1 – Use colors that match the feeling of your offer.
2 – Put proof near the top.
3 – Remove the menu and every other exit.
4 – Don’t use your product name as the headline.
5 – Hide the social share buttons.
6 – Hook people emotionally before you pitch.
7 – Tell the story of how the product came to be.
8 – Don’t rush from the hook to the offer.
9 – Make your bullets hit HARD.
This is a crash course in sales page optimization – so you can get more sales from the traffic you already have.
It’s for when you already HAVE a sales page… and it’s just not converting the way it should.
(Starting from a blank page? Read how to write a sales page that doesn’t feel like selling first.)
But first, what exactly IS a sales page?
In short, it’s a page on your website whose sole job is to sell something.
In other words, it’s the ultimate revenue engine when you want to sell a product or service – and sell it GOOD.
In fact, a good sales page can become the lifeblood of an entire product…
…often bringing in healthy sales for years and years.
But what makes it so powerful?
A good sales page is built on what we know about human decision-making and behavioral economics – all to make people more likely to click that “BUY NOW” button.
No wonder all the best copywriters and marketers swear by them.
They work!
But to do their magic, sales pages need to be done right – which isn’t the easiest thing in the world…
It’s far too easy to miss crucial details and end up with a page that’s…
Underwhelming…
Failing to persuade people, and leaving god knows how much money on the table.
So here are 9 advanced sales page optimization tips that will take your page from “meh”…
To “Shut up and take my money already!”
Quick note on the basics of a sales page
These tips are a bit more advanced, and they won’t save a page that doesn’t nail the fundamentals.
And – before you touch any copy – check the two things that sink more sales pages than everything else combined: the offer itself and the people you’re sending to the page. (If you suspect the offer, start here: why your offer isn’t selling.)
So while this article isn’t about the basics, here’s a very rough skeleton of how a long-form sales page can be structured (this is just one way to do it – there are others):
1. Attention-grabbing headline and subhead
2. A bold statement showing what the product can do
3. A personal story: how life was miserable before, how the product came about, and how it turned things around
4. Why the reader needs this
5. More on the problem it solves
6. What happens if they don’t have it
7. Testimonials
8. Different ways to use the product
9. What’s included: features + benefits + bonuses
10. Success stories
11. Justify the price and contrast it with other options
12. A success case study
13. 2-3 pricing options
14. Satisfaction guarantee
15. Justify the price even more
16. Paint the dream: how much better life will be with the product
17. Price info again
18. Frequently asked questions
19. Address objections
20. About the creator
Tip #1 – Consider color choice and what it communicates
Sales page optimization isn’t just about copywriting.
It’s a whole system: design, UX, wireframing, and even technical stuff (page speed is a big one – I saw what faster hosting alone did to my conversion rates).
One of the most important of these is design.
You can sell stuff even with a VERY simple design. But a consistent, coherent look across your brand matters.
And your colors should reflect the deeper message of your offer.
For example, I had a client who sold an online dating course with a sales page.
The page was mostly blue, which didn’t really go with the idea of love and dating.
So I advised him to switch to red – not just because it’s the “color of love”, but also because it signals taking action!
Considering the product was helping men date pretty girls (which inevitably requires taking action), the bolder red was a no-brainer.
Blue isn’t bad, by the way – it signals trust. It was just a bit too formal for this kind of page.
For more on color psychology, check out Nick Kolenda’s work. I also have an in-depth video that goes DEEP into the UX side of sales pages:
Tip #2 – Add credibility markers towards the top of the page
Most people add credibility markers to their sales pages somewhere.
But putting them right at the top does a double job.
First, it’s social proof – it tells people you know your stuff.
Second, it “primes” the reader to see everything that comes after as more believable, because now you look like the go-to expert in your niche.
Don’t underestimate the power of priming.
Our brains make quick snap judgments about people. Strong proof in the first few seconds tips the scale in your favor.
Here’s how I did it on an old landing page of mine for a free lead magnet called The Ultimate Email Checklist (which also had to “sell” people on subscribing):
Tip #3 – Hide the top navigation (except maybe a “Ready to Buy” button)
The 3rd sales page optimization tip is something I see far too often.
Painfully often, in fact…
Your sales page has only ONE job: persuade people to click “BUY NOW”.
That’s it!
So anything that distracts them from that button is a big NO-NO. Including other buttons and links.
Why would you send people somewhere else after you paid good money to get them onto your sales page?
Why would you even risk losing them, probably for good?
It’s crazy!
So please please PLEASE, get rid of every distracting element and outside link.
The most important thing you want your reader to do is read the headline.
The second most important thing is to read the subheadline.
The third is to read the first line of your copy…
And so on… until they reach the “BUY NOW” button.
Anything that interrupts the conversation in your reader’s head is a very real chance of losing them.
So don’t distract them. Instead, join the conversation that’s already happening in their mind.
