Ask HN: True homepage or simplified landing page?
The first option is using one of the many SaaS Wordpress templates out there for a fairly "robust" site with pages about the company, product tour pages, faqs, blog, etc. Prospective customers would view a traditional looking "Plans & Pricing" page and select an option that works for them (with a free trial), fill out their billing info and be in the app fairly quickly after that.
The second option is to just have a simple one-page landing page for the main domain and sales site that just tries to convert people to sign-up for free right away, with a reference to the pricing on the landing page so they have an idea of what it costs before signing up. I'd then try to upsell them later on for a premium plan (using auto-responders, in-app reminders, newsletters, etc.), once they're already using the app under a free plan.
Reading this over again, I guess my question is in two parts... First, should I use a "traditional" homepage for my primary sales site (and root domain), or use a very simple landing page designed with the only goal of converting to a free plan? Second, should my overall goal be to get them signed up for the app as quickly as possible using a permanently free (yet somewhat restricted) plan and then upsell, or have paying plans only with a free trial on each?
I've searched all over for advice on this, but can't seem to find anything decent. I finally decided to turn to HN because I have a feeling you all would have the best perspective on this. What would you recommend? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
(P.S. - I've been "lurking" on HN for over a year and a half now, but didn't post anything at all until today. This is by far my favorite and most frequented community on the web. Checking the latest news on HN is literally the first thing I do in the morning :-) I'm looking forward to actually getting to know you all a bit better!)