DesignBeginnerPreview
Landing Page Design
Learn to design landing pages that convert by combining a focused above-the-fold layout, message-matched copy, well-placed CTAs, and credible trust signals. You will build a complete single-goal page and learn how to test and improve it with A/B principles.
Founders, marketers, and aspiring designers who can use a page builder or design tool but want pages that actually convert rather than just look nice.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook turns the course into a build. As you progress, you will define one conversion goal, write a value proposition and hero, draft message-matched copy and CTAs, plan trust signals and friction fixes, and design a valid A/B test. Keep every decision documented in the worksheets and templates so your final page is focused, persuasive, and ready to improve with data.
What a Landing Page Is and the Job It Does
Lock the single conversion goal, the specific visitor, and the offer, and learn the metrics that will judge the page.
Worksheet: Goal, Audience, and Offer Brief
Fill in the single goal this page must drive and who it is for. Keep this brief visible while you design; every later choice is checked against it.
- Single goal action (verb phrase, e.g., Start free trial)
- Traffic source (which ad, email, or link sends visitors)
- Specific visitor (who they are, what brought them, what they fear)
- Value exchange (what they give / what they get)
- Ask size vs readiness (micro-conversion or macro-conversion?)
- Offer in one sentence you could say out loud
Exercise: Strip It to One Goal
List every link, button, and offer you are tempted to put on the page. Then cut everything that does not serve the one goal, and justify anything you keep.
- What is the ONE action this page must drive, stated as a verb?
- Which links or offers are you tempted to add, and which exits do they create?
- What is your current attention ratio (clickable things : the one goal), and how do you get it toward 1:1?
- Does the size of the ask match how ready this traffic is? If not, what smaller next step fits?
Checklist: Measurement Setup
- Define the conversion event you will count (the goal action)
- Set up conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4 (or your analytics tool)
- Note your current or expected conversion rate as a baseline
- Judge that baseline against the size of the ask, not an absolute target
- Install a behavior tool (Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity) for heatmaps and recordings
- Confirm you can measure bounce rate and cost per conversion
The Above-the-Fold Hero
Design the first screen: value proposition, headline, subhead, CTA, and a supporting visual that earns the scroll.
Exercise: Write Ten Headlines, Choose One
Draft at least ten headline options that lead with the outcome, then pick the clearest and most specific. Pair your winner with a subhead that adds the how or the for-whom.
- What specific outcome or benefit does the visitor most want? Lead with that.
- Which versions use a concrete number, timeframe, or named situation instead of vague adjectives?
- Could a stranger understand the offer in one pass? Read each aloud to check.
- What does the subhead add that the headline has no room for?
Worksheet: Hero Section Specification
Record the parts of your above-the-fold hero and their order. Confirm the headline, subhead, and CTA all appear on the first screen on desktop and mobile.
- Headline (final)
- Subhead (final)
- Primary CTA button label
- Early trust cue (rating, logo, or proof line)
- Supporting visual (what it shows: product in use / outcome)
- Layout pattern (left copy + right visual / centered over background)
- Confirmed visible without scrolling on mobile (Y/N)
Checklist: Five-Second Hero Test
- Show the hero to someone for five seconds, then hide it
- They can say what the product or offer is
- They can say what is in it for them (the benefit)
- They can say what the next action is (the CTA)
- The headline, not the logo or a stock image, won their attention first
- Headline and CTA both appeared on the first screen, desktop and mobile
Persuasive Copy and Calls to Action
Maintain scent from ad to page, structure copy with AIDA or PAS, and design CTAs that get clicked.
Worksheet: Message Match Map
Line up the ad or email against the landing page to confirm the promise stays consistent. Mirror the key phrase, offer, and imagery across both.
- Ad / email headline
- Landing page headline (mirrors the key phrase?)
- Offer or number in the ad (price, discount, result)
- Same offer present on the page (Y/N)
- Shared imagery or color carried across
- Audience language matched (Y/N)
- One dedicated page per campaign (Y/N)
Exercise: Draft the Body Copy with a Framework
Choose AIDA or PAS based on whether your audience is chasing a gain or escaping a pain. Draft the page copy section by section, leading with benefits and translating features with FAB.
