Landing Page Designer
When to Use This Skill
- Designing a new landing page for a paid traffic campaign
- Auditing why an existing landing page isn't converting
- Building vertical-specific templates (dental, contractors, SaaS, etc.)
- Translating an ad angle into a matching page
- Planning A/B tests on existing pages
Core Architecture: The 7-Section Page
Every high-converting landing page uses this structure:
- Above-the-fold hero (value prop + primary CTA)
- Social proof strip (logos, review stars, count)
- Problem / agitation
- Solution / offer breakdown
- Proof stack (testimonials, case studies, before/after)
- Objection handling (FAQ, guarantee, risk reversal)
- Final CTA + urgency
Long-form pages add: deep offer explanation, founder story, comparison tables. Short-form pages collapse sections 3-5.
Above-the-Fold Rules
The 5-Second Test
A visitor should, within 5 seconds, know:
- What you offer
- Who it's for
- Why they should care
- What to do next
If any of these 4 are unclear, the page fails.
Hero Section Formula
- Headline: Outcome + specificity (not feature description)
- Subheadline: Mechanism + timeline or differentiator
- Hero visual: Product in context or outcome imagery (not stock photos)
- CTA button: Action-oriented, first-person ("Get My Quote", not "Submit")
- Social proof snippet: Star rating, review count, or trust badge
Headline Examples (Good)
- "Get 20+ Qualified Dental Implant Patients Every Month" (dental)
- "Transform Your Backyard in 6-8 Weeks - Guaranteed" (hardscaping)
- "Send Cold Emails That Actually Land in the Inbox" (SaaS)
Headline Examples (Bad)
- "Welcome to Our Website"
- "Quality Dental Care You Can Trust" (vague, no outcome)
- "The Leading Provider of..." (boring)
Copywriting Frameworks
The PAS Formula (Problem-Agitation-Solution)
Best for health, home services, pain-point driven offers.
- Problem: State the specific pain
- Agitation: Amplify consequences of not solving it
- Solution: Introduce your offer as the answer
The AIDA Formula (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action)
Best for discretionary purchases, aesthetic, aspirational offers.
The "So That" Test
Every feature claim should pass the "so that" test:
- Feature: "24/7 support"
- So that: "...you never wait when something breaks"
- Benefit: "You never wait when something breaks"
Lead with the benefit, support with feature.
Mobile-First Design Rules
70%+ of paid traffic is mobile. Design mobile first, then desktop.
Mobile Non-Negotiables
- Primary CTA visible without scrolling
- Click-to-call button for service businesses (above fold)
- Single-column layout (no side-by-side)
- Minimum 16px body font
- Minimum 44px tap targets
- Forms above the fold or sticky button to form
- No horizontal scroll, ever
- Images compressed and lazy-loaded
Speed Requirements
- Target <2.5s LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
- Target <100ms FID (First Input Delay)
- Tools: PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest
- Every 1s slower = ~10% drop in conversions
Form Design
Field Minimization
Each field added = ~10% drop in submission rate.
