Very few businesses come even remotely close to fully converting the visitors they already get.
I once took a landing page getting $1,000 in sales a month to $25,000 in sales a month, literally by only changing the page – not changing anything with the external marketing.
It felt like magic. I swapped out landing pages and the dramatic increase in sales started happening immediately.
The page was already getting daily qualified visitors.
But in terms of converting those visitors, it was doing everything wrong.
This article will be a checklist of the top things to focus on when building a landing page meant to convert.
The most important thing is to focus on the top portion of a page - what people first see, before they begin scrolling
60% of people don’t scroll beyond the top portion of your page.
This means you have a very small window to hook people.
The most important thing: right away, with as simple language as possible, tell visitors what your product/service is and the main benefit they get.
Don’t use cute writing. Internalize this mantra: clarity beats cleverness.
It’s not that most people are stupid, it’s that most people are lazy. Most people don’t want to have to think, so make it easy for them.
Use straightforward, concise, outcome-oriented language.
Take the copy at the top of my SEO course, for example:
Here’s an example in local services ↓
Bad:
Premier Exterior Solutions
Better:
Roof Replacement in Austin Installing Roofs in One Day
^ This H1 would be great for a local SEO landing page, by the way.
Here’s an example in SaaS ↓
Bad:
AI Content Creation Software
Better:
AI Content Software to Create a Month of High-Performing Content in 30 Minutes
Here’s an example in ecom ↓
Bad:
Memory Foam Mattress
Better:
Memory Foam Mattress That Helps You Sleep Cooler
Make everything on your landing page about what the visitor gets and how your offer helps them get it
Visitors only want to hear about your story in regard to how it will help THEM.
I can’t stress this enough, people care about themselves when they’re looking through a landing page.
Only mention your story if it helps make visitors believe they will get the benefit you promise in your heading section.
Make trust obvious
Your story doesn’t help visitors believe they will get the benefits you promise.
These things do:
- Reviews spread throughout your page
- Your best reviews at the top of your page, or right below the top section
- Video reviews that focus on an outcome to show your offer works
- One or more great reviews in the checkout section to address common objections and get visitors excited they will actually receive the benefit
- Number of customers served
- Years in business
- Client logos
- Certifications
- Press mentions
- Product/service guarantees
As an example, more screenshots of the landing page for my SEO course:
Use bullets, short sentences, and short paragraphs
This isn’t as obvious as you might think.
A lot of people are intimidated by long paragraphs and sentences.
People are impatient and reading a lot feels like work.
Bullets and concise, straight-to-the-point writing helps people read more of your offer.
The writing in this article is an example of the type of writing that works well on landing pages.
Make it obvious there’s more to scroll
A surprising number of landing pages accidentally create “false bottoms” – visitors think they’ve reached the end of the page, so they leave before seeing the rest.
Fix it with a down arrow and showing the top of the next section:
Make it crystal clear what customers are getting
Most people only list the tangible items or services.
For example:
WHAT YOU GET
- Monthly bookkeeping
- Financial reports
- Reconciliations
- Expense categorization
- Tax-ready financials
Next level is to list expected outcomes:
RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT
- Increase monthly profit by finding and eliminating unnecessary expenses
- Make faster decisions that improve cash flow instead of guessing
- File taxes in hours instead of days
- Avoid costly mistakes before they impact your bottom line
- Save 5-10+ hours per month on financial admin
Give a phone number
This is something only service-based companies do, but every company should do it.
Putting a phone number on your landing page and in your checkout area builds a lot of trust that there is a real business behind your website.
It reassures people if there’s an issue, they can reach somebody.
Will you get a flood of calls and texts if you do this?
No! Most people won’t even use it, but it still helps a ton. And usually the people who do use it are very high-intent anyway. Your 2-second text response could be the difference between a close and a lost sale.
Not sponsored – I use hushed.com – you can get a cheap phone number in literally minutes. I have multiple numbers with them and they also have great customer support.
You can also use a shortcode on your site to change your phone number from one central location in case it ever gets spammed – I do this too.
This means when I write the shortcode in brackets in the image above, it renders as the phone number on the live page.
By the way
If you like the level of detail in this article, you’ll love my SEO course, Compact Keywords.
Compact Keywords is about using conversion-based SEO landing pages to get paying customers, users, and warm leads calling you up.
You are literally using SEO to target people who are searching right now for what your brand offers, they just don’t know your brand exists.
Keywords like:
- voice note recorder for dentists
- handmade artisan ceramic mugs
- emergency lawn drain repair boston
And these keywords often go under-targeted, which makes you able to rank for them with far less words and effort than informational ‘how/what/why’ keywords which require blog posts.
Compact Keywords shows you how to find these high-intent keywords, make concise pages targeting them, structure your site for these pages, build links, and a lot more.
You’re going to love it – get the course at: https://compactkeywords.com/
When you request information from visitors, explain why you need it
People will be much more willing to provide information when they understand why you’re asking for it.
Instead of:
Email Address
Use:
Email Address (required for order confirmation)
Instead of:
Phone Number
Use:
Phone Number (required for shipping updates)
Write to your reader with “You”
Instead of writing, “The customer will get…”
Write “You will get…”
Write directly to the person reading, not a nebulous “customer” or “people.”
Another screenshot from the Compact Keywords landing page, as an example:
Use buyer-intent FAQs that answer the exact objections people have right before purchasing
This greatly reduces friction to purchase.
Examples:
- How long does installation take?
- What happens if it doesn’t work?
- Is there a contract?
- Do you offer refunds?
If using FAQs on SEO landing pages, it’s recommended you don’t use an accordion:
Use images and videos that are so clear readers don’t even have to read
Can a visitor get a vague idea right away what your offer is by looking at the media at the top of your page? If no, fix that.
Avoid stock images.
Instead, show the product, result, process, or transformation so clearly that even skimmers understand why they should want it.
You have to hook visitors at the top of your page. The media you use is a huge part of this.
Related video:
When you finally get the close, ask this one question
On your thank you page, ask, “What’s the one thing that almost made you not buy?”
About 30% of buyers will answer. Their feedback will be the freshest, most actionable data you will ever get.
