Build Pages That Convert

Build Pages That Convert

fmfmerian There are two parts to a landing page: what’s immediately visible (above the fold) and what the user scrolls to (below the fold).

Above The Fold

The "above the fold" (ATF) section is the part of the website that's immediately visible before scrolling.

When visitors see this, they decide to either keep scrolling or bounce. In seconds, they attempt to assess:
What we do,
Whether we're a fit for them.

There's a formula.

 Title  Explain the value you provide
 Subtitle  Explain how you'll create it
 Visual  Let the user visualize it
 Social Proof  Make it believable
 CTA  Make taking the next step easy

01. Title

There are 1,000 ways to write a great title. I'm going to focus on three.

Explain what you do
When your product is unique all you have to do is explain what you do as simply as possible.

Hooks
Most products aren't unique. So a hook adds oomph. The easiest way to write hooks is to address your customer's biggest objection.

Own your niche
Some startups transcend hooks. Another pattern is to own your niche in one line. Write with conviction. You're THE solution.

02. Subtitle

Subtitles are where you get specific. Introduce the product. Explain exactly how it creates the value in your title. Keep it brief.

03. Visual

Show off your product in all its glory. The goal is to get as close to reality as possible.

Don't show fancy illustrations. Show your product. Or even better, your product in action.
fmfmerian Make your visuals appealing—modern, clear, and pretty. And Keep plenty of negative (empty) space to make copy and visuals pop.

04. Social Proof

Social proof (above the fold) adds instant credibility to the value you're promising.

Take Privy for example. Any startup can write “How small brands sell more online”. But it's their “18,000+ reviews” that make you believe it.

05. CTA

Your CTA makes taking the next step easy. Most buttons emphasize action: Sign Up, Start Trial etc. Here's three more compelling CTA types.

Call to value
Buttons which emphasize “value” over “action” usually perform better. The trick is to fulfill the value your title promises.
fmfmerian It's a sequel of the magic teased in the header copy. It feels natural to click it because it helps the visitor continue the narrative we kicked off.
Objection handle
Add a few words to your CTA to handle the user's biggest objection to clicking.

Email capture + CTA
Pair email capture with your CTA to make signing up as easy as possible. This doesn't mean sacrificing customer info. You can collect it during the onboarding.
fmfmerian Sometimes, the best CTA is to keep scrolling. Then have a CTA focused on converting further down the page. Or cut the ATF section short so visitors must scroll to see the rest.

Above The Fold: Recap

fmfmerian The ATF section starts a narrative. In five seconds, your customers try to establish whether or not you can help them. Make their life easy. Clarity over creativity.
 Title  Explain the value you provide
 Subtitle  Explain how you'll create it
 Visual  Let the user visualise it
 Social Proof  Make it believable
 CTA  Make taking the next step easy

Below The Fold

Above the fold you earn the customer's attention. Below the fold you earn the sale. Here's the last five steps:
06  Features  Make the value concrete
07  Social Proof #2  Inspire action
08  FAQ  Tie up loose ends
09  CTA #2  Repeat your call to action
10  Founder's note  Make yourself memorable

06. Features and Objections

The first thing you do below the fold is to make concrete the value you promise above the fold.

The second thing you do is handle your customer's biggest objections. This means talking to customers.

Group together recurring objections. Use their own words to handle them.
fmfmerian Tap into real experiences. B2B SaaS marketers often want to bury the bad stuff. Focus on the pain points to create better connections.

07. More social proof

Above the fold social proof is about credibility. Below the fold social proof is about inspiring action. It's a free pass to sell your product.

Use existing customers to bring to life the value you promise.
"Get a smile you love” = Customers smiling
“Email reinvented” = Customers describing the difference
“How small brands sell more” = Sales numbers
fmfmerian If you don't have any customer testimonials, write one and find an existing customer that matches. Actually go to them and ask if they’re willing to write a similar testimonial or stand behind this one, tweaking it to however it applies to them.

08. FAQ

There's going to be features and objections you want to mention that don't fit in neatly above. This is where your FAQ comes in.

Write them down. Reframe into questions and answers.
fmfmerian You can also feature your most high-converting blog posts.

09. 2nd CTA

We've done the hard selling. It's time for our 2nd CTA.

This time we've got the luxury of space. So instead of dropping one measly button remind the customer why they're clicking.
fmfmerian Many SaaS companies miss the opportunity to educate or provide added value to prospects. Showcase resources in a lead magnet CTA—free usable template and toolkit, or reports.

10. Founder's note

Finally, you leave the customer with a story that makes you easy to sum up.
Put yourself in their shoes
Explain their problem
Take ownership of it
Show the happy ending

You're walking them down a path they'll want to walk themselves. Oh, and people buy from people.

Build Pages That Convert: Recap

 Title  Explain the value you provide
 Subtitle  Explain how you'll create it
 Visual  Let the user visualise it
 Social Proof  Make it believable
 CTA  Make taking the next step easy
 Features  Make the value concrete
 Social Proof #2  Inspire action
 FAQ  Tie up loose ends
 CTA #2  Repeat your call to action
 Founder's note  Make yourself memorable

Your landing page is your sales pitch. Never forget this. Examine each element and ask:
Would this help me sell if I met the customer in person?
If not, remove it. If you don't know go out and sell to customers in person.

You'll learn that fancy words and random images of people shaking hands don't get you far. More importantly, you'll learn the attitude of your customer and the words you need to convince them.

Map Your High-Converting Site

fmfmerian As you build your website, a lack of cohesion can generate a jumbled mess. Keep in mind your customer journey strategy, content strategy, and what your visitors need to convert.

Octopus.do, Visual Sitemap Tool, Website Planner, Architecture
https://octopus.do/b2z88zie9lm


Anatomy of the Ideal SaaS Website

Homepage
How It Works
Features:* Pain Points, Benefit, and Social Proof.
Use Cases
Who It's For*
Pricing*
About*
Blog
Blog Posts: CTA, Links to related content and Pages.
More
Integrations*
Resources
Support
Contact
Footer
404
Comparison Pages

Best Practices

You can focus on the pain point negatively. People recall negative events more than positive ones. It's called Negativity Bias. Tap into real experiences to create better human connections.
The Who It's For Page isn't another use case. It should be explicit about who your software is actually for—specific roles, job titles and personas.
Your website should feature information about pricing, whether it's explicit or not. For high ARPU businesses, the workaround might be to pre-qualify prospects.
We don’t have standardized pricing options, but we might be a good fit for you if you have a team of more than X people and you’ve already invested in Y or Z.
Buyers are looking for more. They want to know what you stand for. When they convert, they start a relationship with you. You're now colleagues.
If integrations are a key selling point, then build dedicated Pages—even if your solution doesn't integrate yet.

Examples

Resources

Read:  How to write your landing page  by Julian Shapiro
Read:  Anatomy of the ideal SaaS website  by Powered by Search