Wanna write a sales page that gets your people to buy without second-guessing?

I know you said yes. Cool.

Here are 7 must-haves for EVERY sales page you build from now on.

Heads up: this is not for the rookies. You WILL have to take the time to do research and make sure this is done correctly.

Or, you could hire a conversion copywriter to do it for you.

Nevertheless, let’s dive in.

One Clear, Researched Headline

When you write headlines, do you come up with headlines that sound catchy and clever, or do you use the words your prospects use to describe their wants/pains?

If your answer is the first option, you’re doing it wrong.

You might be getting conversions, but wouldn’t you want more AND know why it’s working?

You need to find out what they are talking about on social media, the reviews they write, what they say to their friends, what they say in surveys, and what they post on Reddit.

Discover everything you can about them and dive deep into their desires, fears, objections, and motivators.

Once you have all that done and typed into a spreadsheet (or even a notepad), then you can write a headline that directly speaks to them using the exact words they use.

Remember one thing: you will only do this research once. You’ll then use it over and over again for the rest of your sales page and (hopefully) your marketing strategy.

Helpful post: Write Great Scroll-Stopping Headlines That Convert

One Clear, Defined Person

Who are you talking to?

Seriously. Tell me.

This needs to be one person who represents your target audience as a whole. Name them Jane or John.

You need to get VERY CLEAR on who your target person is, how aware they are about the problem you’re solving, and how eager they are to solve it.

Maybe they know they have a problem but aren’t rushing to solve it. For this person, you’d have to work harder to move them from a “not now” to “maybe” and from “maybe” to “hell yes!”

Maybe they are fed up with their problem and desperately need a solution. For this person, your sales page might be shorter, and you won’t have to do much work to convince them.

The research from above should come in handy again!

One Clear, Specific Offer

If you give your John multiple options to choose from, how the heck will they choose the right one? They’ll get decision paralysis and click away. Maybe forever.

Having ONE offer with pricing options is fine, by the way.

But having multiple offers will confuse them, especially when they have to think about how those offers will fit into their lifestyles individually.

“Which one should I choooose!?” Yikes.

Minimize their thinking and processing time by only giving them ONE offer.

Use Words They Use

Remember that research we did up there? You’re using it here again.

You need to make sure you use the same words and phrases they use and place them throughout your sales page copy.

Let THEM write your copy for you, in a way.

Try not to change their original words unless you absolutely have to.

This tip is crucial because, in order for them to feel a connection with your copy, they need to feel as if they’re reading their journal.

By using their own words, you’ll join the conversation already happening in their head. Your sales page will be a mirror.

Meet Them Where They’re at

This ties back to your one clear, defined person.

If your John is pretty aware of their problem and wants a solution yesterday, your copy should speak directly to them. This sales page might be shorter.

If your John doesn’t even know they have this problem, your copy needs to introduce and agitate this problem that they may have been ignoring. This sales page will be longer.

If your John is aware of the problem but doesn’t really care about solving it right away, you need to show how big the problem can get if they don’t act now, and leverage scarcity in your offer.

Make Your CTA Hot, Clear, And Irresistible

What do you want them to do? Tell them.

Your CTAs should get them to visualize their desired selves and inspire action.

Here are some examples of how those CTA might look like:

• Get Fit Faster (fitness product)
• Get Your Match (bank account that matches)
• Unlock Your Access NOW (maybe access to an exclusive event)
• Yes, I Want This! (something they’re saying in their heads)

The one CTA I encourage you to avoid is “Learn More”.

The word “learn” implies work, and people are lazy.

No, I don’t want to learn more. But you can help me “See How” or “Get In”.

A/B Test. Always be Testing

Create another version of the same sales page and test it against the main one.

However, DO NOT create a brand new sales page. Instead, you want to test against very specific things, and one thing at a time.

For instance, test the headline first. See which one performs best.

Then you can test with the photos on the sales page. See which version performs best.

Then you can test with the buttons. See which CTA works best.

Then you can test with the colors. You can even test with the copy length.

Just do so one thing at a time.

BONUS: Heatmap. See Where They’re Falling Off and Change it.

Use a service like Hotjar to see your visitor’s cursor movements.

This will show you what they’re clicking, what they’re hovering over, and where they’re falling off.

Knowing this is important because you’ll know exactly at what point on the page your visitors decide to stop scrolling.

Maybe your CTA isn’t clear enough. Maybe your design is crappy. Maybe your copy is boring.

This is how you’ll know.