PRO TIP: You can still use a “buy now” style top navigation to grab the attention of high-intent buyers.
This is how I did it for Rainmaker Email Mastery:
Tip #4 – Don’t make your product’s name the headline
The headline is probably the most important part of your sales page.
It can literally make or break it.
Why?
Because it has to grab your reader within the first couple of seconds of landing on the page.
That’s a ridiculously short time.
Think about that…
Your headline has to stop your reader dead in their tracks and make them drop whatever they’re doing – to read the rest of your copy.
Seems easy, right?
Well, not really.
You’re competing with tons of random cat videos working HARD to steal your visitor’s attention.
Crafting attention-grabbing headlines is so hard, it’s practically its own science.
That’s why the best copywriters spend a huge chunk of their time on the headline alone. No joke.
There ARE shortcuts, though. I cover them in 39 proven headline formulas you can “steal” right away.
For now, just know this: do NOT use your product name as your headline.
It simply isn’t convincing enough.
Use something that connects with your audience emotionally instead.
And always keep in mind the 2 questions your reader is constantly asking while reading anything from you:
“What’s in it for me?”
“So what?”
Because let’s face it: nobody cares about your copy, or your sales page, or your product…
People only care about what your product can do for them.
Once you know your audience well (by doing customer research), you’ll be able to write headlines that instantly make them say “YES, tell me more!”
Tip #5 – Hide the social media sharing buttons
In a sense, this goes back to tip #3.
Repeat after me:
“Once my lead is on the sales page, I’ll do everything in my power not to give them anything that makes them click away – except the BUY NOW button.”
Cool?
Cool.
Remember, if they click away, they’re gone… and your ROI goes down.
Even if you think sharing is a nice way to get your page in front of their friends… it’s really not.
Their attention gets stolen by a random cat video or something…
(By now you’ve probably noticed I keep bringing up cat videos… I can’t help it, they’re just the perfect persuasion tools…)
So for the love of god, don’t give them a chance to escape!
They’re already subconsciously looking for any reason to disqualify you.
Which brings us to one of the best ways to keep them reading.
Tip #6 – Don’t just give people the offer. Use stories and hooks to connect emotionally
Of all the sales page optimization tips here, this is probably one of the most crucial.
Yet it isn’t as straightforward as writing a new headline or button…
Remember: people buy on emotion and justify their decision with logic.
When people land on your sales page, chances are they already know they have the problem you solve.
Yet even when that problem is burning, most people never do anything about it.
They procrastinate, expect miracles, and tell themselves: “Yeah, I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Right…
However badly your leads WANT to solve the problem, they probably won’t… UNLESS you help them.
So help them.
Hook them emotionally and build rapport, so they trust you.
How?
In a nutshell, you can use the Problem–Agitation–Solution framework, which usually works quite well.
Here’s how it works:
First, paint the problem they’re struggling with.
Then agitate it – twist the knife a bit and use vivid language. Bring up a personal story of how you (or someone close to you) struggled with the same thing…
Make the reader FEEL it.
And finally, offer them the solution that makes the pain go away.
Remember, YOU have to warm them up to buy. This is one of the best ways to do it.
This part can comfortably run a few pages. Some sales letters tell entire stories over tens of pages, with the sole purpose of agitating the problem and hooking the reader.
Sounds crazy?
Maybe. But it works.
We’re wired to be engaged by stories.
(Which part of the page has to do the heaviest lifting depends on how aware your reader is. Here’s the full guide to the 5 stages of awareness.)
Here’s an in-depth case study of how I did exactly this on the sales page for my 7-Day Rainmaker Email Sequence:
Tip #7 – Tell the “hero’s journey” story of how you came up with the product
“OK, hold up… What the F are you talking about, Csaba? Create a whaat?”
I know it sounds “esoteric”, but bear with me.
Whenever people read a story, they automatically look for similarities with their own life.
So when they read about a struggle that’s similar to theirs, they naturally feel closer to you – which is critical to turning them into a customer.
And one of the best ways to build even more of that rapport is to be vulnerable, and open up about your own struggles with the exact problem they’re dealing with.
Even though you’re talking about yourself, they’ll read it from their own perspective.
They’ll feel like the hero of the story.
And if they see YOU could do it, they start believing they can, too!
This is exactly what I did on my About page.
It’s also why most sales pages have a part where the creator passionately describes the work that went into creating the product – as if they’d just given birth.
Something special. Their life’s work.
So show how you went out of your way to dig up EVERYTHING there is to know about the problem… and how you found THE solution at the end of your journey.
(One more thing: your hero’s journey isn’t the only one in the room. Here’s the biggest storytelling mistake I see.)
Tip #8 – Don’t rush the transition between your hook and your offer
I see this all the time. Unfortunately.
You’ve caught their attention with a solid headline.
You’ve kept them engaged with a compelling hook.
And now it’s time for the offer, right?