- Gain-led or pain-led audience? Pick AIDA or PAS and say why.
- For PAS: what is the problem, how do you agitate its cost, and how is your offer the solution?
- List your top features and convert each to a benefit (Feature, Advantage, Benefit).
- What are the top two or three objections, and where on the page do you answer each?
Worksheet: CTA Specification
Define every primary CTA on the page so they share one action, stand out, and reduce friction. Repeat the same primary CTA down a long page.
- Primary CTA label (action-oriented, first-person, specific)
- Button color and why it contrasts with the page palette
- Reassurance microcopy near the button (e.g., No credit card required)
- Number of times the primary CTA repeats down the page
- Form fields requested (only the essentials)
- Attention ratio at the point of action (target 1:1)
Checklist: Copy and CTA Quality Pass
- Headline mirrors the ad or email key phrase (message match)
- Copy leads with benefits; features used as proof
- Copy is scannable: short paragraphs, subheads, one-benefit bullets
- Reading level around grade 7 to 8 (checked in Hemingway Editor)
- Top objections answered, with a key one near the CTA
- CTA label names the value, never a vague Submit or Click here
- Button is the highest-contrast element and at least ~44px tall
Trust, Friction, and Testing
Add credible proof, remove obstacles and distractions, and plan a valid A/B test to improve the page.
Worksheet: Trust Signal Placement Plan
Plan which trust signals you will use and where they sit relative to the points of doubt. Use only real, honest proof.
- Testimonials (name, photo, specific result)
- Customer logos or user count
- Ratings / review count and source platform
- Guarantee (money-back, cancel anytime)
- Security / trust badges (placed near forms)
- Authority signals (press, certifications, awards)
- Placement of each (under hero / beside CTA / near form)
Exercise: Friction Audit with Real Behavior
Test page speed, then watch real or test users attempt the goal. List every obstacle, doubt, and distraction you find, sorted by how much it likely costs you.
- What is your load time in PageSpeed Insights, and what is the heaviest thing to cut?
- Where do heatmaps or session recordings show hesitation, rage-clicks, or abandonment?
- Which form fields can you remove, and which costs or requirements are still hidden?
- Where is there too much choice, and how will you simplify or highlight a recommended option?
Worksheet: A/B Test Plan
Design one valid experiment. Change a single variable, choose one primary metric, and set the sample size before you start so you do not call a winner early.
- Hypothesis (one change and the expected outcome)
- Single variable being tested (headline / CTA / hero image / form)
- Control (A) vs Variant (B) description
- Primary metric (usually goal conversion rate)
- Required sample size per variation
- Confidence threshold (commonly 95%)
- Planned run length (full weeks)
Checklist: Pre-Launch and Test Readiness
- Trust signals placed at the points of doubt, all real and honest
- Page loads its main content within a couple of seconds (PageSpeed checked)
- Forms trimmed to essential fields with reassurance nearby
- Navigation and competing links removed; attention ratio near 1:1
- No hidden costs or requirements; price and commitment stated up front
- A/B test set up with one variable and a primary metric defined in advance
- Sample size and 95% significance required before declaring a winner
- Test scheduled to run full weeks to average day-of-week effects
Your Action Plan
- Write the Goal, Audience, and Offer brief and keep it visible while you design.
- Set up conversion tracking and a behavior tool, and record a baseline conversion rate.
- Draft ten headlines, choose one, and build a hero with headline, subhead, CTA, trust cue, and visual.
- Confirm the headline and CTA appear on the first screen on both desktop and mobile.
- Map message match so the page mirrors the ad's key phrase, offer, and imagery.
- Write body copy with AIDA or PAS, leading with benefits and answering top objections.
- Design CTAs with high contrast, specific first-person labels, and a friction-reducing microcopy line.
- Place real trust signals at the points of doubt and trim forms to essential fields.
- Run a friction audit on speed, forms, choices, and hidden costs, then fix the top issues.
- Plan and launch one single-variable A/B test, run it to 95% significance over full weeks, then iterate.
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