How to Create a Landing Page in WordPress (2026): 3 Methods Step by Step

If you want to know how to create a landing page in WordPress, you have three practical options: build it with the built-in block editor, use a page builder plugin, or design it in a hosted tool such as Leadpages and publish it to your WordPress domain with a plugin. All three can produce a focused page with no menu and one call to action. The right choice depends on how many pages you need, whether you want templates and testing, and how much you want to maintain yourself. The Leadpages WordPress plugin guide covers that route step by step.

What Is a Landing Page in WordPress?

In WordPress, a landing page is simply a page built for one campaign or goal, such as collecting email signups, registering people for an event or selling one product. Technically it is an ordinary WordPress page. What makes it a landing page is the design: the main menu, sidebar and footer links are removed or reduced, the headline matches the ad or email that sent the visitor, and there is a single action to take.

You may also see the terms splash page, static landing page or temporary landing page. A splash page usually means a page shown at the front of a site, often before launch. A static landing page is one set as the homepage instead of the latest blog posts. Both are built the same way as any other landing page; the difference is where they sit in the site.

Before You Start

• Decide the one goal. Signup, booking, download or purchase. Everything on the page should support it.
• Pick the form or checkout. For email capture, most sites use a form plugin or embed a form from their email marketing tool. For stores, see WooCommerce landing pages.
• Check your theme type. In the dashboard, if the Appearance menu shows Editor, you are on a block theme and can create custom templates. Classic themes rely more on page templates supplied by the theme or a plugin.
• Choose a short slug. Something like /webinar or /free-guide is easy to read in ads and emails.
• Write the copy first. Headline, three or four benefits, proof you can verify, the call to action and a short FAQ. Layout is faster when the words are ready.

Method 1: Create a Landing Page With the Block Editor

This method uses only WordPress itself. It works best on a block theme, because WordPress' documentation notes that creating a custom template from the page editor is only available with a block theme that supports custom templates.

1. Add a new page. Go to Pages, then Add New Page, and enter your headline as the page title.
2. Create a template without the header and footer. In the page settings sidebar, click the name of the current template, then the add template icon. Give it a descriptive name such as "Landing Page" and click Create. In the template editor, delete the header and footer template parts (or replace them with a minimal logo row), keep the content block, then click Back to return to your page.
3. Insert patterns for the sections. Click the + inserter, open the Patterns tab and add sections such as a hero, feature columns, testimonials or a call to action. The WordPress Pattern Directory has more that you can copy and paste in.
4. Replace the placeholder content. Swap in your headline, benefit text, images and button labels. Point every button at the form or the offer.
5. Add the form. Insert your form plugin's block or paste your email tool's embed code into a Custom HTML block.
6. Preview on mobile. Use the preview menu to check desktop, tablet and mobile views.
7. Publish and save the template. Click Publish, then Save to confirm both the page and the new template.

Once a section looks right, you can turn it into a synced pattern so edits update everywhere it is used, which helps if you plan several pages with the same footer or offer block.

Method 2: Use a Page Builder Plugin

Page builder plugins add a drag-and-drop editor, ready-made templates and widgets such as countdowns or pricing tables. Elementor is one of the most searched; here is how a landing page is made with it:

1. Install the plugin. Go to Plugins, then Add New Plugin, search for the builder, then install and activate it.
2. Create the page. Add a new page and click the button to edit it with the builder.
3. Choose a blank layout. In Elementor, open Page Settings and set the Page Layout dropdown to Elementor Canvas. Elementor's help center says Canvas removes the site's header, footer and sidebars and is meant for pages such as landing pages.
4. Add a template or build sections. Insert a template if your plan includes one, or drag in containers, headings, images and buttons.
5. Add the form. Elementor's pricing page lists its Form widget as a Pro feature, so on the free version use a separate form plugin or your email tool's embed.
6. Check responsive views. Adjust spacing and font sizes for mobile in the builder's responsive mode.
7. Publish. Set the slug in the page settings and publish.

Other builders, including SeedProd, Thrive Architect and Beaver Builder, follow a similar pattern. Rather than repeat a comparison here, the best WordPress landing page plugins guide compares their free versions, prices and template libraries, and WordPress lead generation plugins covers form and pop-up tools.

Method 3: Publish a Leadpages Page to WordPress

With this method you design the page in Leadpages and show it on your WordPress domain through the official Leadpages plugin. The page is built and edited in Leadpages, so your theme, other plugins and theme updates do not affect its layout. The plugin requires a paid Leadpages plan.

1. Build and publish the page in Leadpages. Start from a template or the AI page builder and publish it.
2. Install the plugin. In WordPress, go to Plugins, then Add New Plugin, search for Leadpages, install and activate it.
3. Connect your account. Open the Leadpages plugin screen and complete the secure sign-in. Each WordPress site connects to one Leadpages account at a time.
4. Add the page to a slug. Choose your published page from the list and enter the slug, such as "free-guide".
5. Choose special options if needed. The plugin listing describes options to use the page as your homepage or as your 404 page; unpublishing it restores the WordPress version.
6. Publish and test. Visit the URL, submit the form once and confirm the lead arrives in your email tool.

Because forms, pop-ups and A/B testing (from the Grow plan) live in Leadpages, this route suits marketers who run many campaign pages. The trade-offs, including what happens to the pages if you deactivate the plugin or stop paying, are covered in Leadpages vs WordPress. You can build and preview pages during the 7-day free trial before choosing a plan.

How to Set or Change Your Landing Page as the WordPress Homepage

Many people searching for how to set a landing page in WordPress want the page to appear at their root domain. For a page built with Method 1 or 2:

1. Go to Settings, then Reading.
2. Under the homepage setting, choose "A static page".
3. Select your landing page in the Homepage dropdown. If you also run a blog, pick a different page as the Posts page; WordPress does not allow the same page for both.
4. Click Save Changes and visit your domain to check it.

To change it later, repeat the steps and pick another page. For a Leadpages page, use the plugin's homepage option instead. A temporary landing page before launch works the same way; just remember to switch the homepage back when the full site is ready. One caution: the Reading screen also has a "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" box, which adds a noindex tag to the whole site. Leave it unticked on a live site unless you mean to hide it.

Creating Multiple Landing Pages in WordPress

If you run several campaigns, set up a system rather than starting from scratch each time:

• Keep one master layout. Save your best page as a template or a set of synced patterns, then duplicate it for each campaign.
• Use clear slugs and titles. Name pages by campaign and offer so they are easy to find and retire.
• Tag traffic. Add UTM parameters to ad and email links so analytics shows which campaign each lead came from.
• Decide on indexing. Paid campaign pages that repeat site content are often set to noindex with an SEO plugin; pages meant to rank in search should be full, unique and indexable. The PPC landing pages guide explains this choice for ad traffic.

WordPress Landing Page Checklist

For page structure that turns visitors into subscribers, see the guide to lead capture pages, and for layout ideas browse the Leadpages templates guide.

Which Method Should You Use?

Use the block editor if you need one or two simple pages, are on a block theme and are happy to design sections yourself. Choose a page builder plugin if you want drag-and-drop control and templates inside WordPress and do not mind adding a plugin to maintain. Pick the Leadpages plugin if you publish landing pages often, want built-in forms, pop-ups and testing, and prefer to keep campaign pages separate from your theme. You can mix methods too: many sites keep their main pages in WordPress and use a hosted builder for campaign pages. More step-by-step help is in the guides section.