What belongs on a landing page: a structure that answers objections
A good landing page is not about persuasion. It is a list of the questions a visitor is asking, answered in the order they occur to them. Here is that list and the structure that follows from it.
- A visitor asks questions in a fixed order: what is this, is it for me, why you, how much, what do I risk, what do I do now.
- A price or price range is the most commonly missing information in services and the most common reason people leave.
- One page, one action. A second call to action lowers the conversion rate of both.
Landing page copy usually gets written like a company presentation. But a visitor arriving from an ad did not come to hear a presentation — they came to find out whether what they are looking for exists here, and whether it is worth trying. Their questions also arrive in a fixed order.
Follow that sequence and you do not have to “sell” anything. You just answer.
Six questions in the order the visitor has them
| # | Question | Where to answer it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Am I in the right place? Is this what I clicked on? | The headline, within three seconds |
| 2 | Is it for me? For my case, my size of company, my area? | Subheading and first paragraph |
| 3 | What exactly do I get? | A list, not a paragraph |
| 4 | What does it cost? | A price or range, above or just below the fold |
| 5 | Why should I trust you, and what if it goes wrong? | Evidence and answers to risks |
| 6 | What do I do now? | One clear action, repeated |
Pages almost always fail because they skip a question or answer it out of order. Most often the fourth is missing.
1. The headline
It has one job: confirm the visitor arrived where they were heading. The most reliable method is to use the words from their query.
- Instead of “Comprehensive solutions for your home”, try “Window replacement in flats, done in two days”.
- Instead of “Welcome to our website”, anything else.
- If the ad promises a timeframe, a price or a location, it has to be in the headline too.
2. Subheading: who it is for
One sentence that either pulls people in or honestly turns them away. “For online shops turning over more than £50,000 a month” will deter smaller firms — and that is good, because their enquiry would have failed anyway and cost you time.
3. What I get
As a list, not a narrative. Nobody reads paragraphs until they have decided they are interested. And be specific: “fast delivery” is empty, “within 48 hours nationwide” is information.
4. Price: the most commonly missing answer
In services, a hidden price is the single most common reason people leave. The argument “it depends on scope” is true and also no excuse for having no number on the page.
What works when you cannot give a fixed price:
- A range: “A bathroom renovation typically runs £7,000 to £14,000 depending on scope.”
- A starting point: “Campaign management from £500 a month.”
- An example project: “Typical job: 60 m², new pipework, 9 weeks, £48,000.”
- What drives the price: the three factors that decide. People then place themselves.
A side benefit: a price on the page works as a filter. It saves you enquiries from people who cannot afford it — which in lead generation is often worth more than a few extra enquiries.
5. Evidence and objections
Evidence has to be verifiable or it backfires. In order of strength:
- Specific numbers from your work. “340 installations last year” beats “thousands of satisfied customers”.
- References with a name and context. An anonymous “J. N., London” convinces nobody.
- Photographs of real work and real people. Stock imagery has the opposite effect to the one intended.
- Certifications and memberships, if you genuinely hold them. Do not claim partnerships you do not have — in a regulated environment that is a problem, not just an embarrassment.
Write the objections out directly. What if I do not like it? How long does it take? Do I have to be home? The best source for these questions is your salesperson’s inbox.
6. One action
A page should have one main action, repeated a few times. Two equal calls to action (“Order” next to “Download the ebook”) lower the conversion rate of both, because they force a decision about something the visitor does not care about.
The button text describes what will happen, not what you want: “Get a free quote” works better than “Submit”. And under the button belongs one sentence that lowers risk: “We reply within one working day. No obligation.”
What to remove
- The carousel at the top. People see the first slide, and often not even that.
- A pop-up on load. Especially on mobile and especially alongside a cookie banner.
- A long form. Every field costs something. See forms and lead quality.
- Links into the rest of the site above the fold. A PPC landing page is not a signpost.
- Company history at the top. It belongs at the bottom, if anywhere.
What to take away
A landing page is an answer to six questions in a fixed order. Before worrying about button colour, go through those questions and check the page answers each one — and that it does so before the visitor has to ask. The most common findings are a missing price and a headline that talks about you instead of the customer. Both take an hour to fix.
Common questions
Should a landing page show a price?
Yes, at least a range. In services a hidden price is the most common reason people leave, and the argument that it depends on scope does not excuse having no number at all. A range works, as does a starting price, an example project with its parameters, or a list of the three factors that drive the price. A price also acts as a filter: it saves you enquiries from people who cannot afford the service, which is often worth more than a few extra enquiries.
How many calls to action should a landing page have?
One main action, repeated in a few places on the page. Two equal calls to action, for example an order alongside an ebook download, lower the conversion rate of both, because they force the visitor to decide about something they do not care about. The button text should describe what happens from the visitor’s point of view — “Get a free quote” rather than “Submit” — and below it should sit one sentence that lowers the perceived risk.
How do I write a landing page headline?
So that within three seconds it confirms the visitor arrived where they were heading. The most reliable method is to use the words from their search query and from the ad they clicked. If the ad promises a specific timeframe, price or location, that has to appear in the headline too. Generic phrases about comprehensive solutions or being a traditional family firm will not do that job.