What a landing page actually sells

Most people build a landing page by asking "how do I make it look good". That's the third most important question. The first two are what you're promising and why anyone should believe you.

1. The promise has to be checkable

"We grow your business" isn't a promise, it's a category. A promise is "your first hundred customers without an ad budget". The difference is that the second one can turn out true or false, and the first one can't turn out to be anything.

A checkable promise does two jobs: it draws in the right person and turns away the wrong one. A page that turns nobody away usually convinces nobody.

2. Proof is what's missing

Almost every page has a headline and a button. Few give you a reason to believe them in between. Proof is a specific number, a review with a name and a job title, a screenshot of the result, or a guarantee that costs you something if you're wrong.

If you don't have reviews, don't make them up. Show the process, show the product, take on the risk instead of the customer. A made-up review can be felt, and it costs more than it brings.

3. One action

A page with five different buttons (buy, subscribe to the newsletter, follow us, download, get in touch) asks the visitor to choose. Choosing is work, and people put it off.

One main action, repeated in three places down the page, works better than five different ones in one place.

How to check it

Show the page to someone who doesn't know what you do and ask them three things: what am I selling, who is it for, and what should you do now. If they hesitate on any of the three, that's where the problem is, not in the colours.