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34 Comments

Looking for landing page advice

I'm struggling with a landing page structure for my product.

I've tried to fit everything on a single page: most important features, list of other features, how it works, testimonials. Now I'm concerned that too long and hard to understand.

I got an idea to reduce it to a simple overview and move the content to dedicated "features" and "how it works" pages.

Hence the question: what works the best, long exhaustive landing or set of dedicated pages?

Thanks!

For the reference, the work in progress landing: https://staging.askuser.xyz

  1. 6

    "What works best" is the momentum killer of our generation.

    There's no such thing as "best". We make the mistake of "If I'm going to spend time on this, I want to do it The Right Way once".

    Instead I'd get to Good Enough and move on.

    (And with a few minor copy tweaks (e.g. improve the headline, "low stress" doesn't really mean anything) your page is already Good Enough.)

    Once you have customers or potential customers, and they're asking questions and are confused, you'll know MUCH better about what needs to go on that page.

    1. 1

      "What works best" is the momentum killer of our generation.
      There's no such thing as "best". We make the mistake of "If I'm going to spend time on this, I want to do it The Right Way once".
      Instead I'd get to Good Enough and move on.

      Good point! I'm an engineer and know well how to move with "good enough" when it comes to code, but I'm constantly getting stuck with marketing and copy. There is definitely a lot of room for improvement!

      (And with a few minor copy tweaks (e.g. improve the headline, "low stress" doesn't really mean anything) your page is already Good Enough.)

      Yup, you're right. I'll rework the headline. I wanted to differentiate my product from other user surveys services but now I see that "low-stress" just confuses the reader.

      Thank you!

      1. 2

        I'm an engineer and know well how to move with "good enough" when it comes to code, but I'm constantly getting stuck with marketing and copy.

        You can apply engineering thinking to these tasks - just ask why??

        Marketing and copy can be treated like any other design task, which is part of your engineering mindset - you pull things back to the story of the end goal and work backwards from there.

        When you try applying this you may find the real problem is not that marketing or copywriting are hard, it's that you are unsure about exactly where you are going/who you are targeting.

        (Hint: that's a bad thing for product development too.)

        1. 1

          Thank you for the advice, it makes sense!

  2. 4

    In my experience the landing pages that have worked best for me when making sales have been LONG. I in my experience the more you say, the more likely you are to touch on a point the customer will care about. Most people know how to skim through a page to find what they are looking for.

    I would also say, a strong call to action is more important than anything else.

    1. 1

      In my experience the landing pages that have worked best for me when making sales have been LONG. I in my experience the more you say, the more likely you are to touch on a point the customer will care about. Most people know how to skim through a page to find what they are looking for.

      Noted!

      I would also say, a strong call to action is more important than anything else.

      You're right I must focus on that.

      Thanks!

  3. 3

    Long copy is great. Short can be great. Depends on how you do it, there's no One True Best Way. My friends at Wildbit found they got higher signups with a super short page, because devs already knew and wanted their product by name. I, otoh, kill with long copy.

    That said, for long copy to work, you have to respect the rules of long copy. Your page could use some improvements. Your headlines are all benefit-focused, which tends to be weaker than pain-focused. You break the page up into blocks, which stymies readability (really… people's attentions are that fragile). Jumping the text left-edge around is also a problem for readability.

    That said, it won't stop you from getting ANY signups. Go ahead and ship it. Then, when you want HIGHER conversion, make improvements. There's no such thing as perfect, only better.

    1. 2

      That said, for long copy to work, you have to respect the rules of long copy. Your page could use some improvements. Your headlines are all benefit-focused, which tends to be weaker than pain-focused. You break the page up into blocks, which stymies readability (really… people's attentions are that fragile). Jumping the text left-edge around is also a problem for readability.

      Great points, thanks! I'll definitely apply your advice.

      That said, it won't stop you from getting ANY signups. Go ahead and ship it. Then, when you want HIGHER conversion, make improvements. There's no such thing as perfect, only better.

      You're right, no need to make it perfect.

      Thanks again!

      1. 2

        You're welcome! Go get 'em!

