This is a SAMPLE of a Landing Page Critique report and action plan.

Project Details
URL:
Objective:
Acquisition:
Contact
Email:
Skype:
This priority of this Landing Page Report is to evaluate how well (or not) the copy and core elements of the page are communicating both a Value Proposition and the specific purpose of your page in order to better optimize the page for conversions.
The framework used, systematically checks the core elements of the page against best practices, to see how they measure up in effectively communicating your offering to your visitors. The emphasis is on encouraging the development of simple, clear copy that can best communicate the right message, to the right people at the right time while driving action towards your core objective – in this case to sign up for your webinar.
Before we get into the meat and bones, we can get warmed up by first take a look at the First Impressions Test, this will give some initial insight on how first time visitors may be seeing/perceiving you and the judgements they make. This quick test focuses only on the Above The Fold area (the top part of the page that can be seen without any scrolling). It tests how well you are doing in quickly supplying the answers to some very basic (but non the less important) questions that a new visitor is looking for.
The language should be clear, simple and succinct within an easily scannable layout and design that is logical, uncluttered and free from distractions.
Let’s see how you did:
Download This Screenshot
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
At its core, an ideal Value Proposition is a clear statement that summarises how your product or service solves customers problems or improves their situation, delivers specific benefits and offers unique differentiation.
The perfectly optimised area above the fold for a landing or squeeze page should ideally communicate your value proposition using clear, simple, succinct language presented in an easily scannable format made up of at least the following basic elements:
Headline & Sub-Headline
Customer Benefits
Hero Shot (image)
Call To Action
Having done a review of your Area Above The Fold, I have to say this has been a tricky one. It’s easier when it’s black & white, but you’re actually on the right track with your VP, which makes it somewhat of a grey area.
The main headline, actually has many of the elements of a VP, so in some ways it ticks the right boxes. For one reason or another though it’s just not resonating. It’s like; yes – the concepts are present, but there is a lack of depth in the content.
Firstly, we don’t know exactly who you are talking to. ‘Business’ – yes, but this is such a wide catch-all, as to make it almost meaningless, no one is going to feel “ah – yes that’s me”, and that’s what you need to be aiming for in order to get off on the right foot and begin building a connection.
You have also identified a problem – ‘we don’t understand our customers’, but i wonder if this is a problem they actually realise they have (I’m speaking generally of course). No doubt a part of your webinar is to educate them that they have this problem, but what is going to bring them to the table in first place? What are the specific, tangible problems they have, that are the result of them not understanding their customers? You need something they can immediately recognise and relate to, as opposed to identifying a problem, that maybe they don’t spend a lot of time mulling over. Basically – you need an ‘in’ so you can then guide them towards this lightbulb moment.
“Ahh, this [specific problem] is because we don’t understand our customers well enough”. So, now they’re asking: “ok, how do we better understand our customers?” If they’re at this stage, then your VP is fine. But, I’m making the assumption that if you’re not making satisfactory conversions, then you’ve not clearly identified your target audience’s pain points or problem awareness level. And hence as it stands, your VP is not landing with whoever is visiting your page, because (generally) they’re not at this stage of awareness yet.
When it comes to the clients ‘needs’, you have identified: “better customer understanding, demand and loyalty”. These are things you are telling them they need, but what do they FEEL they need? How do they perceive their situation? Why, do they need “better understanding, demand and loyalty”? That may seem, like a dumb obvious question, but it’s questions like this, that will enable you to think more about specifics, and specifics again will help you better connect.
Perhaps your solution: “better understanding customers”, is not hitting home, because you’ve not really identified specific problems and hence, it follows; there are no specific solutions.
Benefits, again – they’re there, but just too general. “Better understanding” [general solution], leads to “increased demand and loyalty” [general benefit], but what might be the benefits of the “increased demand and loyalty” be? If this connects with a problem they’re mulling over, then you’re getting into their ‘nodding heads’ – and that’s exactly where you want to be.
Generally, it’s just the specifics really – that’s the problem. 🙂
Lastly, but far from least, you’re really missing a Unique Selling Proposition, or should I say; you’re not ‘communicating’ a USP. Let’s assume all else being equal, you’ve targeted the right audience and you’ve communicated exactly how you can help them, and how it will benefit them – what is the USP of this webinar? What will set the consumption of this option apart from all the other options they may be browsing that day, vying for their time and attention?