- Rule of 3: Name, phone, email (+ 1 qualifying if needed)
- Multi-step forms outperform long single-step forms
- Progressive profiling - get more info after initial submit
Qualifying Fields (By Vertical)
- Dental implants: "When did you lose the tooth?" (urgency signal)
- Hardscaping: "Project budget range" (pre-qualify)
- SaaS: "Team size" (qualify for pricing tier)
- Real estate: "Timeline to buy/sell" (hot vs. cold lead)
Form Placement
- Above fold: Best for high-intent searches (dental emergency, lawyer)
- Below fold: Best for discovery traffic (social ads, content)
- Sticky/floating: Hybrid - CTA follows user down page
Vertical-Specific Templates
Dental Implants
- Hero: "Restore Your Smile in [City] - Free Consultation"
- Hero visual: Before/after or confident patient smile
- Trust: "10+ years experience", "2,000+ implants placed"
- Offer: Free consultation + 3D scan ($[X] value)
- Proof: Video testimonials, Google review screenshot
- Urgency: "Limited consultation slots this month"
Hardscaping Contractor
- Hero: "Transform Your Backyard in 6-8 Weeks"
- Hero visual: Finished project photo (their best work)
- Trust: Licensed, insured, warranty badge
- Offer: Free on-site estimate + 3D design render
- Proof: Portfolio gallery, project timeline
- Objection: Financing options, warranty terms
SaaS (Free Trial)
- Hero: Specific outcome + mechanism
- Hero visual: Product screenshot or short demo loop
- Trust: Customer logos (recognizable brands)
- Offer: Start free trial / Book demo
- Proof: Case studies with metrics, G2/Capterra badges
- Objection: "No credit card required", cancellation policy
Real Estate Lead Gen
- Hero: City-specific hook ("Homes in [Area] under $500K")
- Hero visual: Map or property grid
- Offer: Free home valuation / exclusive listings
- Proof: Recent sales, years of experience, agent photo
- Urgency: "New listings daily" + current market stats
Conversion Rate Optimization
What to Test (Priority Order)
- Offer (free vs. paid, what's included)
- Headline (outcome vs. feature vs. brand)
- Hero visual (product vs. outcome vs. person)
- CTA copy ("Get Started" vs. "Book My Call")
- Form length
- Social proof placement
- Colors/buttons (lowest impact - test last)
Minimum Sample Size
Don't call a test before:
- 100 conversions per variant minimum
- 2-week minimum duration (captures weekly cycle)
- 95% confidence threshold
Common Lift Opportunities
- Adding video testimonial near CTA (often +15-30% lift)
- Reducing form fields by 1-2 (often +10-20%)
- Sticky CTA on mobile (often +10-15%)
- Social proof count at top (often +5-10%)
- Speed improvements (varies hugely)
Ad-to-Page Match (Message Match)
Page headline must match the ad headline within 70%+ keyword overlap.
- Bad: Ad says "Free Dental Implant Consultation" → Page headline "Welcome to [Practice Name]"
- Good: Ad says "Free Dental Implant Consultation" → Page headline "Free Dental Implant Consultation - Book Today"
Scent Trail
- Ad image → Hero image (same or visually similar)
- Ad offer → Page offer (exact match)
- Ad tone → Page tone (urgency matches urgency, premium matches premium)
GHL-Specific Patterns
GHL Funnel Setup
- Use sections, not rows for major blocks
- Mobile + desktop optimization is per-section (check both views)
- Form → Opportunity pipeline auto-assignment
- Thank you page = conversion pixel fire + next-step instructions
- SMS confirmation automation on form submit
GHL Limitations to Plan Around
- Limited font options (use custom CSS for brand consistency)
- Mobile responsiveness sometimes needs manual fixes per section
- Some animations unavailable - keep design clean
- Third-party embeds for calendars work but test carefully
Anti-Patterns
- Multiple CTAs competing for attention (stick to one primary action)
- Carousels/sliders above the fold (low engagement, hurts mobile)
- Auto-playing video with sound (violates UX norms)
- Lightbox pop-ups on entry (kills ad traffic conversions)
- "Download our whitepaper" as main CTA on paid traffic (too low commitment for most budgets)
- No phone number for service businesses (losing ~30% of conversions)
- Generic stock photos of smiling people in headsets (zero trust)
- Long block paragraphs - mobile users scan, don't read
Audit Checklist
When auditing an existing page, check:
- Above-the-fold passes 5-second test
- Message match with ads (within 70% keyword overlap)
- Mobile loads <2.5s
- CTA visible without scroll on mobile
- Phone number present (service businesses)
- Form has ≤4 fields
- Social proof above the fold
- Thank you page fires conversion pixel
- No broken links or images
- GA4 + Meta Pixel + GTM firing correctly
- Schema markup present (LocalBusiness, Service, etc.)