Hey guys,
Most of the articles on the internet about landing pages have 60 point checklists. 60, serious? These lists suppose to help you but they can only create more confusion and anxiety.
So I created my own list. It contains only major conversion points and triggers. And eventually, I ended up with a 14 point checklist. Believe me, you don't need to overcomplicate things to increase your conversions.
So here I go,
(I'll try to make it short and sweet but also share extra articles and resources at the end of the post)
A clear value proposition is a short and compelling summary of the primary benefit that you offer to your prospects.
The attention span of a typical visitor is lower than a goldfish. So you should start talking about your visitor’s pain point and your offer in the very first phrase.
Your value proposition needs to answer these 2 questions within 5 seconds.
- This canvas makes it easy.
The background image of the first visual your visitors see. It’s a precious element, it would be a shame to waste it with a static image.
You can match your this visual with the value proposition to empower your message and grab your visitor’s attention.
Here are some ideas:
Make your forms short and sweet for higher conversion rates. Ask for an email and that’s it, you have everything to start a conversation.
Long forms are scary, and in general, they have lower conversion rates. Try not to ask people their company, city, dog’s name and how many cousins they have, as long as it’s not a must.
Right after you talk about their pain points and present your offer, call your visitors for action. Their attention span is short, so you should show the next step before they leave the page.
Blend your value proposition and call to action to make it more effective.
Avoid: “Click here” or “Contact us.”
Instead, use: “Start building a landing page”. Or make it more attractive and write “Build a high-converting landing page now”.
Have a single focus call to action. If your product is too complicated, then you can have a secondary CTA, such as “Learn more about x.”
The design of your CTA is also critical. Try to find attractive colors that complement each other and make sure these colors are matching with your brand identity.
People don’t know you. And the social proof is a shortcut to building an instant trust.
There are tens of social proof strategies, here are some of the most effective ones:
You know attention is the only currency you have. And you need to guide that attention to your offer, only, lonely. So you should get rid of all clickables, navigation elements, search bar and the rest of distractors.
Keep the attention laser-focused to your holy goal: conversion.
Browse subreddits, Quora and specific forums to find out how your target audience speaks and writes. Then try to talk their language on your landing page.
For example: If your potential customers are millennials, you can use “gimme” instead of “give me” to make them feel like they’re talking with a friend.
They’ll easily choose a friend over your competitors.
Note: Never use complicated words when there is a simple alternative. Try to keep your copy at the elementary level, it’s easier for the brain to understand even when it’s educated.
You think your product is too straightforward and doesn’t need further explanation? Don’t leave a space for assumptions. Show how people can use, configure or implement your product.
Even the most straightforward product needs a step by step explanation. Because these steps give your visitors a sense of security.
This step by step approach will give your visitors a gameplan after they purchase your product. You’re placing stepping stones to help them cross the river of doubt. Use five or six steps at max. Otherwise, you may accidentally over complicate your product instead of helping them.
I’ll make this one a live example for you.
Example 1.
With landing page software X, you can easily design your landing page by using templates and drag-and-drop features, so no coding skill needed. Also, you can A/B test and connect your landing pages to your favorite marketing tools to get the best out of it. If you have any problems, our customer’s support is on the line to help you, 7/24.
Ok, I confess I wrote it with no love to make it look worst.
Example 2
With X:
The second one is effortlessly flowing and snackable.
You know what is even better than that? Transforming the features to benefits.
To do this, you can sort all of your features and try to squeeze emotional benefits from each.
For example:
Is your landing page loads slower than 3 sec? WTF, are you living in a cave or smt?
Yes, people are annoyed if your page loads slower than 3 sec and then they bounce. And you’ll never see each other again.
The speed of your landing page is a passive component but it’s super important for two reasons.
One: as I mentioned, you lost your precious visitors.
Two: It also gives you the upper hand to rank higher on Google search.
There are many ways to find out your page speed, Google's speed test is my go-to.
After you took the test, follow the suggestions of Google to make your page faster
Make sure that your visitor immediately knows what he can get (WHAT), how he can get it (HOW) and why he needs it (WHY).
