Do I Need a Website to Launch an Online Course?

If you are ready to create and launch your online course, you are probably asking yourself, “Do I need a website?” 

While a website is a powerful asset in building your brand long term, you actually do not need a website to launch a highly successful online course. 

When I created my first online course, I launched without a website and generated multiple 6-figures in revenue before I built my website. Most of my students do the same thing.

Before you hire a team of techies or spend a bunch of time trying to figure out how to create a website on your own, let’s discuss the difference between a landing page and website, and why starting simple may bring the biggest results.  

Website vs. Landing Page: What you need to launch your online course

Why a website is not enough to launch your online course

Think of a website as a “digital space” for your people to learn about your brand. This is a one-stop shop that stores and organizes all kinds of information about who you are and what you do.

The purpose of a website is to share:

1. Who you are – Your website shares everything about you-as-a-brand: your brand’s story, why you do what you do, and the story behind your business.
2. What you do and how you do it – You establish yourself as an expert on your website. You explain your method and share content that positions you as a thought leader. This is where you store content such as blogs, videos, and other resources detailing your method for getting results. 
3. The kind of results you help people get – Your website is also a great place to share success stories. Think testimonials, case studies, and results. This helps your ideal audience see that you serve people like them.

Websites are powerful for your long-term branding strategy. However they’re not 100% effective for launching a successful online course. 

In fact, even if you have a great website, you will still use landing pages for the launch of your online course. 

Why you need landing pages to launch your online course

I launched my first online course, Create 6-Figure Courses, using simple landing pages. This was a strategic decision. Here’s why: A landing page is a single page website designed to prompt your people to take action.

Unlike a website, a landing page has one purpose and it accomplishes that one purpose on one page. With a conversion-focused landing page, you can share the key “must-knows” about your brand while also eliminating distractions and encouraging your people to take action. This is why landing pages outperform websites when launching an online course.

There are different types of landing pages you can use in your online course launch:

Download landing page – To grow your list as you get ready to launch, you offer a free tool or resource. Your audience clicks to the download page, gives you their email address, and downloads the free resource.  Your goal is to get the email address of your audience so that you can warm them up before the launch of your course.

Webinar opt-in page – A webinar is a smart and powerful lead magnet tool you can use to promote your course. When your people land on a webinar opt-in page, they register for the webinar by giving their email address. Then, they watch the webinar and learn more about your course. After the webinar, you send them to your course sales page.

Sales page – Your course sales page details everything about your course and the results it delivers — what the course is about, who is it for, what results you deliver, and how much it costs. The sales page covers every buying question your audience has without the distractions of a multi-page website.

Landing pages can do all of the things a website can do. You can host content, tell your story, share success stories, and promote your online course all through simple landing pages. You can do this all while growing your brand, connecting to your people, and sharing your vision. 

Summary

Landing pages are essential to a successful online course launch even if you have a website. They will keep your people focused on the one thing you want them to do: take action. 

If you need support in creating your course and figuring out what to include on your landing pages, we go deeper into this in our Create 6-Figure Courses Virtual Bootcamp.