More generally, an indication of what you stand for, would also help ‘like minds’ get on board with you and what you offer. A review of your Vision or Mission statement would help here.
If you have a clear mission/vision, a clear value proposition and (of course) a clear customer avatar, then this gives you a solid starting point from which, all your copy and messaging can flow. It’s worth the initial effort, because once done, it all gets much easier to execute effective focussed copy.
If you need help with your Value Proposition, please contact me about the Value Proposition Framework.
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
Headline commands attention?
No. You begin with confusion. What does “xxx”? If the question has to be asked, then you’re not communicating what you intended clearly enough.
*This is not a criticism of the name ‘xxx’ just it’s use here in the main heading.
Identifies a specific problem/pain (and ideally solution)?
“xxx” is more of a general solution without a specific problem.
Joins the conversation going on in the customer’s head?
On the right track with ‘xxx’ etc, but again too general to really resonate.
Brevity. No unnecessary words / repetition?
Pretty good.
Headline min 4-12 words (unless it can’t be shortened without losing impact/meaning)?
No problem.
Headline: First Letter Of Each Word Capitalised or EVERY LETTER CAPITALISED?
Yup.
Simple words. Jargon free?
‘xxx’ lacks simplicity and adds confusion. ‘xxx’ sounds like it could be jargon. Basically you should avoid any words in head/sub that are not very easy to understand or need explaining.
Flows. Reads easily & naturally?
Yes, but some room for improvement. Flow would he helped by some some breathing space in what is quite a long sentence without any punctuation. Try adding comma after ‘customers’.
‘xxx’ is a bit of a mouthful (too many “b’s” maybe?)
Some ideas: (When you) understand your customers, (you) improve loyalty, boost demand, increase profits, and optimize your business (for growth).
Specifics not generalities?
Very general, and hence does not really resonate. More clear direction towards a particular market segment/audience, will help you more clearly communicate to them.
For this i’d recommend unique landing pages for each campaign so you can get more specific than you can on the home page.
Compels the prospect to read on?
Needs some work to make it more compelling/intriguing/interesting. The generalised nature here does not lead to ‘compulsion’.
Something like “join our webinar and learn how to…” may help in better communicating the objective of the page (and the reason to read on). Not saying that is particularly compelling (headline probably would need a re-think for that), but may help in at least giving reason to read on…
2nd Heading
We can connect the ‘webinar’ element to ‘How to’, but it takes a little effort to join the dots. It’s not overly obvious or natural. Something like “Join our webinar and learn how to…” as previously mentioned would connect it up.
The headline & sub needs a re-think really, or at least a re-jig, so the first headline is clearer, has much more impact and connects more naturally with the second.
I would lose the first headline completely for now, and then perhaps take the second as a starting point for your headline and see if you can work the ‘webinar’ element in.
Download This Screenshot
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
This is a game changer. If customer benefits are not first and foremost in your mind, then this may be a sign you’re not on the right track. Putting yourself into their shoes and thinking about their needs can transform copy that fails to connect to copy that resonates through things they really care about. Prioritise what you can do for them, over what you do.
To the point
Bullet points here would help a lot by giving opportunity to be more clear about benefits in an easily scannable format. The benefits you have highlighted are to the point i guess, but just too general to have much meaning.
Specific
Nothing in the way of specific benefits. Look at these general benefits again and think about the more specific benefits of those benefits. What is motivating a business/person to improve engagement, increase audience? What will they get out of that?
Clear
The copy is generally clear, but the benefits themselves are a little ‘buried’. Again, this is where bullet points would help. The format of the “xxx” section lacks consistency.
Each point is doing something different. Ideally, each point should highlight a feature and then at least one benefit. This will also help with rhythm & flow & expectation.
Tangible
Nothing here is tangible. Once you get more specific scenarios, you can then play around with painting a more visual and tangible picture of an improved situation.
Consider specific scenarios your clients find themselves in now, and how you can change/improve those scenarios into specific things they can see, feel, touch or experience.