You can map out the structure of your landing page with these three communications pillars. The order can be flexible for each product, but in general, it’s like that:
Why? You’re embarrassed because you have a sweating problem.
What? Sweatnot can help you to get rid of your sweaty palms.
How? You can buy it by clicking the CTA and start using it in three easy steps.
I know what you’re thinking and no, I don’t have a sweating problem.
If there were a constitution of the landing pages, that would be one of the major laws. Seriously, triple check your landing page and optimize it for your mobile visitors.
Scarcity increases the conversion rates but it needs to seem natural and rational. It’s a robust psychological trigger called loss aversion and also known as FOMO.
These days, almost everything is limited edition and available for a limited time, so don't try to make a monkey out of your visitors. Use it carefully.
Hey, do you remember me? It’s me again, call to action and I’m here to transform you to into a customer.
No jokes here, Don’t hesitate to repeat your CTA 2 to 3 times more on your landing page. Your visitors could get distracted and drift away without clicking your call to action.
So add some more action.
Here is a scheme I use. You don't strictly have to hold on to the order.
Header
If you want a broader reading with images and examples,you can do it by clicking here.
If writing a value proposition is making headaches for you, read this. It reads like aspirin.
Most of the articles on the internet about landing pages have 60 point checklists. 60, serious? These lists suppose to help you but they can only create more confusion and anxiety.
So I created my own list. It contains only major conversion points and triggers. And eventually, I ended up with a 14 point checklist. Believe me, you don't need to overcomplicate things to increase your conversions.
So here I go,
(I'll try to make it short and sweet but also share extra articles and resources at the end of the post)
#1 Clear Value Proposition
A clear value proposition is a short and compelling summary of the primary benefit that you offer to your prospects.
The attention span of a typical visitor is lower than a goldfish. So you should start talking about your visitor’s pain point and your offer in the very first phrase.
Your value proposition needs to answer these 2 questions within 5 seconds.
- Which product or service does this website offer?
- What is unique about this product or service?
- Know your ideal customer.
- Specific and concrete benefits of your product
- Unique Strength
- This canvas makes it easy.
#2 Visual Focus
The background image of the first visual your visitors see. It’s a precious element, it would be a shame to waste it with a static image.
You can match your this visual with the value proposition to empower your message and grab your visitor’s attention.
Here are some ideas:
- If it’s a personal brand -> Show your face.
- If it’s a product -> Show your product with a happy customer, or show the ease of use or show the interface.
- If it’s a service -> Show happy customers, share a moment from the environment.
#3 Short forms
Make your forms short and sweet for higher conversion rates. Ask for an email and that’s it, you have everything to start a conversation.
Long forms are scary, and in general, they have lower conversion rates. Try not to ask people their company, city, dog’s name and how many cousins they have, as long as it’s not a must.
#4 Call to actions
Right after you talk about their pain points and present your offer, call your visitors for action. Their attention span is short, so you should show the next step before they leave the page.
Blend your value proposition and call to action to make it more effective.
Avoid: “Click here” or “Contact us.”
Instead, use: “Start building a landing page”. Or make it more attractive and write “Build a high-converting landing page now”.
Have a single focus call to action. If your product is too complicated, then you can have a secondary CTA, such as “Learn more about x.”
The design of your CTA is also critical. Try to find attractive colors that complement each other and make sure these colors are matching with your brand identity.
#5 Social Proof
People don’t know you. And the social proof is a shortcut to building an instant trust.
There are tens of social proof strategies, here are some of the most effective ones:
- Show how many people purchased your product – 3043 people bought this course.
- Written testimonials from your customers
- Video Testimonials. A happy customer could sale better than your best salesperson
- Badges. Such as security or trust badges.
- Logos. Show the brands you have worked with.
You know attention is the only currency you have. And you need to guide that attention to your offer, only, lonely. So you should get rid of all clickables, navigation elements, search bar and the rest of distractors.
Keep the attention laser-focused to your holy goal: conversion.
#7 Make it personalized
Browse subreddits, Quora and specific forums to find out how your target audience speaks and writes. Then try to talk their language on your landing page.
