Landing Page vs. Blog Post: What to Choose for Better Ranking & Conversion

Landing pages and blog posts are essential to any full-fledged digital marketing strategy. However, the choice of the content format for your purpose is challenging and has high stakes, as it directly affects your conversion rates and ranking. Read on to find out whether landing pages convert more than blog posts, why SERP ranking matters, and which option to pick for maximum results!

Targeting Particular Keywords: Using a Blog Post or a Landing Page

Choosing the appropriate format to target a specific keyword is a fundamental aspect of search engine optimization (SEO). Ultimately, the decision depends on your expected results. Let’s see whether you should select a product landing page or blog post for better conversion, ranking, and user intent coverage.

Conversions

Landing pages are designed to maximize conversion rates, as they provide focused and persuasive content that covers the pain points of a specific user group. They work great when used in paid ads, search results, and social media. However, the situation is a bit different with organic results.

Surprisingly, the conversion rates of blog posts versus landing pages aren’t that much different in organic positions. It’s the same even with BOF (bottom-of-funnel) keywords. That’s because blog posts build brand awareness that indirectly contributes to conversions over time.

While blog posts indirectly prove your product’s excellence by covering industry-related topics, landing pages do the final shot to make a sale. So choosing between a blog post or a landing page for better conversion isn’t always the right decision. They work best when used together.

Ranking

When it comes to search engine rankings, both landing pages and blog posts have the potential to rank well. However, different factors influence what you’ll see on the first SERP (search engine results page).

Landing pages are typically optimized for a narrow set of specific keywords, making them more likely to rank for exact matches. That is why getting a landing page to rank high is more difficult, as it is naturally limited in queries it can cover.

Blog posts, on the other hand, tend to focus on broader topics and long-tail keywords, resulting in a higher ranking for informational searches. Being ranked first matters a lot since it significantly boosts your brand awareness and improves authenticity. So, even if you know whether to choose a landing page or a blog post for better ranking, you should still consider the intent behind your target keywords.

Intent

Search intent refers to the underlying motivation or purpose behind a user’s search query. It can be categorized into the following:

• Informational — looking to learn more about a topic or subject;
• Navigational — searching for a particular website or product;
• Commercial — showing interest in a product or service and possibly looking into comparisons, reviews, and product information before making a decision;
• Transactional — making a purchase, signing up for a service, or subscribing to a newsletter.

Blog posts are ideal for catering to informational intent by providing high-quality content, answering questions, and establishing credibility. On the other hand, landing pages are perfect for addressing commercial or transactional queries, as they aim to convert visitors into customers.

Aligning your content format with the intent behind your target keyword is essential for meeting user expectations. If you don’t know the user’s intent, your reflections about blog post conversion vs. landing page conversion won’t matter. Understanding your potential client is a must.

Is It True That Product Landing Pages Convert Better Than Blog Posts?

While landing pages are often associated with higher conversion rates, blog posts can generate similar or better results in specific circumstances. Several factors come into play when determining conversion metrics, and the context in which the content is presented plays a significant role. Here are a few reasons why landing page vs. blog post conversion isn’t what you expect.

Storytelling and In-Depth Content

Blog posts allow for more comprehensive storytelling and in-depth content. They can connect  with the reader, address pain points, and build trust. All of this ultimately leads to conversions.

Additionally, blog posts provide opportunities for lead generation through email sign-ups, social media sharing, and comments. The most valuable part is the integration of CTA (call-to-action) elements inside the article: while the reader is hooked, they are more likely to complete an action.

Authority and Credibility

Blog posts contribute to a website’s overall authority and credibility. By consistently publishing high-quality, informative content, businesses can position themselves as industry leaders and trusted sources of information. This reputation positively impacts conversion rates, as users are more likely to engage with a brand they perceive as knowledgeable and reliable.

Origin of the “High Converting Landing Pages” Concept

The notion of “high-converting landing pages” is often associated with paid search campaigns, where the primary objective is to drive immediate conversions. In this context, landing pages are optimized to deliver a persuasive message and encourage visitors to take action. They often have a similar straightforward structure that leads you to make a purchase.

