Landing pages have arguably the biggest trend in web design for the last year and a bit. If you’ve been a bit slow on the uptake, you’re not yet too late, because landing pages are not going anywhere. Now you may be wondering how to go about creating your landing pages. There are three options:
- Designing your own pages from scratch (DIY).
- Using a web-based landing page editor.
- Hiring an outside agency to create it for you.
Navigating the Virtues of Landing Page Design & Development…
Each of these options offers its own unique features, along with advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you to weigh up the options and choosing the one that fits your needs best. Let’s look at the differences.
DIY Landing Page Design
Foundation and Bootstrap are the two most common options for businesses who wish to design their own landing pages. Since these online landing page builders don’t have drag-and-drop or point-and-click interfaces, you will have to code it yourself.
The fact that DIY frameworks are usually free is a huge selling point and since you’ll be doing the coding yourself, your options are limitless.
The only disadvantage is that you need major skills. You need to know how to code or how to borrow snippets of other people’s code. Of course, you could learn how to do it, but there’s no instruction manual. It will take time to figure it all out, unless you have a team of designers who can code your landing page, do split-testing and make all the necessary changes.
Online Landing Page Builder
This option is a hybrid between the first and last option. It is half-DIY and half similar to hiring an agency to design your landing pages.
An online landing page builder is created by coders and designers to provide a ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ editor. It features design templates and plenty of pre-made code, and it is editable and mobile ready.
These online landing page builders typically integrate with popular site builders, email marketing platforms, social media networks and payment gateways.
Templates mean that you give up some of your flexibility, so if you have very specific design requirements, an online landing page builder may not be for you. Most online builders also require a monthly subscription fee.
If that’s not an option for you, you may want to consider the last option…
Hiring an Agency to Design Your Landing Pages
We’re not biased when we say that hiring a skilled agency with professional designers and programmers will more than likely result in the best possible landing page. Professional design agencies have the skills and the tools to deliver the exact landing page you desire.
Your landing page will be feature-rich, easy to use and mobile responsive. Yes, it will cost you a bit more than buying your own online landing page builder, but the investment will be worth the customization options. It may well be cheaper than the time you will have to invest if you opt to build your own DIY landing page, though.
There really is no one-size-fits-all or one-option-beats-all landing page solution, but one may prove to be more valuable or sensible to you depending on your situation.
Which landing page design solution do you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments!