I have a client with a deep-pocket online media budget. Google Adwords PPC, banner ads on major news sites. We’re talking some sizable money to generate traffic and turn that traffic into customers.
I bet you’re thinking a big part of their budget was earmarked for landing page development and testing. I would have thought so, too, before they became a client. But what I quickly discovered was this – there wasn’t a series of landing pages. There wasn’t even one landing page! All of the clicks, all of their costly PPC traffic was being directed to the homepage.
Literally, their best prospects were being dumped off at the front door with little direction or guidance as to how to proceed.
Yikes.
Now just to be fair, literally any page of your site or blog is a landing page of a sort. To my mind, every page should be optimized to move your visitor along whatever path you’ve set forth toward a sale, a newsletter or blog subscription, what have you.
But for the purposes of this post, I’ll confine myself to those landing pages where your prospect initiated some sort of response to an ad. This could be a PPC (pay-per-click) ad like Google Adwords, a banner or text ad, or even an email. In this scenario, your prospect has initiated some sort of relationship with you. Your landing page acknowledges this and provides additional information – benefits/features – and a clear path to the next step.
So let’s look at 10 key steps to writing and designing a landing page that will help get you the results you’re looking for:
ON WRITING
1. Make sure your headline refers directly to the place from which your visitor came or the ad copy that drove the click. Match your language as exactly as you can. (Close is good, exact is best.) This way you keep your visitor oriented and engaged. This is by far the most important part of your landing page.
2. Provide a clear call to action. Whether you use graphic buttons or hot-linked text (or both), tell your visitor what they need to do. I use a minimum of 2 calls to action in a short landing page, 3-5 in a long landing page. Copy tests here will give you the biggest bang next to testing headlines.
3. Write in the second person – You and Your. No one gives a rat’s patootie about you, your company, or even your product or service except as to how it benefits him or her. (The bigger the company the more time I spend rewriting their stuff from We to You.)
4. Write to deliver a clear, persuasive message, not to showcase your creativity or ability to turn a clever phrase. This is business, not a personal expression of your art. (Every copy coaching student hears me say this at least once.)
5. You can write long copy as long as it’s tight. I always err on writing a little long on the first drafts because it’s easier to edit down than to pad up skimpy copy. Your reader will read long copy as long as you keep building a strong, motivating case for him/her to act. However, not every product or service will require the same amount of copy investment. Rule of thumb: Think longer copy when you’re looking to close a sale. Think shorter copy for a subscription sign-up or something that doesn’t necessarily require a cash commitment..
6. Be crystal clear in your goals. Keep your body copy on point as a logical progression from your headline and offer. Don’t add tangential thoughts, ancillary services, and generic hoo-hah. (Hoo-hah makes the client feel good but wastes the readers time.) Every digression is a conversion lost.
7. Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs and bullets. Most visitors are skimming and skipping through your copy. Make it easy for them to get the joke without having to slow down.
8. In line with #7, people read beginnings and ends before they read middles. Make sure you keep your most critical, persuasive arguments in these positions.
9. Make your first paragraph short, no more than 1-2 lines (that’s lines, not sentences.) Vary your paragraph line length from here. It helps create visual dissonance and makes it easier to read your copy. And no paragraph should be more than 4-5 lines long at any time.
10. Write to the screen. Take a piece of paper and frame-out where your text, buttons, and design elements will go. Consider how much of your content will be seen “above the fold” or at the first screen. You can still go long and have visitors scroll downward. If so, you’ll want to make sure you repeat essential calls to action, testimonials and other components so no matter where your visitor is, an ACT NOW link or button remains is visible.
3 BONUS TIPS:
11. Remove all extraneous matter from your landing page. This includes navigation bars, visual clutter, and links to other sections. You want the reader focused solely on your copy, your supportive visuals, and the offer you’re making without being tempted to wander around the room.
12. Don’t ask for what you don’t need. Ask for only enough information to complete the sale or the desired action. This isn’t the time to conduct a marketing survey. Every question you ask, every piece of information you require will chip away at your response. Be judicious.
13. Assume nothing. Test everything.
These tips and techniques will get you started, but they just scratch the proverbial surface. Design elements are critical, too — color, images, layout — as well as video, audio, and other interactivity elements whose purpose is to more deeply engage the reader and boost response. They all merit a deeper look and testing where it makes sense.
Recommended Resource: The one book I recommend without reservation is Landing Page Handbook, How to Raise Conversions — Data & Design Guidelines. Published by Marketing Sherpa, this is a compendium of everything “landing page” that copywriters and designers should heed and study deeply. Not a cheap reference at $247, it is, however, the one to own if you’re serious about learning the science and technique behind great landing pages.
Get more from Roberta Rosenberg at her blog, The Copywriting Maven.
61 comments... add one
#1 Easton Ellsworth → 04.09.07 at 10:52 am
Slurp, slurp … (the sound of me drinking in wisdom from this post)
Thanks Roberta. It’s amazing what a good landing page can do and Brian has some great examples right here at this blog.
#2 Bill Hilton → 04.09.07 at 1:57 pm
Excellent post.
The only thing I’d add is “work hard to convince the client that you know what you’re doing”. Clients can get obsessive about trying to pack too much detail about their product, at the expense of focussing on its core benefits.
Sometimes the details can get pretty wide of the mark, too. I was once writing some web copy for a small network management company. I’m nearly finished when the guy emails: “could you mention that my wife gives piano lessons?”
#3 SEO Practices → 04.09.07 at 2:50 pm
Thanks for the tips. I’ve been trying to get my boss to start doing some testing on the landing pages of our websites, I hope we can do it soon.
#4 Janet → 04.09.07 at 2:51 pm
Thanks Roberta. This is a great article!
Regarding #10, writing for the screen. Lately, I’ve been writing copy in HTML using the landing page CSS. It’s easier to see what’ll work best and I can send clients a screenshot during editing to help them visualize the final product.
But Bill, like you, I still get piano lessons!
#5 Bill Hilton → 04.09.07 at 3:16 pm
Re: point 10, you’re definitely right, Janet. The way the copy actually *looks* on the page is something that isn’t always considered. A few times I’ve delivered stuff in a Word doc, then seen it on the client’s site and it looks bad - not just widows’n'orphans, but slightly wrong for reasons I can’t put my finger on. As much as possible, I like to either write up the HTML direct or at least agree with the client that I can tweak a working draft of the copy that has the site stylesheet applied to it.
It’s getting a little easier now that more clients are asking to have their copy poured right into a CMS - you can play around to your heart’s content!
#6 Roberta Rosenberg → 04.09.07 at 3:32 pm Copyblogger
Crafting a landing page is very similar to designing an old-fashioned print ad because text flow, image placement, even choice of font has to work aesthetically — as well as conform to good landing page practices. The ability to work with the client’s own html or css style sheet would be a big plus.
#7 WebbyOnline - Internet Business, Web Publishing » Lazy Linkage - Issue Two → 04.09.07 at 5:30 pm
[…] 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page Another great piece by CopyBlogger where Roberta outlines 10 important guidelines for copywriting a landing page. […]
#8 Mike → 04.09.07 at 8:47 pm
Great post Roberta.
I just wrote a landing page for an ebook in the golf niche and I followed most of your advice.
When I get time, I’ll now have a plan to go by for editing.
#9 Benjamin Solah → 04.10.07 at 12:58 am
That’s pretty helpful, especially the thing about the paragraph side. It applies to web copy in general and I can see that a lot of my blog posts need to be paragraphed better.
#10 Writing The Ultimate Landing Page | Content Writing and CopyWriting Blog → 04.10.07 at 2:45 am
[…] on CopyBlogger has written 10 Tips for Writing Ultimate Landing Page and it is quite an educational post. If by any chance you don’t know what’s a […]
#11 Pamela → 04.10.07 at 3:16 am
Not going to the point is the problem of most writers. I’m certainly not interested in reading something if the main point is in the middle, especially if it’s not clear as to where the discusion is going.
#12 sandra → 04.10.07 at 9:03 am
I have just received “my gift” today when I opened my email to this post. Suffice it to say that I woke up at 4:30 this a.m. to write and to think about how to create my first Landing Page. Thank you.
#13 Sura Design → 04.10.07 at 11:32 am
Thanks for this great post. Now the fun part which is going to my site which I just edited the copy on and make changes based on people instead of the search engines.
#14 Building My Empire » How to Write the Ultimate Landing Page → 04.10.07 at 12:00 pm
[…] of research on creating a good landing page, and when I was reading CopyBlogger’s article on Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page I thought I’d hit the […]
#15 Helen → 04.10.07 at 10:24 pm
Those are useful tips. It’s true that people are first interested with the beginning. It’s important to stress out the main idea at the beginning to avoid boring the readers with all the minute details.
#16 Brent Hodgson → 04.11.07 at 5:30 am
Great stuff!
Going to have to pass this onto some clients
#17 Gloria Hildebrandt → 04.11.07 at 8:09 am
I agree that how copy looks on the page is a large part of the message. I usually work with a designer who takes suggestions from me, but if I’m working solely with the client, I insist on having the text lay out effectively. Every line in an ad can give an element of the overall message, so it’s vital to pay attention to this.
#18 Ashley Cecil → 04.11.07 at 8:42 am
#4 is easier said than done for me, but I’m in a very unusual position. Nonetheless, I try to balance both. It’s good to be reminded.
#19 Useful Tips for Writing Effective Landing Pages | Outsourcing News in Internet Marketing → 04.11.07 at 12:40 pm
[…] one of his guest blogger’s wrote a great article that might interest you: Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page. At the end she recommends a super resource from Marketing Sherpa that I continue use and refer to […]
#20 PPC Hero: Heroic Feats of Pay Per Click Management : PPC Roundup - 4/10/2007 → 04.11.07 at 3:07 pm
[…] offers advice for writing and organizing copy on your landing pages to generate higher […]
#21 Bryan → 04.11.07 at 5:37 pm
Thanks for an excellent article. I have made some effective ads that send tons of visitors to my landing pages, but I have yet to create effective followup landing pages. This is absolutely the best article I have read on this subject.
#22 v6blog » Blog Archive » Landing page tips → 04.12.07 at 4:00 am
[…] A collection of tips from “copyblogger” explaining how to get maximum results from online marketing initiatives that use landing pages to engage with the visitor. […]
#23 The Lonely Marketer - a discussion for the small business marketing manager » Your Landing Page Design is Wasted With No Call-to-Action → 04.12.07 at 7:15 am
[…] Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page […]
#24 Borino - Expired Plus Marketing → 04.12.07 at 12:42 pm
Very good insightful article. I would add one more point - frequently check your results (in addition to testing) and keep adjusting. The work is never done.
#25 Working at Home on the Internet → 04.15.07 at 6:23 am
[…] Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page by Roberta Rosenberg (on CopyBlogger)… Learn how Not to make the same mistakes some really big companies do, Make sure your readers land where you intended. […]
#26 Matt Jones → 04.16.07 at 11:13 am
Nice tips! A very comprehensive and useful list.
#27 Matt Browne → 04.16.07 at 6:03 pm
I really enjoyed your article on writing the ultimate landing page. I thought I would offer a supplement to your ideas on what it takes to design the ultimate landing page, beyond just the words/text on the page. Web forms are one of the most important types of landing pages and many times I see vast opportunity for marketers to improve their sign up process. I have included in this supplement what I feel are important tips for the ultimate landing page containing a web form.
(1)
I agree, headlines are the first thing people read on your landing page and should be highly customized to each instance of marketing.
(2)
Form submission is one of the most critical factors of landing page success. In most cases your goal is to convince the visitor to sign up or complete a simple web form. Most marketers link to their sign forms and in almost every case its best to embed them into your landing page. If a form is your primary call to action, then you shouldn’t have more than one call to action. You should do your best to communicate everything necessary for signing up on a single page (or introduce richer media).
(3)
In my experience, I haven’t seen research supporting that writing in the second person improves landing page conversion, but I don’t doubt that its a good copywriting idea. Testing identical pages with first and second person would be interesting to evaluate. Has anyone done a similar test?
(4)
Creating simple landing pages that removes the traditional clutter from your website is important to moving the visitor through a simple process. Less is more. Be sure every word on your landing page serves a purpose.
(5)
Long copy has a place on the Internet, the blogosphere, but just not necessarily on your landing page. In my opinion, any landing page over 1 page in text should consider richer media as an alternative. Succinct landing pages that don’t scroll the page, have quick forms, and give the visitor everything they need to sign up historically have the highest response rates.
(6)
It’s important to tell the visitor what will happen after they sign up for your offer. If you are expecting a prospect to fill out a lead form, you should inform them on the process after they fill out the form. What will happen next? Why will it benefit them to sign up? How will there information be used? Can they control their preferences? Will you abuse email communications and sell or rent your list? All of these questions and concerns are in your visitors mind when engaging in a marketing relationship.
(7)
Agreed. If you can symbolize your most important points as graphics, that is even better! People look at pictures and graphics significantly more often then thoroughly read your copy.
(8)
Yes, I agree. Bullet points and benefit-formatted copy helps make a convincing argument palpable.
(9) Agreed. I would also suggest having a powerful footer that isnt prone to abandonment. Footers on the web have been increasing in utility and for those that maximize the space; I have seen a good footer drastically reduce landing page abandonment.
(10)
Not only should your most important copy be above the fold, but so should your sign up form. Don’t let your sign up form scroll the page, if its indeed too long, than break up the sign up process over multiple pages.
(11)
Most people try to create a landing page from their current web template. The challenge with this approach is the navigation, header, and footer design in almost all cases has superfluous links, content, and distractions when applied to the landing page. By removing the navigation and subsequent distractions, landing pages are much more successful. The trick is coming up with a landing page design that still supports the branding and upholds the integrity of the website design.
(12)
Along these lines, don’t ask for what you are not going to use. You may think you need some critical piece of information, but if you are not going to use it immediately, then don’t ask for it. So many times marketers ask someone where they came from when they should know that already. Every extra field on your web form reduces your submission rate.
(13)
Agreed. Testing is key. First you should establish a control. Then test one variable at a time. I recommend our landing page application, Outlandish for variable testing. You create, deploy, and track highly specific landing pages and get RSS feeds of the results. For marketers testing landing pages, Outlandish allows you to focus on the interpretation of the results, rather than creating the campaigns.
#28 Respone to Copyblogger Landing Page Article « Matt Browne of Integral Impressions → 04.16.07 at 6:05 pm
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#29 Hello world! « Nox Dineen → 04.19.07 at 11:44 pm
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#30 jozsef aka papajoe → 05.04.07 at 4:07 pm
Dear Lady Roberta,I must be the smallest ever business who ever contacted you, as I have the site for the last 6 weeks but no orders yet.I am asking you If I can make you a nice wallhanging, or anything else in exchange of you putting me/my site towards the right directions, to get some orders.I just been told you are mentioned on google 1/2 million times, now I am worried you wont even reply, must be very busy, still here is me hoping.Thank you very much, jozsef
#31 Why You Are Always Selling With Your Blog | Copyblogger → 05.13.07 at 10:10 am
[…] to take some form of action. The formula essentially allows you to turn a content piece into a landing page that funnels your readers in a desired […]
#32 Costruire landing page: consigli per landing page efficaci → 05.14.07 at 4:38 am
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#34 Scott Townsend → 05.15.07 at 8:15 am
What a great article. Looking forward to implementing your ideas and suggestions.
#35 Efren's MakeMoneyOnline → 05.15.07 at 3:11 pm
Wow! a big help for the 10k contest. Watch my entry!?
#36 Seal the Deal, Part II: 5 Tips to Designing the Ultimate Landing Page | Copyblogger → 05.17.07 at 10:29 am
[…] my first post on the subject for Copyblogger, Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page, I devoted most of my time to copywriting tips since, well, I’m a copywriter. I craft the […]
#37 Tips for The Landing Page » Make Meaning → 05.18.07 at 9:38 am
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#38 any advise on creating landing pages? - WickedFire - Affiliate Marketing Forum - Internet Marketing Webmaster SEO Forum → 05.18.07 at 10:24 am
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#39 Web Happenings: Productivity, Optimizing Your Desktop, and More → 05.19.07 at 9:04 am
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#40 LOHAD - random rumblings on marketing and more » Blog Archive » Landing Page Copy Tips → 05.20.07 at 8:05 am
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#42 models fashion → 05.24.07 at 9:09 pm
Thankyou! this is great information
clear and easy to understand
I have been searching for the right way to write a landing page for an ebook
:)
#43 Top Landing Page Tips from the Pros — Seldom Static → 05.28.07 at 3:32 am
[…] 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page | Copyblogger 1. Make sure your headline refers directly to the place from which your visitor came or the ad copy that drove the click. 2. Provide a clear call to action. 3. Write in the second person – You and Your. 4. Write to deliver a clear, persuasive message, not to showcase your creativity or ability to turn a clever phrase. 5. You can write long copy as long as it’s tight. 6. Be crystal clear in your goals. 7. Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs and bullets. 8. In line with #7, people read beginnings and ends before they read middles. 9. Make your first paragraph short, no more than 1-2 lines 10. Write to the screen. […]
#44 Eugene → 06.04.07 at 12:51 am
Excellent post. Landing page is the most challenging part of marketing process.
#45 No Man’s Landing Pages « Alternative marketing thinking → 06.07.07 at 5:31 am
[…] a clear and persuasive message (needless to say) and more, from Copyblogger’s list of 10 things to do to ensure better landing pages. Posted by icontract Filed in […]
#46 JohnCow, Unplugged | John Cow dot Com → 07.10.07 at 3:50 pm
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#47 küchler blog » Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page | Copyblogger → 09.01.07 at 3:26 am
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#48 Blog, Link Roundup, Link Roundup The Ultimate Landing Page and The Decline of Blogging - Cambrian House, Home of Crowdsourcing → 10.04.07 at 11:17 pm
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#49 10 Realities of Search Engine Marketing << Vandelay Website Design → 10.24.07 at 8:24 pm
[…] The first step is to know what you want from your visitors. Now, set up your pages to lead them to take that action, whatever it may be. (For information on creating effective landing pages, see Copyblogger’s article Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page.) […]
#50 10 Realities of Search Engine Marketing → 11.24.07 at 2:32 pm
[…] The first step is to know what you want from your visitors. Now, set up your pages to lead them to take that action, whatever it may be. (For information on creating effective landing pages, see Copyblogger’s article Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page.) […]
#51 Virtual Hosting Blog » The Landing Page Design Toolbox: 100 Tools, Tips and Resources → 12.03.07 at 9:23 pm
[…] Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page: Copyblogger guest blogger Roberta Rosenberg shares her expertise in creating effective and persuasive landing pages with these ten tips. […]
#52 University For Internet Marketing → 12.05.07 at 3:57 am
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#53 The Landing Page Design Toolbox: 100 Tools, Tips and Resources | Creative Farm Design → 12.11.07 at 8:16 am
[…] Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page: Copyblogger guest blogger Roberta Rosenberg shares her expertise in creating effective and persuasive landing pages with these ten tips. […]
#54 Improve Your Sites Landing Pages - Designs Advice → 12.26.07 at 3:20 am
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#55 Great Blog Posts From 2007 | Digital Alex - Marketing Strategy Blog by Alex Cohen → 01.08.08 at 12:38 am
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#56 Mark → 01.08.08 at 11:41 pm
Hi folks…
Where can I get free software that is easy to use to create my own landing page?
#57 Landing pages… attention à l’atterissage #1 « écrire pour le web → 01.24.08 at 3:05 pm
[…] version originale… en anglais : 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page | Copyblogger 1. Make sure your headline refers directly to the place from which your visitor came […]
#58 Top 7 element of your Landing Page Optimization to Increase Conversion → 01.31.08 at 2:33 am
[…] 3) Copy of the Landing page: - Content is the key for any sales copy including for your landing page. The content of the landing page should have the ability to transforms words into a sale or a lead conversion. Let your copy of the landing page be more detailed in simple word which a layman can understand, with good amount of whitespace and bulleted point to highlight the benefits and features of your product and services. Copyblogger has a nice blog post about 10 tips for writing a ultimate landing page. […]
#59 Aryan → 03.09.08 at 11:56 am
awesome tips by author. :) really helpful. i am actuall consulting to one of client to increase sales via adwords. so part of the project is to redesign the landing page too and i am sure, your article will help a lot :)
we run a blog for designer community too and i am seriously considering providing them access to your this post :)
thanx again and keep posting.
-
Aryan
#60 Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page | Design'Next → 03.09.08 at 3:15 pm
[…] Read the full article here […]
#61 Tom → 04.18.08 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for the great info! Somebody finally boiled landing pages down to easy to understand steps. Most appreciated!
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