9 common sales page mistakes and how to fix them

Did you create your sales page yourself and have no clue why it’s not making sales? Keep reading to find out if you’re making one of these 9 common mistakes solopreneurs make when they create their own sales pages.

Now, before we get into the mistakes, you need to know whether there’s actually a problem with your sales page. Did you calculate your conversion rate, and do you know how it measures up against benchmarks?

Next, you need to check if you’re getting enough traffic to the page. If you find you’re not getting a lot of traffic, my post on how to get more traffic to your sales page might help you out.

So, if you’re getting enough traffic but your sales page really isn’t converting, you might be making one of these common mistakes.

#1 Did you pre-validate your offer?

Did you create your offer based on market research, or just because you wanted to? If you didn’t do market research, it could be that it’s just not something your audience actually needs or wants, or maybe the structure of your offer isn’t quite right for your target market.

Maybe your audience doesn’t have 2 and a half hours to watch your workshop  – but if you broke it down into a program of 30 minutes each day for 5 days, they can work with that.

#2 Copywriting mistakes

You need to speak your ideal client’s language, the words they’d use to describe their problem, and their dream solution.

There are two common copywriting mistakes I see on sales pages. The first is that there’s no clear opening headline. Your opening headline needs to grab people’s attention and hook them. Your reader should feel like you’re talking directly to them.

The second copywriting mistake is that you’re not clearly communicating the value of what you’re selling. That means not just talking about the features of what they get, but the transformation and the benefits they will see after going through your program.

#3 Your page takes too long to load

You can check your page load time with a tool like PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix. They will not only tell you how long it takes for your page to load but also what you can do to speed it up.

One common issue that causes long load times, is uploading huge images. Resize images to the size you actually use them in, that way the file size is a lot smaller, and your page loads quicker.

#4 First impression

Your design needs to appeal to the right audience, and you need to make sure the first impression doesn’t turn people off. Establish trust and credibility with a professional-looking, well-put-together page.

#5 Too many distractions

The sales page for a signature program shouldn’t have a navigation menu to the rest of your site, so make sure to remove the header and footer, as well as any pop-ups and social media links from your sales page.

Another way your sales page could be distracting is when there’s too much going on in terms of different fonts, colors, backgrounds, and images – and it’s just too chaotic.

#6 Buttons don’t stand out

Make sure your Buy button looks like a button and not just a small link, it needs to stand out. Make your button a contrasting color, or even a contrasting background for the entire Call To Action section. Include multiple Buy buttons on your sales page, so if they miss one, there’s a good chance they’ll see another one later down the page as they’re reading it. 

Try different text on your buttons – not just Buy Now, but Let’s get started or Yes, I want and then a result they’ll get from your program.

Using a PayPal button? You might be interested in How to create a custom PayPal buy now button.

#7 Not enough visuals

Include a mockup of your product, program, or course. If people can’t see what they’re getting, they’re less likely to buy.

A video showing what’s inside works especially well, show them how your program is set up inside a course portal, and walk them through the different modules and resources they’re getting. Don’t show too much, of course – but just an overview of what’s inside.

#8 Not showing enough social proof

You need to include testimonials or reviews. If you don’t yet have testimonials for a new program, you can include more generic ones that talk about your other programs or what it’s like working with you. But do make it clear that your program is new and that you’re not including testimonials talking about results that are not about this specific program.

Also, make your testimonials look like testimonials. Show your reader that these are real people giving you a testimonial.

#9 Not mobile-friendly

I don’t know about you, but by now, I kinda expected everyone to be aware that their sites and sales pages need to be mobile-friendly. And yet, I still see sales pages and websites that aren’t. If your sales page isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on sales.

Now that you know these common mistakes, you can avoid them.

If you’re creating your own sales page, get my Sales Page Blueprint below to learn what to include on your sales page and how to structure it so more ideal clients click that buy button!