Most small company websites describe the company. A landing page describes one offer to one kind of reader and asks for one action. That narrowness is the point. A visitor who arrives from a search, a newsletter or a message from you has a single question: "Is this for me, and what happens if I say yes?" The page should answer it in under a minute.
This article is for an owner or marketing lead who has one offer worth pushing, for example a fixed-price booking-system setup, a monthly bookkeeping clean-up or a half-day workshop, and wants a page that can be written in an afternoon and improved over a few weeks.
Start with who the page is for
Write one sentence before you write anything else: "This page is for [kind of person] who [situation] and wants [result]." For example: "for the owner of a small workshop who still takes orders by phone and wants a simple online order form."
If you need the word "or" more than once, you have two pages. Split them. Someone who arrives from a campaign about one problem should not have to read about your other services to find out whether you can help.
The headline
The headline states the result for the reader, in their words, not your product name. A useful test: would the reader say this sentence about their own problem?
- Weak: "Innovative workflow solutions for modern businesses"
- Better: "Take orders online without replacing your current invoicing system"
Under the headline, add one or two lines that name who it is for and what they get. Skip adjectives you cannot back up. "Fast" and "simple" mean nothing until a number or a description sits next to them.
Proof you can actually show
Proof is what turns a claim into something a stranger can believe. For a small company, three kinds are realistic:
- A customer's own words, used with their permission and with their name and company, or a clearly described type of customer if they prefer not to be named. One specific sentence beats five generic ones.
- A number from your own records, such as how many projects of this kind you have delivered, or the usual time from first call to first working version. Use it only if you can open the record and point to it.
- A plain description of the work. What happens in week one, what the customer has to supply, what they receive at the end. For many small offers this is the most convincing section, because it removes the fear of the unknown.
Do not invent testimonials, logos or figures, and do not use a result from one customer as if it were typical. If you have no customer proof yet, lean on the plain description and offer something that lowers the risk, such as a short paid first step.
Price
Put the price on the page. If the final price depends on scope, show a starting price and the two or three things that move it. Readers who cannot find any price tend to assume it is too high, or they spend a call finding out and then leave anyway.
Say what the price includes and what it does not. Two short lists are enough. This also protects you later, because the page becomes a reference when a customer asks whether something was part of the offer. For more on stating scope and price, see writing a one-page proposal for a small client.
A single next step
Choose one action and make it the only button or link that matters. Good next steps for small offers are:
- Book a 20-minute call (with a calendar link, not "contact us")
- Send a short request form with three fields
- Reply to an email with one keyword
Do not add a newsletter box, three social links and a second form beside it. Every extra choice reduces the share of people who take the main one. Repeat the same step once near the top and once at the bottom of the page; do not repeat it ten times.
Keep the form short. Name, a way to reach them and one question about their situation is usually enough. Anything else can be asked on the call.
Page structure
A simple order that works for most small offers:
- Headline and one line of context, with the next step visible
- Who it is for, and who it is not for
- What happens, step by step
- Proof
- Price and what is included
- Three to five honest answers to common questions
- The next step again
Aim for a page a person can read in two to three minutes on a phone. Check it on a phone before you publish; many small-company visitors will never see the desktop version.
Decide how you will measure it
Before the page goes live, decide what you will count and where the numbers live. Three figures are enough:
- Visits to the page
- How many took the next step
- How many of those became a real conversation or an order
Look at them once a week. If visits are fine but few take the next step, the headline, price or proof is the problem. If many take the step but few become orders, the page may be attracting the wrong reader, or your follow-up is slow. For the second case, see handing leads from marketing to sales. Be careful with small numbers: ten visits tell you very little. Wait for a few weeks of traffic before you rewrite anything major, and change one thing at a time so you know what made the difference. If you suspect your tracking is the weak spot, this article on broken attribution explains the usual causes.
Once a month, add these numbers to your regular report, for example the one described in a one-page monthly marketing report.
Common mistakes
- Writing for "everyone" and convincing no one
- Putting the company history first and the offer last
- Using proof that cannot be checked
- Hiding the price behind a form
- Offering three different next steps
- Changing five things at once and not knowing which one worked
Checklist
- One sentence naming who the page is for
- Headline states the result in the reader's words
- At least one real piece of proof you can show, or a plain description of the work
- Price or starting price, with what is and is not included
- One next step, shown at the top and the bottom
- Short form, tested on a phone
- Three numbers chosen and a weekly time to look at them
Sources
- Common practice for writing a single-offer web page, offered as a practical guide. The page structure, form length and review rhythm are starting points to adapt to your own offer. No client results or market figures are claimed in this article.