If we search for “AI software,” we’ll get four sponsored pages. All of them promote either a service or a product related to the keyword. Their structures are all similar: a headline, a brief description, a registration form, and direct information about the product or service.

If a user clicks on one of these sponsored landing pages, they already have a transactional intent. People usually avoid ads and sponsored materials unless they are already looking for that service. So, they are more likely to make a purchase after clicking an ad, significantly increasing the conversion rate.

When a person is tuned to make a purchase, these landing pages with aggressive marketing just do the final shot. However, this wouldn’t be possible unless they appeared in the paid section of the SERP. That’s why comparing landing page versus blog post conversion isn’t always right.

Organic Results Differ: Blog Posts Can Convert Better Than Product Landing Pages

When comparing blog post versus landing page conversion in organic results, the former easily outperforms the latter. There are multiple reasons for that:

Detailed Information

Blog posts have the advantage of providing more comprehensive information on a given topic. This depth of content allows blogs to address multiple pain points, provide detailed explanations, and offer valuable insights to the reader. By fulfilling the user’s information needs, blog posts create a sense of trust and authority, increasing the chance of conversion.

Engagement and Interaction

Blog posts offer opportunities for engagement and interaction with the audience. Businesses can build a community around their content through comments, social media shares, and email sign-ups, establishing active relations with potential customers.

This strategy fosters a sense of loyalty and increases the chances of turning visitors into leads over time. Additionally, it enables social proof, as people are more likely to trust a high-ranked resource with comments and shares on it.

Long-Tail Keyword Optimization

Blog posts often target long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have lower search volumes than broad ones. An example of a long-tail keyword for this article would be “landing page conversion versus blog post conversion.” You wouldn’t be able to use this one on a landing page.

However, these long-tail keywords tend to have higher intent and conversion potential, as they attract users who are actively seeking solutions or information related to a particular topic. By optimizing blog posts for long-tail keywords, businesses can capture highly targeted organic traffic and increase their conversion rates.

Trust and Authority Building

Consistently publishing informative and high-value blog posts helps to build trust and establish authority within a given industry or niche. When users perceive a brand as knowledgeable and reliable, they are more likely to engage with its content, trust its recommendations, and, ultimately, convert into customers. Blog posts contribute significantly to this trust-building process, enhancing conversion metrics.

When to Use a Keyword in a Blog Post or a Landing Page

While we state that landing pages don’t always have higher conversion rates than blog posts, this doesn’t mean they should be taken out of the picture entirely. Depending on the keywords used, this content format may still work better than a blog post.

Choosing the best keywords for blog posts and landing pages depends on many factors, including the search intent, the keyword’s competitiveness, and your campaign’s goals.

Here are the questions to consider to make an informed decision:

• Which pages are showing up? Analyze the SERP for your target keyword and identify whether blog posts or landing pages dominate the top positions. If blog posts consistently rank high, it indicates that users prefer informational content for that keyword.
• Would a blog post satisfy the search intent? Evaluate the intent behind the keyword and determine if it aligns with the purpose of a blog post. Keywords with informational intent and in-depth explanations are best used with blog posts.
• Would a blog post have any chance of ranking at the top? Assess the competitiveness of the keyword and the authority of your website. If you have a strong domain authority and believe a blog post can compete for top rankings, targeting the keyword with this page type may be better.
• Is the keyword transactional or commercial? A landing page would be more appropriate if the keyword indicates strong buying intent or requires a direct call-to-action. Landing pages are designed to drive conversions and provide a focused and persuasive message to potential buyers.

However, there are cases when most of your competitors on the first SERP use product landing pages with little to no blog posts on their websites. This is why it’s important to understand whether blog posts still make sense or whether you’ll achieve greater results with a landing page.

There are two scenarios:

1. Your website is already an authority in the niche.
2. You aren’t a well-known brand.

Brands with authority can get high results with landing pages because their pages are more likely to rank highly for competitive BOF keywords. These pages will cover the user’s intent, providing them with the requested material. That’s possible when you know the exact landing page vs. blog post ranking results.

On the other hand, if your company isn’t so widely known in the industry for the search engine, the chance of getting ranked with a landing page is minimized. It is best to use blog posts covering a broader range of relevant keywords to avoid losing valuable ranking. This will help you rank higher, meaning more people will find your page.