  4. 3

    Your landing page is beautifully designed. How about using in-page links so customers can jump to points of interest immediately? But as others have said, you need to move on to other concerns.
    Also, a few typos above the fold:

    1. Lack of communication with customers is (the)
      #1 reason why businesses die
    2. Know who your customers are
    3. Get (to) know your customers and build (the) product they want
      There are others. I mention them because I find them distracting when reading through the messaging.
    1. 1

      Your landing page is beautifully designed. How about using in-page links so customers can jump to points of interest immediately?

      Thank you! In-page links sound like a great idea, I think it's a great option!

      Also, a few typos above the fold:

      Thank you for pointing to that πŸ™

  5. 3

    Sasha,

    I like your landing page and illustrations are amazing.

    As for improvements, I think may be move 2nd and 3nd features to the 1st and 2nd place. Or even put "Answers at a glance" illustration above the fold. At the moment it has a lot of details, so either make it bigger or simplify it by removing unnecessary details.

    And also I didn't find the information about pricing or links to the "pricing" page, so you probably should add it.

    1. 1

      I like your landing page and illustrations are amazing.

      Thank you, I'm glad to hear that!

      As for improvements, I think may be move 2nd and 3nd features to the 1st and 2nd place. Or even put "Answers at a glance" illustration above the fold. At the moment it has a lot of details, so either make it bigger or simplify it by removing unnecessary details.

      Thank you for the tip! You're right, the screenshot is way too small. I'll find a way to zoom in the most important parts.

      And also I didn't find the information about pricing or links to the "pricing" page, so you probably should add it.

      It's there (https://askuser.xyz/pricing) but it's hidden as the billing isn't fully functioning yet.

  6. 3

    Hi Sasha,
    Less is more for landingpages. Try this guide. It is very well written and gets straight to the point. By far one of the best I have read and it also touches other areas of user acquisition.

    https://www.julian.com/learn/growth/landing-pages

    1. 1

      Nice guide, thank you for sharing it!

  7. 2

    Dude, it doesn't look like you're struggling at all. This page looks great! You are pitching this product very well.

    I would rewrite this sentence (which sounds a little unnatural):

    Lack of communication with customers is #1 reason why businesses die

    as

    Most businesses die because they don't communicate with customers.

    And that's my only critique. I'd keep everything else the way that it is. Good luck on your launch!

    1. 1

      Dude, it doesn't look like you're struggling at all. This page looks great! You are pitching this product very well.

      Thank you, a lot! It's so inspiring to hear that! πŸ€—

      And that's my only critique. I'd keep everything else the way that it is. Good luck on your launch!

      That makes sense! I was wondering if "#1 reason" statement would provoke someone 😬. I'm currently applying the commenters' advices and will rework this sentence as well. Thank you for the input!

      Here is the current state of the hero section: http://i.ncrp.co/3f1n211W3v44. How do you like it?

      Thanks again!

  8. 2

    I feel the "How It Works" section should be a lot closer to the top. Tell me what you're about and how you work, then explain all the other benefits.

    That might just be me though, and I have never launched a product or landing page at this point, so feel free to peer review my advice -- it could just be personal preference and bad advice.

    1. 1

      I feel the "How It Works" section should be a lot closer to the top. Tell me what you're about and how you work, then explain all the other benefits.

      I also feel that way. Initially, it was the second block after the hero section but eventually, I started moving it lower and lower.

      I think I'll rearrange that to the top again, as one of the commenters gave me an idea to introduce in-page navigation that will address my concerns.

      Thank you for the input!

  9. 2

    I think its totally fine for your landing page to have multiple sections, but I would simplify the text in certain sections. I think you are trying to get into the implementation details too much at points -- for example, I think you could have fewer bullet points in Answers at a glance, I think you could greatly simply and reduce the Gauge emotions section. Your landing page isn't going to be able to convey every positive thing about your app/service, so you could create a separate FAQs page or a blog to go into more depth. Overall I think the page is visually really nice. The graphics are beautiful. I think you could just cut some copy out and it'll make the whole thing look "cleaner." I did want to ask -- how did you get a screenshot of your app, or is that a mockup? I've been looking to add something like that to my landing page, but not sure what tool to use

    1. 1

      I think its totally fine for your landing page to have multiple sections, but I would simplify the text in certain sections. I think you are trying to get into the implementation details too much at points -- for example, I think you could have fewer bullet points in Answers at a glance, I think you could greatly simply and reduce the Gauge emotions section. Your landing page isn't going to be able to convey every positive thing about your app/service, so you could create a separate FAQs page or a blog to go into more depth.

