Last updated: October 2026
Quick answer: A pre-landing page (pre-lander) sits between an ad and the offer page to warm visitors up. The pre-lander types that work best are quizzes, short guides or previews, comparison or review pages, product demos and simple calculators. Good pre-landers are honest, fast, match the ad, set clear expectations and lead to one call to action. Fake news, fake reviews and fake prizes are not pre-landers; they are misleading and break ad rules.
Cold traffic from push, pop and native ads often arrives with little context. A pre-lander gives visitors the information they need to decide whether to continue, which usually improves conversion on the offer page. Here are examples for five leading verticals, with illustrative layouts.
What a good pre-lander does
| Job | How |
|---|---|
| Match the ad | Repeat the headline promise exactly |
| Inform | Give useful, true information quickly |
| Qualify | Help the visitor decide if the offer suits them |
| Lead | One clear button to the offer page |
| Comply | Show required notices, terms and age limits |
Pre-lander examples by vertical
1. Sports betting: match preview
Illustrative layout: fixture and kick-off time, three key stats, team news, a short “what to watch” section, then a button to the match market with “18+, T&Cs apply”. Works well with native and push traffic before big games. See our sports betting push creative guide.
2. Online casino: game-type quiz
Illustrative layout: “Which game suits you?” with three questions (pace, strategy, live dealer or not), then a result page that links to the matching game lobby and shows the welcome offer and its key terms.
3. Lottery: draw explainer
Illustrative layout: draw date, how the game works, how to buy a ticket, responsible play note, and a button to the official draw page.
4. Finance and trading apps (where licensed)
Illustrative layout: a plain-language explainer of what the product does, its risks and fees, regulatory status, then a link to sign up. Risk warnings are often mandatory in this vertical.
5. Mobile apps and games
Illustrative layout: short feature list with real screenshots, ratings that are genuine and current, and a direct store button.
Design tips
- Keep it short: most visitors decide within seconds.
- Load fast on mobile data.
- Use the same language and visual style as the ad.
- Put the button above the fold and repeat it at the end.
- Show licence and age information where relevant.
What not to do
- Fake news articles or fake celebrity endorsements.
- Invented testimonials or winner stories.
- “You have won” pop-ups or fake countdown timers.
- Hiding terms until after sign-up.
In regulated gambling markets, such practices also breach advertising rules. The UK, for example, requires gambling marketing not to mislead and to show significant terms prominently (UK Gambling Commission).
How to test pre-landers
- Run the pre-lander against a direct link to the offer page.
- Split traffic evenly from the same sources.
- Compare cost per first deposit or per conversion, not clicks.
- Test one change at a time: headline, length, quiz vs article.
Read how to create an effective online gambling advertising funnel and our landing page tips.
Mistakes to avoid
- A pre-lander that talks about something different from the ad.
- Too many links that distract from the main action.
- Slow, heavy pages.
- Judging pre-landers on CTR instead of conversions.
Frequently asked questions
A page between the ad and the offer page that warms visitors up with useful information, such as a preview, quiz or guide, before they continue.
Often, especially with cold push, pop and native traffic. Always test a pre-lander against a direct link to be sure.
Match previews with real stats and team news that link to the relevant market usually work well before big fixtures.
No. Fake news, fake endorsements and fake prizes are misleading, break advertising rules and are banned by most ad networks.
Test pre-landers on quality traffic
CliqBetter offers push, pop, native and display traffic with source-level reporting for testing funnels. Book a demo.