The short answer is probably a resounding YES! If you’re selling anything that is from a subscription to your newsletter, to a product—you need a sales page. Understanding the importance of sales pages is crucial to converting your website traffic into paying customers, increasing your revenue, and growing your business.
In this post we will cover:
- What is a sales page?
- Landing Pages vs Sales Pages vs Homepages
- What to Include in your sales page
- Other ways to create a winning sales page
- Takeaways
What Is A Sales Page?
When you boil it down, a sales page is simply a page on a website meant to sell you something, just like the name would suggest. The purpose is to convert a website’s visitor into a customer who’s willing to give the company their money.
When speaking about sales pages, there are two types to look at, short-form and long-form:
1. Short-Form Sales Pages
A short-form sales page is typically a type of post-click landing page that has the basic information about a product that doesn’t require much explanation. This type of sales page works great for e-commerce and lower-end products that don’t require so much commitment or sacrifice from the customer. It allows you to quickly convert customers because it gets right to the point. However, a short-form sale page often won’t answer all the questions a customer might have and has fewer SEO benefits.
2. Long-Form Sales Pages
If you have a more expensive, complicated product or one that’s new and requires you to educate the customer more intensively, a long-form sales page could be exactly what you need. This type of sales page is not only great for SEO, but it also gives you more opportunities to convert your customer. You would typically include multiple CTAs (call to actions), giving your potential customer more opportunities to take advantage of your offer. It’s important to remember that these long-form sales pages can sometimes lead to an information overload or bore the visitor if not done well.
Landing Pages vs. Sales Pages vs. Home Pages
Anytime you visit a company’s website with the intent to buy or sign up for something, you are visiting either a home page, a landing page, or a sales page. It can be confusing to know what the difference between all these pages can be. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:
Home Pages: These discuss all the products and services your company has to offer, rather than focusing on one single product or service. These are typically shorter and offer your customer a variety of options.
Landing Pages: Similar to a sales page, your landing page describes your product. It includes the basic elements – a headline, copy, CTA button, lead capture form, graphics, and trust indicators like testimonials or endorsements. However, a landing page isn’t intended to sell your website visitors. These are great for newsletter sign-ups or registering people for an online conference or webinar.
Sales Page: This is where an actual sale happens. Essentially, it’s an online 24/7 sales pitch that anyone can see. It’s set up like a landing page but includes more of a sales pitch than a landing page.
What To Include In Your Sales Page
Regardless of the type of sales page you choose, there are some things to include:
Headline: This is meant to hook your visitor and get them to look through your sales page.
Copy: If you’re using the long-form sales page format, the copy is the hero. For a short-form page, your copy is still important but not as important as it would be for the long-form.
CTA: (call-to-action) Your CTA is crucial because you are trying to make a sale. With a long-form sales page, you can include multiple CTAs, while your short-form sales page should get to the point with one CTA.
About Us: Having an ‘About Us’ section is great for boosting credibility and making your offer humanistic, regardless of what type of sales page you choose.
Testimonials: These prove your product has been used by others and proven to be useful.
Video: Instead of just telling your customer about your product, you can show them with a video.
FAQ: (frequently asked questions) If you find you’re answering the same few questions about your product over and over again, add an FAQ section that allows you to address these concerns.
Remove Navigation Links: Don’t give your visitor an option to click away!
Other Ways To Create A Winning Sales Page
Try these other tricks for creating a great sales page:
- Be sure the page loads quickly
- Use a neutral background
- Try exit-intent popups
- Add live chat
- Add a sense of urgency
- Incorporate social media share buttons
- Eliminate distractions
- Offer a guarantee
- Add photos, videos, and illustrations
- Make sure that your sales page is mobile-friendly
- Add bulleted text to describe your product’s benefits
- Make your sales page simple
- Consider design variations
- Add several CTAs but not too many
- Build your conversion funnel and optimize it
- Make your offer clear and concise
- Define your target audience
Takeaways
Ultimately, deciding the type of sales page you want depends a great deal on what you are trying to accomplish and what you’re selling. Look at your product. Is it something that requires extensive education for the customer to make a decision? Is it particularly complicated? Is it a bigger purchase that might need more of a sales pitch? You probably want a long-form sales page. However, if you’re selling something your customer is already familiar with or that doesn’t ask them for a huge commitment, opt for a short-form sales page. To craft a killer sales page, make sure to eliminate distractions. Never forget your CTA and be sure to work your sales page into your funnel. And above all, make sure you have a great design and copy. With the right elements presented well, you’ll see your revenue soar and your customer base grow.
Need help with your sales page? Book a complimentary 15-minute discovery call via our online scheduler at virtuallynat.com/chat to get started today.
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