A sales page serves a very specific function: to persuade the reader that your product will make the reader’s life better in some tangible way. You may be solving a problem, serving a need, providing entertainment or excitement. Regardless of what you’re selling, you have a limited amount of time to capture people’s attention and keep them reading to the end. Then, most importantly, you want them to take action.
Let’s look at some of the factors that contribute to a high-converting sales page.
1. A Captivating Headline
You only have a few seconds to capture your reader’s attention before he or she decides to move on to something else. Your headline must address a pressing issue or problem. Let readers know your product will help them make money, lose weight, get a job, make your dog behave better, or whatever the goal might be. Make sure people know that the information is relevant to them. One way to do this is to use yourself or a satisfied customer as an example, as in: “Learn How a 45-year-old Woman Lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks Without Dieting.”
2. Explain What Makes Your Offer Special
Whatever you’re selling, there are probably thousands of other products or services that do something similar. One of the biggest challenges of a sales letter is to differentiate yourself and explain your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Tell people why your solution is better, cheaper, faster, or cooler than what the competition is offering.
3. Make Sure Your Copy is Readable
A sales page should not read like an essay or short story. You want it to be easy for readers to scroll and scan. That’s why most successful sales pages contain numbered lists, bullet points, multiple sub-headings, and short, concise paragraphs. Few people read every word of a sales page. Make sure your main points stand out.
4. Include A Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)
The whole point of your sales page is to motivate people to take action. Make sure you have a prominent buy button, preferably in multiple locations. Use colors and fonts that stand out, though they should also harmonize with the rest of your page. CTA buttons are one of the elements that you should regularly test. People expect a button, not some crazy image or big banner. While you definitely need a CTA at the end of your sales page, it’s best to have one or two inserted in the middle of your copy as well. If people are persuaded early on, why make them read till the end and risk losing them?
5. Offer Social Proof
As Aristotle noted many centuries ago, people are social animals. They feel reassured when they know others are lining up to do something before they take the plunge. That’s why it’s so important to get reviews and testimonials for your sales page. Testimonials with images are more “trusted.” If your product is new, give away samples to test groups so you can start off with social proof from the first day you launch.
6. Minimize Risk
People typically experience a certain amount of anxiety when they contemplate a purchase, especially something online that they weren’t planning on buying. That’s why your sales page has to do as much as possible to reduce or even remove the feeling of risk. You do this with a strong guarantee, such as “You have a full 30 days to ask for a refund, no questions asked.”
7. Create Urgency
You want to hook people and get them to click on the “buy” button right away. If they leave your page without buying, the chances of them returning, even if they plan to, are small. There are just too many distractions in their lives. You need to convince them that time or supplies are limited. Tell them the price is going up at a certain time or when a certain number of units are sold. The only caveat here is to be honest. Fake scarcity tricks such as automated timers that reset every time someone lands on the page only lessen your credibility. Another way to create urgency is to remind people what will happen if they don’t buy your product – i.e., their problem or situation stays the same or worsens.
These are some of the crucial elements that you need for a successful sales page. For best results, test different elements such as headlines, layouts, language, and images to find out what your audience responds to.
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