Scannable
Generally copy is in scannable small digestible chunks, but the benefits don’t stand out. It’s hard to instantly ‘get’ the benefits.
Believable / Credible
As benefits are general, they don’t lack believability, but there is nothing to back up the claims you make – this would add credibility.
A simple & clear outcome
The outcome is business growth, but think about specific outcomes of getting that larger audience. This would lead to simpler & clearer outcomes.
Relate directly to the problem or pain point of the customer (or how it makes them feel)
What is missing are feelings and emotions. Consider the problems (i don’t understand my audience?). How does that make them feel? What words would they use to describe the way they feel?
Features vs Benefits
There is a difference between features and benefits and it’s easy to miss, but likewise easy to fix.
A feature is something you provide such as: “Pick Up & Delivery Laundry Service”.
Benefits are what the customer gets from the feature such as: “More Free Time And Convenience”.
If you find you have specified FEATURES only – you can transform them into benefits by asking: what will customers gain? Or you can add at least one benefit of that feature to give it more impact:
“Our Pick Up & Delivery Laundry Service [Features] Buys You More Time, More Order And More Clean Shirts [Benefits]”
A more specific, tangible benefit might be: “Clean & Ironed Shirts – Ready For Work When You Are”.
If you can’t identify a benefit, don’t waste precious Above The Fold space on it.
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
A photo, graphic representation or video presentation of your lead magnet, product or service
Not really, not the webinar anyway. That said you are your service and the image helps connection & trust.
Re-enforces & connects with value proposition (particularly headline/sub) so they work together & do not give out conflicting or confusing messages
Nothing conflicting here, it all fits with a corporate/business image. But another approach would be to use imagery that more definitely re-enforces & connects with headline/value of the webinar specifically; ‘better understanding, increased demand etc’.
Images are relevant; directly related to your offer/product/service and/or your target market or shows context – how it is used, where it is used, who it is used by or benefits of use.
Related to the webinar in so much as it is xxx who will be running the webinar, although no visual representation of the webinar itself (remember it’s not yet that clear this page is about the webinar – so webinar imagery might help communicate that in a simple way without having to repeatedly use the word “webinar’).
The background image eludes to benefits, it’s just not real or relatable and that doesn’t help authenticity. As a quick fix you could fade it even more into bg or just remove it. I would replace it with something more genuine, authentic and relatable. That said if your market is corporate, it may not be such a big deal. If you have different markets, you could easily try one LP with this image and one without.
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
A CTA may or may not be appropriate above the fold. The general rule is – the more complex, the further down the page it should be (& vice-versa). However, many visitors never scroll down below the fold, so you should always have something that at least nudges the visitor in the direction you want them to go – probably to scroll down (rather than hit the back button).
Crystal clear what action to take or where to go next
CTA 1 (the button above the fold) has no clear direction towards it. The button text is not a CTA. It’s not telling me what to do.
No conflicting choices
There are conflicting choices. CTA 1: Click on button or scroll down. The menu links also offer other choices, that can distract from the objective of the page. CTA 2: Again menu links offer distraction and there is also another link: “See how much my clients love working with me” just above. Thats better than below, but still, it’s a potentially a conflicting choice.
CTA in an appropriate place
CTA needs to be above the button (or close by) on CTA 1. It’s good to have a CTA Above The Fold, but here there is not enough yet to compel to click, hence it feels like it’s too early in the game. As it stands, a nudge would probably be are appropriate here – unless of course visitors are clicking on this button, in which case i’ll shut up. 🙂
Either get more persuasive copy Above The Fold or prompt/entice (with benefit) to read below fold.
CTA leads with action verb
“Sign up” is ok, but does make it sound more like a mailing list subscription. ‘“get’, “secure”, “book”, “claim”, “register” your place’ are options, that might also make it more obvious it’s a webinar.
Colour contrast
Button 1 – yes. Button 2 – no.
CTA 1: Create an enclosed CTA area to include your statement & button, with section bg contrasting the general bg, and button colour contrasting bg of section.
Surrounded by enough white/free space to make it clear & stand out
Buttons have enough space around them, but keep this in mind when you create CTA sections and consider having an enclosed CTA area within a section.
Emphasises what they’re going to get – not what they have to do to get it.