      Yeah, you're right.

      When the copy is short it feels emptyish, so I add more and more until text visually looks good. But that's definitely a fallacy. I must focus clarity.

      Overall I think the page is visually really nice. The graphics are beautiful. I think you could just cut some copy out and it'll make the whole thing look "cleaner."

      Thank you πŸ™Œ

      I did want to ask -- how did you get a screenshot of your app, or is that a mockup? I've been looking to add something like that to my landing page, but not sure what tool to use

      It could be done with Chrome's developer tools. I did record a GIF for you: http://i.ncrp.co/0E0l390L0o1l

  10. 2

    Hi Sasha!

    The design is wonderful. I have a few recommendations to help you tighten up your copy:

    • The blurb that follows the "Low-stress survey" headline should explain how your service is low stress. What is the most stressful thing about conducting surveys? That is the question it seems like your product is meant to answer. Let people know that in the blurb.
    • Features: the features listed under "Low-stress survey" sound like reasons why someone would want to conduct a user survey period, but not why they should use your product. What does your product do that can improve the user survey experience? (It looks like these are more-or-less answered below the fold)

    Best of luck!

    1. 1

      The design is wonderful. I have a few recommendations to help you tighten up your copy:

      Thank you, I'm happy to hear that πŸ€—

      The blurb that follows the "Low-stress survey" headline should explain how your service is low stress. What is the most stressful thing about conducting surveys? That is the question it seems like your product is meant to answer. Let people know that in the blurb.

      I didn't realize that "stress-free" so much obscure. I'll improve on that, thanks!

      Features: the features listed under "Low-stress survey" sound like reasons why someone would want to conduct a user survey period, but not why they should use your product. What does your product do that can improve the user survey experience? (It looks like these are more-or-less answered below the fold)

      That's a very good point! I should focus on selling my product first. I probably can introduce extra section that will give readers the reasons why they should care about surveys, but that shouldn't be the very first thing on the landing.

      Thank you a lot! πŸ™

  11. 2

    According to SEO, it's better to have dedicated pages for each topic you are going to discuss. And customers have come to expect that they will have to click further into your website in order to learn more about your product.

  12. 1

    I'd change the color scheme/hero looks cold

  13. 1

    Replace the blue background with a stock photo of people or stuff. Its feels empty and lonely... Just like myself :(

    1. 1

      Its feels empty and lonely... Just like myself :(

      You're never alone in the internet πŸ€—you just don't see our friendly faces!

      Replace the blue background with a stock photo of people or stuff

      I don't want to look cheesy, so stock photos isn't an option. I want to put an illustration to the hero section, but it's in still in progress.

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        Check out https://blog.chartmogul.com/saas-landing-pages-2017-analysis/

        Scroll Down to Part -3 It Says that '73% of the landing pages we analyzed showed people β€” many of these shown in the hero section. Human faces are proven to grab attention, and for a category like SaaS which is not inherently emotional in its nature, this is one of the most effective ways to convey or inspire emotion amongst visitors.'

        1. 1

          That's a good point, thank you for sharing it! I think I'll experiment with it at some point in the future.

          The analysis doesn't mention that but I'm afraid that stock photos aren't an option because those could make a negative impression.

  14. 1

    Implement, collect funnel data and dropoff points, use data to iterate and repeat

    1. 1

      Sounds like a solid plan πŸ‘Œ

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    This comment was deleted 7 years ago

    1. 1

      You're overthinking this: you're landing page is fine.

      It's cool to hear! As an engineer, I tend to overthink copy and marketing as that is my weak traits.

      You have 1 and 3: 2 comes too far down. Show you product earlier.

      Thanks, I'll work on that!

      Your domain name is highly problematic!

      What's exactly your concern? πŸ€”The production domain is askuser.xyz and I believe that is a good fit as it describes what product offers.

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        This comment was deleted 7 years ago

        1. 1

          Yeah, .com would be great to have but I can't afford it at the moment.

          I understand your point, but if .xyz is good enough for such giant as Alphabet (https://abc.xyz/) I believe it's also good enough for me.