For example: If your potential customers are millennials, you can use “gimme” instead of “give me” to make them feel like they’re talking with a friend.
They’ll easily choose a friend over your competitors.
Note: Never use complicated words when there is a simple alternative. Try to keep your copy at the elementary level, it’s easier for the brain to understand even when it’s educated.
#8 Help your visitors by showing all the steps
You think your product is too straightforward and doesn’t need further explanation? Don’t leave a space for assumptions. Show how people can use, configure or implement your product.
Even the most straightforward product needs a step by step explanation. Because these steps give your visitors a sense of security.
This step by step approach will give your visitors a gameplan after they purchase your product. You’re placing stepping stones to help them cross the river of doubt. Use five or six steps at max. Otherwise, you may accidentally over complicate your product instead of helping them.
#9 Use bullet points to present your features or benefits.
I’ll make this one a live example for you.
Example 1.
With landing page software X, you can easily design your landing page by using templates and drag-and-drop features, so no coding skill needed. Also, you can A/B test and connect your landing pages to your favorite marketing tools to get the best out of it. If you have any problems, our customer’s support is on the line to help you, 7/24.
Ok, I confess I wrote it with no love to make it look worst.
Example 2
With X:
- No coding skills required.
- Design easily with a drag-and-drop feature.
- Use 100+ templates
- A/B test to find out what works best for you.
- Connect X with your favorite marketing tools.
- 7/24 fast online support.
The second one is effortlessly flowing and snackable.
You know what is even better than that? Transforming the features to benefits.
To do this, you can sort all of your features and try to squeeze emotional benefits from each.
For example:
- No coding skills required – You’ll never be dependent on an IT guy who rarely keeps his deadlines.
- Use 100+ templates – With templates, you’ll save hours and instead, you can spend your time doing your favorite things.
#10 Page speed optimization
Is your landing page loads slower than 3 sec? WTF, are you living in a cave or smt?
Yes, people are annoyed if your page loads slower than 3 sec and then they bounce. And you’ll never see each other again.
The speed of your landing page is a passive component but it’s super important for two reasons.
One: as I mentioned, you lost your precious visitors.
Two: It also gives you the upper hand to rank higher on Google search.
There are many ways to find out your page speed, Google's speed test is my go-to.
After you took the test, follow the suggestions of Google to make your page faster
#11 Clear communication (what, why, how)
Make sure that your visitor immediately knows what he can get (WHAT), how he can get it (HOW) and why he needs it (WHY).
You can map out the structure of your landing page with these three communications pillars. The order can be flexible for each product, but in general, it’s like that:
Why? You’re embarrassed because you have a sweating problem.
What? Sweatnot can help you to get rid of your sweaty palms.
How? You can buy it by clicking the CTA and start using it in three easy steps.
I know what you’re thinking and no, I don’t have a sweating problem.
#12 Mobile Friendly – Responsive
If there were a constitution of the landing pages, that would be one of the major laws. Seriously, triple check your landing page and optimize it for your mobile visitors.
#13 Create urgency
Scarcity increases the conversion rates but it needs to seem natural and rational. It’s a robust psychological trigger called loss aversion and also known as FOMO.
These days, almost everything is limited edition and available for a limited time, so don't try to make a monkey out of your visitors. Use it carefully.
#14 Repeating the call-to-action
Hey, do you remember me? It’s me again, call to action and I’m here to transform you to into a customer.
No jokes here, Don’t hesitate to repeat your CTA 2 to 3 times more on your landing page. Your visitors could get distracted and drift away without clicking your call to action.
So add some more action.
So what does your landing page looks like?
Here is a scheme I use. You don't strictly have to hold on to the order.
Header
- Value proposition
- Matching visual
- Tagline
- Form
- Call to action
- Section 1
- Description + video if possible
- Section 2
- How to use the service or products
- Section 3
- Social proof
- Section 4
- Call to action -> link to the header.
If you want a broader reading with images and examples,you can do it by clicking here.
If writing a value proposition is making headaches for you, read this. It reads like aspirin.
