# Build a landing page that converts

> One page, one action: a headline that states the outcome, proof above the fold, a form that asks for the minimum, and a measured baseline before you change anything.

- **Section:** Launch & marketing · **Region:** Global · **Difficulty:** easy
- **Time:** 1–2 days
- **Cost:** $0–$20/month for hosting and forms
- **You end up with:** A live page with a single call to action, analytics goal tracking, and a first-week conversion baseline
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-05 · **Canonical:** https://for.do/p/landing-page-that-converts/

## Before you start

- A defined action you want (sign-up, purchase, booking) and the audience it is for
- Hosting and a form or payment tool

A landing page has one job and every element on it either helps that job or costs conversions. The order below is the order a visitor reads: outcome, proof, what it is, what it costs, what happens next. Build it in that order and measure it before you touch it again.

## 1. Write the headline last, but decide the promise first

- [ ] Write the single outcome the visitor gets, in their words, with a number if you have one.
- [ ] Write the one call to action: the verb and what happens after the click ("Start free — no card").
- [ ] Draft three headlines that state the outcome; pick the plainest.

## 2. Above the fold

- [ ] Headline, one supporting sentence, the call-to-action button, and one proof element (customer logos, a number, a rating).
- [ ] The product shown in use — a screenshot or a 5-second loop — not an abstract illustration.
- [ ] No navigation menu that leads away; a landing page is a dead end by design.

## 3. The body: how it works, proof, objections

- [ ] Three short sections: what it does, how it works (three steps), who it is for.
- [ ] Testimonials with names, faces and a specific result; a case study if you have one.
- [ ] A pricing block or a clear "free" statement; an FAQ that answers the five real objections.
- [ ] Repeat the call to action after each major section.

## 4. The form

- [ ] Ask for the minimum: email, or email and name. Everything else later.
- [ ] Inline validation, a clear error message, and a confirmation page or message that says what happens next.
- [ ] Connect the submission to your email tool or CRM and test it end to end.

## 5. Speed and mobile

- [ ] Compress images, set explicit dimensions, load fonts once; aim for under 2.5 s LCP on mobile.
- [ ] Check the page on a real phone: the button must be reachable with a thumb and visible without scrolling.

## 6. Measure before changing anything

- [ ] Set up the conversion goal in analytics and verify it fires on a test submission.
- [ ] Run for one week or 200 visits, whichever is longer; record the conversion rate as the baseline.
- [ ] Change one element (headline, proof, button text) per test; keep what moves the number.

## Where people get this wrong

- Two calls to action. A page with 'Buy' and 'Learn more' and 'Subscribe' converts worse than any of them alone; pick one.
- Clever headlines. 'Reimagine your workflow' says nothing; 'Invoices paid 12 days faster' is a headline.
- Asking for a phone number. Every extra field cuts completions; ask for email only, collect the rest later.
- Changing five things at once. Without a baseline and one change at a time, you cannot know what worked.

## Questions

**How long should it be?**  
As long as the decision needs. A free newsletter converts on a short page; a $2,000 course needs proof, objections handled and a guarantee — and scrolls.

**Video or image?**  
An image of the product in use with a benefit headline converts reliably; a video helps only if it loads fast and starts with the outcome in the first five seconds.

**What conversion rate is good?**  
It depends on the ask and the traffic. Email sign-up from a warm audience: 20–40%. Paid trials from cold ads: 2–5%. Measure yours, then improve it.

## Tools used

- [Carrd](https://find.do/t/carrd/) — One-page sites in minutes, with forms.
- [Tally](https://find.do/t/tally/) — Forms that look like documents, free without limits on responses.
- [PageSpeed Insights](https://find.do/t/pagespeed-insights/) (official) — Lab and field performance data for a URL, with Core Web Vitals.
- [Plausible Analytics](https://find.do/t/plausible/) — Lightweight, cookie-free web analytics.

## Sources

- [Nielsen Norman Group — Landing page usability](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/landing-page-usability/)
- [web.dev — Core Web Vitals](https://web.dev/articles/vitals)