Examples of Blog Posts That Rank Higher for Keywords Than Product Landing Pages

Let’s see the performance of a blog post vs. landing page ranking when using different keywords.

Example 1: “Best Wireless Headphones”

This is an e-commerce keyword with informational and commercial intent. The user is most likely interested in seeing the best headphones on the market and comparing them with other options.

In this case, the first positions of the SERP are taken by reputable technology review websites. All of them have list posts with multiple entries and their specifications, prices, reviews, and other information. There isn’t a single landing page for this keyword. They are all outranked by blog posts.

Example 2: “How to Start a Blog”

This keyword has a clear informational intent. The user is most likely researching possible options for starting a blog and isn’t looking for a specific product. That’s why we also get only blog posts on the first SERP. However, here we also can see a featured blog post and a FAQ list.

Most results offer step-by-step guides, tips, and recommendations for beginners, addressing the informational intent behind the search query. We can see that Wix, a website-building service, is among these results with a blog post. It is very likely that after reading the guide on this page, the user will proceed to use Wix’s service as it is the fastest and simplest way to cover their needs.

Examples of Product Landing Pages Outranking Blog Posts for Keywords

Now, let’s see the performance of landing pages that show better results than blog posts with several keywords.

Example 1: “Software Development Services”

This is a keyword with commercial and transactional intent. So, does a landing page convert better than a blog post in this case? Yes, definitely! The user is probably interested in the service and wants to research the available options or partner with a company. That’s why the primary page types in the SERPs are landing pages of software development companies.

There is only a single list post from Clutch, a reputable website in the industry that gathers rankings and reviews for all companies in the given niche. Apart from this, all other results are ultimately landing pages with persuasive content describing the companies’ expertise.

Example 2: “AI Development”

This keyword combines different intents, from informational to transactional. That’s why we get mixed results with landing pages and blog posts. However, among the first 10 results, there are only two blog posts, and both of them are outperformed by landing pages.

Similarly to the previous example, all the companies here promote their services with persuasive content, case studies, and other information to convince the user to make a purchase.

Our Experience

The Livepage team has been working with Weelorum for several months, and developed both landing pages and blog posts for the company’s website. To conduct a precise performance comparison, we took data for the period from January 2023 to July 2023.

We decided to make a list based on the largest number of clicks for all the pages on the company’s website. As you can see, the first ten pages on the list are all blog posts.

If we look among the top 20 pages with the most clicks, only 5 positions belong to landing pages. They also have a high bounce rate and reduced numbers for the average time on the page.

Here is the data for a separate landing page and blog page for comparison:

• Landing page about app development services: 14,500 pageviews, 23 clicks, 0.2% CTR;
• Blog page about building an MVP: 60,300 pageviews, 70 clicks, 0.1% CTR.

Apart from this singled-out example, we also gathered a general overview, including all our client’s blog pages and landing pages, to demonstrate a comprehensive analysis:

• All blog pages: 334,000 pageviews, 1210 clicks, 0.4% CTR;
• All landing pages: 225,000 pageviews, 164 clicks, 0.1% CTR.

As you can see, blog pages get a much higher number of views and clicks due to their informational nature. Using them makes promoting service via organic search results easier, while landing pages are better used for converting leads.

Conclusion

Choosing between a landing page and a blog post is a crucial decision that significantly impacts your search engine rankings and conversion rates. While landing pages usually excel in conversions and specific campaigns, blog posts have the potential to get ranking higher in organic search results and build trust with informative content.

Understanding the intent behind your target keyword, evaluating its competitiveness, and considering the user needs are essential in deciding whether to use a blog post or a landing page. Both formats have distinct advantages, and strategically leveraging them can maximize your online visibility, search rankings, and conversion rates. Therefore, it is important to work with a reliable keyword research service provider, and receive high-quality on page SEO service.

The easiest way to achieve maximum results is by partnering with white label SEO company Livepage. Our team has experts in digital marketing, SEO, and content optimization to help our clients avoid losing traffic and reach top-ranking positions. Let’s partner today!