Upper button – yes. Lower – It is there in the Webinar title, I would just adjust this title to shape it into a more definite CTA.
Sets appropriate expectation of what will be delivered
CTA 1: the reference to webinar is missing. CTA 2: yes it’s there in the area, but ‘sign up’ could be confused with a mailing list subscription.
CTA sets appropriate expectation of how it will be delivered
Give indication of what happens once you click on button (what’s involved in registration process – choice of dates, give info etc). Also consider setting expectation on the subscription box of what happens next – email confirmation etc.
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
More Comments On This Section On The Video Here
To wrap things up, here you’ll find clear actionable steps or suggestions for each section previously covered. This is the important bit really, this is where the rubber hits the road. Or not. Don’t be overwhelmed. This stuff is not hard, just takes some discipline and commitment to ‘do the work’. Take a deep breath, dive in, choose one item, tick it off and keep moving forward every day, and you should soon begin to see incremental improvements in your conversion results.
Best of luck. 🙂
A Value Proposition can be communicated via many elements. The challenge is to bring all these elements together, so overall they communicate a core message that can be quickly, succinctly and clearly understood.
Where we can trip ourselves up is looking at the world far too much from our own perspective. This is only natural, but it’s a habit that needs to be broken if we want to speak to, instead of at the prospective client, customer or subscriber.
To construct an effective value proposition that clearly speaks to clients, we have to:
Some additional elements that should ideally be incorporated and communicated are:
A Value Proposition statement doesn’t have to be ‘perfect’, you don’t have to force everything in there, just play around with this framework and see what works best for you.
To be the most effective, your Value Proposition messaging should also be congruent with the conversation going on in the prospects head. To do this effectively, it’s vital you’re clear on who EXACTLY you’re talking to.
This can all seem like quite a challenge at the offset, but it is really well worth the effort. Once you’ve nailed your Customer Avatar and Value Proposition, you have a foundation from which all your copy, marketing and strategy can flow. Then it all gets much, much easier. If you’re struggling or feel overwhelmed – I have a system to help you get clarity and focus, and nail it within only a few hours.
Contact Me About The Value Proposition & Customer Avatar Frameworks
Something like: “join our webinar and learn how to…” may help in better joining the dots, communicating the objective of the page and give a clear reason to read on.
*Only if you can back it up
Profits? Bottom line? Reducing CAC? Improving RPU/ROC, Up-sells/Cross-sells ? (be aware of jargon though)
The Value Proposition Framework is designed to help clarify many of the elements highlighted here and also communicate them clearly. This means it’s also very useful for designing headings packed with relevant and meaningful value.
Contact Me If You’d Like To Use The Value Proposition Framework To Help With Your Headings
Ask: specifically what will the result be? What situation or scenario will materialise?
What is motivating a business/person to improve engagement, increase audience? What will they get out of that? What will the positive effects be?
Try using “and/so you can…[insert benefit]” or similar prompt at the end of each feature to get you thinking about the benefits
“Here’s what you’’ll get/discover/learn” or “you will”, “you’ll get” might be more customer centric.
Adding ‘time’ also makes it more tangible and specific and reduces anxiety. “In just [Time] you will learn [Feature], so you can [Benefit]”
Contact Me If You Need Help Identifying & Communicating Your Benefits
Contact Me If You Need Help With Any Design Elements
Ensure you reference the webinar. Use action verb. Avoid ’Sign Up’ or ‘Subscribe’ to avoid confusion with a mailing list.
More active lead words such as:‘“get’, “secure”, “book”, “claim”, “register” your place’ are options, that might also make it more obvious it’s a webinar.
If you have enough traffic, you can try both options and see which works best.
A squeeze page* – Above The Fold, always.
A home page – ATF if appropriate (but should not be the only CTA on the page).
A product/sales page – probably not ATF.
A good A/B test idea is to try placing your CTA at the end of your page vs. placing it above the fold.
*a page with sole intention of collecting email subscribers
Contact Me If You Need Any Help With CTA Copy
These steps require more in-depth research and work, but will give you the best results over the long term.
Your Client Resource Page | Pass:
Your Video Link
Your Audio Link
Your G Drive File Folder
lph@lph.net
landingpagehub.net
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.