formula, and that the best approach is helpful content that solves the visitor’s problem. We hold ourselves to the same standard: we describe what we build, not what rank it will earn. ## Where should a landing page live? Three common setups: - A page on your existing website, hidden from the main menu. This is simple and keeps your web address consistent. - A separate page on a landing page tool. Quick to start, but you rent the page, and you may have limits on speed, design and moving it later. - A page built as part of your site’s design. Costs more up front than a template, but it matches your brand, loads quickly, and you own it. If you are choosing between a do it yourself builder and hiring a professional, our short piece on the pros and cons of designing your own website lays it out. ## Testing: how you find out what works You will not know in advance which headline works better. The standard method is A/B testing: you show half your visitors version A and half version B, then compare how many took the action. The catch is patience. With a small business’s traffic, a test can look like a winner after a few days and then fade. We explain how to avoid false results in our guide to A/B testing landing pages , and cover forms and checkout in testing first conversion rate optimization . If you want a place to start on improving signups and similar actions, there is a resource on conversion tools and page variations . Before testing anything, get the basics right. Change one thing at a time, and if you have very few visitors, spend your effort on clear writing and fast loading instead of tests. ## Our perspective We have built websites for Michigan businesses since 2011, and the same mistake shows up again and again: owners pay for a page that looks impressive and then cannot say what it is supposed to do. When we ask, “What should a visitor do here?”, the honest answer is sometimes “I’m not sure.” Our view is simple. Decide the one action first. Write the headline and button around it. Keep the page light so it loads fast on a phone. Then add only what supports that action. A designer who starts with color palettes and animations before asking about your customer is working in the wrong order. We also think pricing should not be a guessing game. You should know the total before work begins, know what is included, and be free to leave afterward. That is why we quote a fixed price and do not ask you to sign a contract. — Eric ## What it costs and how long it takes Landing page cost depends on how much content it needs, whether you supply the photos and text, and whether it connects to forms or ad tracking. For our own work, we publish two prices: a three page website is $899, and an eight page website is $1,999. Anything larger gets a fixed quote, so you know the number before we start. For how we think about budgets for single pages, see our landing page cost guide . On timing, our typical build takes about two weeks to a working site, depending on how quickly you send us your text, photos and feedback. That is a description of how we work, not a promise about when customers will start calling. Nobody can honestly predict that. ## How to choose someone to build it Whatever company you hire, ask these questions: - What exactly is included? Get it in writing: number of pages, forms, mobile layout, speed checks, basic search setup. - Is the price fixed? Ask what could make it go up. “Hidden fees” usually mean extras that were never mentioned. - Is there a contract? Know whether you can leave, and who owns the site and the web address if you do. - Will you see real work? Ask for examples of pages they have built, and talk to the person who will actually do the work. - Who handles the ads and the page? If one company runs your ads and another builds your page, make sure someone is responsible for them working together. - What do they say they cannot promise? Be careful with anyone who guarantees rankings, traffic or sales. Nobody controls those. You can see examples of our pages in our web design portfolio . ## Working with us We are Blue Lake Web Design, in Novi, Michigan, owner operated by Eric Plotts since 2011, serving Metro Detroit and Oakland County. We build fast, mobile friendly websites where each page has a clear job, and we add search engine basics from the start. Our website design pricing page shows the three page and eight page options, and our web design page explains the process. If you plan to run ads to your page, we also manage Google Ads . Call us at (248) 800-1855 and tell us what you want visitors to do. ## FAQ ### Is a landing page the same as a homepage? No. A homepage introduces your whole business and links to many pages. A landing page is built for one audience and one action, and usually has no menu. Many businesses need both, and the landing page is most useful when you are sending ad or email traffic to a specific offer. ### When should a small business use a landing page? Use one when you send a specific group of people to a specific offer, such as an ad click for a seasonal service, a mailer, or an email to past customers. If you only have a basic website and no campaigns yet, improve the service pages on your site first. ### How long should a landing page be? Long enough to answer the questions a stranger would have before calling, and no longer. A simple service with a low risk action can fit on one short screen or two. A bigger decision, like a remodel, usually needs more explanation, proof and a plan of what happens next. ### Do I need to hire someone to design it? Not always. A simple page can be done yourself if you have the time and care about speed and phone layout. Hiring helps when you are paying for ads, because a weak page wastes ad money on every click. ### Can I use customer reviews on my landing page? Yes, if they are real and reflect what a typical customer experienced. The FTC treats a testimonial as a statement of typical results, so do not show only your best story and rely on a disclaimer. ## Sources - HubSpot: Landing Page vs. Website - Search Engine Land: landing pages, SEO and conversions - web.dev: Fixing website speed cross-functionally - web.dev: How Progressive Web Apps can drive business success - Google Search Central: Core Web Vitals - Google Search Central: Mobile-first indexing best practices - Google Search Central: Core updates - Federal Trade Commission: Remarks on advertising enforcement challenges ## Recommended - Fix Core Web Vitals on Google Ads Landing Pages in Two Weeks - SMB Landing Page Cost 2026: Budget Bands, GA4 Benchmarks, Fixed Price - 4–6 Week Baseline: A/B Testing Landing Pages Without False Positives - Testing First Conversion Rate Optimization for Checkout and Forms Written by Eric Plotts Web designer and SEO consultant in Novi, Michigan. Building websites for small and mid sized businesses since 2011. More about Eric . Get started ## Want this handled for you? Call (248) 800-1855 for a free quote. Fixed price, no contract, and most sites are live in about two weeks. Start a Project Book 15 Minutes