A few simple tips on what and how to write for a landing page to increase conversions

How To Write a Landing Page Copy That Converts

We teamed up with a digital agency Useful to create this step-by-step guide to writing a powerful copy for the landing page. You don’t need to be a professional copywriter to showcase your product. You only have to describe its uniqueness and convince your website visitors to take targeted actions. As an example, we’ll use an English-language school landing page template.

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Marina Kasperovich
Copywriter, co-founder of a digital agency Useful

step 1

Heading

The cover page is the most important element of a landing page. This is why the heading, subheading, and button should work together to create a good first impression.

The purpose of a heading is to hook the reader and announce your customer’s problem that will be solved on this particular page. Not everyone who reads your heading will continue scrolling the page. So, it’s worth putting in a massive effort into creating a good one. Set it aside until you’ve finished the rest of your landing page copy.

A good heading does 4 things:

1

It meets the users' expectations (for example, if they followed an online ad that’s already promised them something). This will reduce the bounce rate (percentage of your website visitors who close the tab right away).

2

It intrigues. Make it interesting and visitors will spend more time on your page.

3

It clearly states what website visitors need to do on the page. This is how you filter those who don’t have time or money for your product or service.

4

It helps with SEO. Include keywords in the H1 tag.

Try it out: create a headline using one of the formulas below

1

[Quality of a product] [SEO phrase], designed to [user benefit].

Example: "A convenient day planner designed to help you hit your daily targets."

2

[Do what you love] without [negative emotions] / [surprising action]

Example: "Do what you've always dreamed of without sacrificing your career."

3

[Product name] is a [product category] that [performs better than anyone or anything else].

Example: "Ter is a cute fitness tracker that works like a Tamagotchi."

They love this formula at TechCrunch.

4

[Reduce pain / fix an issue] [in an unexpected way].

Example: "Spend less when you shop."

step 2

Subheading

Do not leave hanging headings. Support the value proposition by adding a subheading: explain what was left unsaid and motivate your website visitor to keep on scrolling. A subheading adds specifics to the offer.

Often, people write the strongest statements in the subheading while reserving those strange and catchy word combinations for the main heading. Many think the heading should be, well, creative. This type of wordplay, however, results in a vague product or service description. Sometimes, the meaning eludes even the writer herself.

To bring the meaning back, try to rethink the copy: remove the confusing tagline, highlight the heading and add a new, more detailed subheading.

step 3

Unique selling proposition

A value proposition is a comprehensive and specific phrase that reveals what’s so unique and attractive about your product or service. It is there to help your readers compare their problems against your solutions.

Use simple words so that even an 11-year-old would understand;
Omit minor details;
Choose words that people will associate with your product. For instance, if you have a flower delivery business, write just that on your website. Not only this clarifies your proposition, it is good for SEO;
Say who your product is for. Here’s an example: X is ideal for startups/travelers/newlyweds.

step 4

Benefits and features

Now that you’ve convinced your client that you are aware of their issues, tell them why your solution will work. Here you could describe why it will work and tell them about the key benefits and special features.

Do not mix up benefits and features. Compare the two:

1

Benefit: Value your client receives from using this product.

2

Feature: Element of your business/product that helps your client receive this value.

It is generally believed that it is better to tell your clients about the product’s benefits ("This product makes life easier for busy people"), rather than its functional features (for example, server capacity). However, it also happens that a functional feature speaks for itself and is a benefit per se (for example, an individual training program). There are no rules as such, just try to separate what is really important from the rest.

step 5

Showcase your product with a hero image

What does the key screen of your app look like? What does a person using your product look like? How does the service work in real life? Photos don’t always need a caption. But if you decide to write something next to the images, include one or two special product/service features.

Step 6

Section headings

Section headings attract attention, arouse curiosity, and invite visitors to discover the contents below them. Such headings also improve navigation and divide the page into sections.

3 ingredients of a good section heading:

1

Brevity

2

Clarity

3

Focus on one feature at a time

3 most common mistakes:

1

"This reads like an aggressive sales manager's writing" (takes away trust)

2

Too playful or elaborate (confuses the reader)

3

Too formal, with lots of cliches. For example, "Quality characteristics of our unique approach." Here, instead of confusing people, you'll risk boring them to death.

step 7

Step-by-step guide

It’s worth splitting even the most simple product or service into 3−4 easy steps. Many have the notion that a smart user will be irritated by detailed descriptions. It’s not true. The reader never has enough time to delve into details. Thus, they’ll be grateful if you provide a quick, step-by-step explanation of what they’re supposed to do.

Top tip: When you’re writing a landing page copy, use the imperative and be as clear as possible. For example, don’t say, "Just enjoy the result," but say, "Take a tasting lesson."

step 8

Buttons

We can’t talk about landing page conversion if there are no buttons on the page. The research compares website buttons to closed doors in an unfamiliar building. So, it’s critical to create buttons that people will want to click. (Because they don’t want a pop-up asking for their credit card information appearing unexpectedly or a sales guy video starting on its own). Here’re a few simple rules to writing copy for buttons.

Start with a simple imperative verb (Book now) or a simple verb in the present tense (How it works);
Use personal pronouns to sound more like a human rather than a robot;
Avoid generic statements (Begin your happy life here);
Appeal to the wants and needs of your potential customer;
Calculate steps: think about the page you are drawing visitors to and its heading;
Try different word combinations for single-action buttons (see below).

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step 9

Facts

People like facts. When you’re scanning a web page, your brain involuntarily captures and stores the numbers it encounters. In the second half of the landing page, add an information section with two or three numbers rendered in large-sized numerals. When composing text copy, use any figures that will help people form an impression about your product, specialist, or company. This will capture their attention and help your website earn their trust.

step 10

Social proof

Your clients know about your strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. This is why potential clients believe reviews. Spend a few hours collecting honest feedback. You could even write down a couple of lines yourself and send them to the client for their approval.

The biggest danger here is a review which sounds fake. To avoid this, ask your client to share their personal experience in detail, noting not just the advantages but also the downsides of a product.

step 11

Last section

Your page will not be complete without a strong call to action and a tool that will help your website visitors take the first step to a desired result. It can be a standalone button or a contact form.

Write more than one call to actions for the last section of your landing page. Test all options and choose the one that converts best.
Remember, any call to action must be a clearly stated benefit that visitors will receive in return for clicking a button. Thus, it is the correctly chosen words rather than punctuation marks (for example, an exclamation mark), that will cause the emotional reaction and the desired action of the visitor of your website.

Create a landing page based on a template View finished page

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