Well, kinda…
True, after you’ve agitated the problem and told your story, it’s time to introduce your product as the solution.
But don’t just say: “OK, here’s my product, now go buy it…”
Take the time to connect the end of your story with your offer. Don’t rush it. Sometimes sales page optimization is about subtle things like this.
And btw – speaking of your offer – it HAS to be legit, because no amount of fancy copy will save a sales page from a shitty offer. Period.
If you’re struggling to present your offer, here’s a simple formula you can use:
The Simple Offer Formula
Introducing , the [what it is] for [target customer] who want to [primary promise].
When you invest in this proven system, you’ll get:
Key feature & benefit 1
Key feature & benefit 2
Key feature & benefit 3
Get it now for only [price]. Comes with [guarantee].
Plus, [bonuses].
That’s it.
Tip #9 – Make those bullets hit HARD
The final sales page optimization tip is all about bullets…
Probably the most effective technique in all of copywriting.
Your bullet list (that comes after your offer) is where you go ballistic with your product’s benefits.
This is where you list every outcome that happens when someone buys.
But make sure this part has sizzle – because its main job is to build burning desire.
Bullets are so important for high-converting sales messages that I wrote an entire article on 7 proven and timeless bullet formulas – what they are, why they work, and how to use them.
Plus, it’ll help you stop confusing “features” and “benefits”.
In case that’s new to you: features are characteristics of your product that, deep down, nobody actually cares about… while benefits are the life-changing outcomes those features create.
For example, a car might have a V6 engine (feature), but what you’re really selling is a sense of freedom and fun (benefit).
So now that you’ve introduced your product, tell the reader exactly what they’ll get from it.
This moves them from mildly interested in your offer… to salivating over it.
The more bullets you use, the bigger the chance you’ll hit each reader’s individual desires.
With 10-15 bullets, you can be pretty sure almost anyone will identify with at least a few of them.
Here’s a list of benefit-heavy bullets (from that dating course) you can use for inspiration:
– A quick’n’easy way to crush your approach anxiety and deal with any fears that stop you from meeting the woman of your dreams
– The framework on where to find girls that are exactly your type, and how to get their attention in such a compelling way that they won’t have any other chance than to be magnetized by your strong presence
– An extremely powerful technique to immediately appear 10 times more confident and spike up your attractiveness levels so that EVERY girl will be checking you out, and will be hopelessly attracted to you (this alone is worth the price of the entire course!)
– The exact method that psychologists and therapists from all around the world use to ensure that the two people in a relationship can live together harmoniously, and that sets the stage for a fruitful and loving long-term relationship
– My proven system that took YEARS to develop and lets you instantly build trust with anyone, and create a first-date experience she’ll never forget (she’ll be raving about you to all of her friends)
These are very specific examples, but notice how they’re all about benefits: magnetized by your strong presence, hopelessly attracted to you, a fruitful and loving long-term relationship.
Sure, to get these results, people have to learn specific skills (features)…
But when you sell the product, you sell the benefits – not the features.
(Writing 30-50 bullets like this is slow work. I built Bulletsmith to get AI to write them about what you sell – with every bullet traceable to something real in your product.)
Recap: 9 sales page optimization tips
And there you have it.
9 sales page optimization tips that help you boost your conversion rate – without needing more traffic.
Sales pages are central to almost any online sales funnel.
Information products, coaching, services, even physical products – a well-crafted sales page can boost your sales significantly.
This makes it one of THE most valuable pages on your entire website…
So you have to get it right.
Once the basics are in place, use these 9 tips to take your page to a whole new level:
1 – Consider your color choices and what they communicate
2 – Add credibility markers towards the top of the page
3 – Hide the top navigation (except maybe a “Ready to Buy” button)
4 – Don’t make your product’s name the headline
5 – Hide the social media sharing buttons
6 – Use stories and hooks to connect emotionally before the offer
7 – Tell the hero’s journey story of how you came up with the product
8 – Don’t rush the transition between your hook and your offer
9 – Make those bullets hit HARD
Sales pages are marvelous beasts…
They’re very hard to tame and master.
It takes years of effort, hard work and learning to write a really good one (and even then, it’s a never-ending process of improvement).
But once you get hooked, you get hooked!
That’s what happened to me. Sales pages are one of my few love affairs (besides email marketing).
(And if you’d rather not spend another lost weekend on it: Sales Page In An Hour guides you from your research to a finished page that sounds like you.)
A sales page only sells to the people who see it, though.
If you want the leads already joining your list to turn into buyers faster, grab my free book:
Free book + AI assistant
Turn the Leads Already Joining Your List Into Buyers – Faster
The Rapid Lead Activator reveals the psychology-based framework I use to write welcome sequences that sell – without hype. Normally $9.99 on Amazon, yours free. Plus a bonus AI assistant that writes your first 5 welcome emails for you – in minutes, not days.
Send Me the Rapid Lead Activator →-Csaba
