Lead-Form or Landing Page: the duel that decides profit

When a marketing manager opens Ads Manager, they are looking for predictability above all else: how much each lead costs and how much of that expense comes back as revenue. It is precisely here that the most common crossroads in 2025 arises: accept the native form (Lead-Form) that Facebook or Google display within the application itself, or push the click to an external landing page, with complete freedom of design and storytelling. It sounds like a technical decision, but it often ends up determining margins, quarterly targets - and even the mood of the sales team.

Conversions: quantity is not synonymous with intent

The numbers, on the surface, seem to lean in favour of Lead-Form. According to WordStream's latest Facebook Ads Benchmarks, lead generation campaigns in Meta convert an average of 8.78 % of clicks into contacts - a jump from 8.25 % in WordStream's previous year. Unbounce's Conversion Benchmark Report, which analysed 41,000 pages, puts the average conversion of landing pages at 6.6 % Unbounce. Looking at these graphs alone, one concludes: "fewer clicks, more leads, clear victory for the internal form“.

But the arithmetic of digital performance is rarely so straightforward. The same WordStream study reveals that the average cost per lead (CPL) in Lead Ads campaigns is around 21.98 USD WordStream. This is a competitive figure when compared to LinkedIn or Google, but it ignores a detail that haunts any call centre: the quality of the contacts. Recent discussions in PPC communities show that "more than half of the leads captured via a native form are worthless" - in other words, disconnected phones, invalid emails or simply curious people who never intended to talk to sales.

This waste has two hidden costs. Firstly, the time of the sales team, who waste hours trying to book meetings that don't happen; secondly, the false sense of growth in the CRM, which masks segmentation or message failures. A hundred contacts come in, ten real opportunities go out - and the CAC (cost of acquisition) skyrockets when the Excel sheet moves from the "Marketing" line to the "Sales" line.

Landing pages: fewer clicks, but with context

The classic alternative is to direct the user to a dedicated page, optimised to convert. Yes, there's an extra step, more loading seconds and some abandonment along the way, but there's also the opportunity to present social proof, clarify expectations and collect consents in line with the GDPR.

The same Unbounce database shows that simple tweaks - like writing at a 5th grade reading level - can boost conversions into double digits Unbounce. And when the first block of the screen includes a clear video, the leap becomes dramatic: an EyeView study indicates that inserting video into a landing page can increase conversions by up to 80 per cent.

The decisive detail here is intent. A user who agrees to leave the app, waits for it to load, reads the offer and enters their details manually shows commitment; they are, by definition, a warm contact. It often converts less in quantity, but sustains a higher Lifetime Value (LTV) - and more comfortable margins.

So which one to choose?

In high-volume scenarios and low-value offers - capturing webinar registrations or free samples - Lead-Form remains unbeatable. Friction is minimal, the price per contact pleases the CFO, and email nurturing can qualify what the form hasn't filtered out. As for complex B2B sales, high-margin products or long cycles, the landing page tends to recoup the initial investment: fewer inbound leads, but a higher closing rate and recurring revenue.

The decision is not a binary formula. Rather, it's a balance between immediate cost and future value. Those who only measure CPL risk seeing tonnes of disposable data inflate reports; those who ignore the speed of Lead-Forms can lose scale at crucial stages of the funnel. The secret lies in marrying the two approaches, monitoring from first impression to revenue and optimising each stage in the light of profit, not just volume.

And don't forget that lead nurturing is only the first stage of the acquisition process, you need to have a process for "nurturing" the coldest leads until they are ready to convert. If you need help, please contact us. 

Lead form VS landing pages Summary in numbers

• 8.78 % - Average conversion rate of Lead Ads campaigns on Facebook WordStream

• 21.98 USD - average cost per lead in these same campaigns WordStream

• 6.6 % - Average conversion of landing pages out of 41,000 pages analysed Unbounce

• ≈ 50 % - proportion of leads considered "rubbish" in native forms, according to feedback from PPC managers Reddit

• - +80 % - potential increase in conversion by incorporating video into the landing page Saleslion