Kevin runs a small landscaping company in Gig Harbor. In March, he ran his first Facebook lead ad for spring yard cleanups. People could tap “Get quote”, and a short form popped up inside Facebook with their name and phone number already filled in.
By the end of the first week, he had 40 leads. He was thrilled.
Then he started calling them. Some did not pick up. Some did not remember filling in anything. One phone number belonged to someone in Florida. By the end of the second week, he had booked six jobs.
In April, a friend suggested he try something different: send the same ads to a page on his website about spring cleanups, with photos of his work, a few reviews and a short form. He got 12 leads. He booked seven of them.
Fewer leads, more jobs. So which approach is better? As Kevin discovered, the answer depends on what you count. (Kevin and his numbers are an example we made up for this guide.) This guide explains how each option works, why they behave so differently, and how to choose for your own business.
What is a Facebook lead form?
A Facebook lead ad, also called an ad with an Instant Form, lets people send you their details without ever leaving Facebook or Instagram. When someone taps the button on the ad, a form opens right inside the app.
Here is the clever part: Meta may pre-fill details such as name, email address and phone number from the person’s profile. People can edit them before sending, but often there is nothing to change, so a lead can take just two or three taps.
Think of it like a sign-up sheet at a stall at a local fair. It is easy to stop, write your name and keep walking. Lots of people do it. Not all of them are seriously interested.
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a page on your own website built for one specific offer. Instead of opening a form inside Facebook, the ad sends people to that page. There, they can read about the service, look at photos, check reviews, and then call or fill in a form.
To continue the comparison, a landing page is more like someone walking into your shop. It takes more effort to get there, but people who walk in usually came on purpose.
Why easy forms bring weaker leads
Kevin’s experience is very common, and it is not because lead forms are bad. It is because they are so easy.
- Accidental submissions: when a form is pre-filled, a couple of quick taps can send it, sometimes without the person really meaning to.
- Little thought before submitting: people do not see your website, your reviews or your prices. They submit first and think later, if at all.
- Old details: pre-filled details come from the person’s profile, and they are not always current. That is how Kevin ended up with a phone number in Florida.
- Forgetting: if someone submitted a form while scrolling, and you call them two days later, they may not remember you.
A landing page asks for more effort, and that effort filters people. Those who make it to the end of the page and still get in touch have usually read about you and decided they are interested.
How the two compare
Putting Kevin’s two months side by side:
- Effort for the customer: lead forms are almost effortless; a landing page asks for more.
- Number of leads: lead forms usually bring more.
- Cost per lead: lead forms are usually cheaper per lead.
- Quality of leads: landing pages usually bring people who know more about you and are readier to talk.
- Room to build trust: a landing page has space for reviews, photos and details. A form has a short intro screen.
- Where the leads live: landing page leads come straight into your own systems. Lead form leads stay in Meta until you download them or connect a CRM.
The number that settles it: cost per job
Most people compare these two options by cost per lead. That is the number Facebook shows most clearly, and it almost always makes lead forms look better. But a lead is not a customer. Let’s look at Kevin’s numbers more closely. As a reminder, these figures are an illustration.
- Lead form: $400 spent, 40 leads, so $10 per lead. Six booked jobs, so about $67 per booked job.
- Landing page: $400 spent, 12 leads, so about $33 per lead. Seven booked jobs, so about $57 per booked job.
Judged by cost per lead, the lead form wins by a mile. Judged by cost per booked job, the landing page wins. And that is before counting the hours Kevin spent calling 34 people who never booked.
The lesson is not that landing pages always win. In some businesses, lead forms bring more jobs for less money. The lesson is to measure what you actually care about: booked jobs, not form submissions.
When lead forms are the right choice
Lead forms can work very well when:
- The offer is simple and low commitment, such as a free quote, a seasonal discount or joining a waiting list.
- You can call back fast. Someone who submitted a form five minutes ago is far easier to reach, and far more likely to remember you, than someone who submitted it two days ago.
- Your website is slow or hard to use on a phone, and you cannot fix it yet.
- You are testing an idea and want quick feedback on whether people are interested.
When a landing page is the right choice
A landing page is usually better when:
- The service costs more, such as a full patio design or a new heating system, and people want to understand the work and trust you before they talk.
- Your time is limited, so fewer, better leads are worth more than many cold ones.
- You need to explain something, such as what is included, how pricing works or which areas you cover.
- You want leads tracked in one place, alongside your Google Ads and website leads.
How to get better leads from lead forms
If you use lead forms, a few settings make a big difference. Jon Loomer’s guide to Instant Forms covers each option in detail, but these are the ones that matter most for a local business.
Choose the “Higher intent” form type
When you create an Instant Form, Meta offers three form types: More volume, Higher intent and Rich creative. More volume, which PPC Hero’s walkthrough notes is the default, is designed to get as many submissions as possible. Higher intent adds a review screen where people check and confirm their details before submitting. You will usually get fewer leads, but more of them will be real and reachable. PPC Hero’s walkthrough of Meta instant form ads shows the setup step by step.
Ask one or two qualifying questions
A question such as “What service do you need?” or “What is your ZIP code?” adds a little friction. That small effort filters out people who are not serious, and it gives you useful information before you call.
Tell people what happens next
The final screen of the form can say what to expect, for example: “Thanks! We will call you within one business hour.” People who know a call is coming are much more likely to answer. Only promise what your team can actually do.
Get leads to your team immediately
Lead form submissions are stored in Meta’s Leads Center. As Meta’s page about expired leads explains, they are available to download for 90 days from the time each form is submitted. Connecting the form to your CRM or email means each lead reaches your team the moment it arrives.
Call quickly
Speed matters more with lead forms than with any other source. Kevin later found that the leads he called within an hour were far more likely to book than those he called the next day.
How to make a landing page convert
If you choose a landing page, a few basics make the difference between a page that brings leads and one that loses them:
- Match the page to the ad, with the same offer, the same words and similar images.
- Make it fast on a phone, because most people clicking a Facebook ad are on one.
- Put proof near the top, such as your Google rating, a short review and photos of real jobs.
- Keep the form short, and add a tap-to-call button for people who would rather talk.
- Track it properly with the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API, so Meta learns from your real leads, not just some of them.
Our guide to landing pages vs homepages explains why a dedicated page beats sending people to your homepage, and our guide to A/B testing with low traffic shows how to keep improving a page over time.
The best answer: test both
Kevin’s two months taught him something more useful than “forms bad, landing pages good.” The right choice depended on the offer.
Now he runs both. He uses a Higher intent lead form for his simple, fixed-price yard cleanup offer, where speed and convenience matter. He uses a landing page for his patio and garden design service, where customers want to see his past work before they talk to him. And he tracks booked jobs for each, not just leads.
If you are not sure which suits your business, do what Kevin did: run the same ad both ways, give each a fair budget for a few weeks, and compare the cost per booked job.
Frequently asked questions
Are Facebook lead form leads lower quality?
Often, because they are so easy to submit. Choosing the Higher intent form type and adding one or two qualifying questions improves quality a lot.
Where do Facebook lead form leads go?
To the Leads Center in Meta Business Suite. Download them regularly or connect a CRM, because Meta only keeps them available to download for 90 days.
Can I use a lead form and a landing page in the same campaign?
It is clearer to use separate ad sets or campaigns, so you can compare results fairly.
Want help choosing the right approach?
At Around29, we build Facebook & Instagram ad campaigns with lead forms, landing pages or both, and track which one brings real customers. If you serve Tacoma or the South Sound, see our Facebook & Instagram ads page and our landing pages page, or run a free audit to see where your marketing stands today.