What Is a Sales Page? (With Content, Directions and Tips)

Updated February 3, 2023

Company websites provide several opportunities to reach customers and increase revenue. An effective sales page can be a valuable tool to sell products and services to customers who are browsing a site. If you work in sales or marketing, you might benefit from learning how to construct a persuasive, appealing sales page for a company’s website.

In this article, we define sales pages, explain how they’re different from landing pages, describe what they include and provide directions and tips to create your own.

What is a sales page?

A sales page is a single page, typically on a website, designed to sell products or services for a business. A sales page is both informative, explaining a company’s products and services to website visitors who may not be familiar with them, and persuasive, encouraging them to make a purchase. There are two different types of sales pages:

Short-form pages: They have relatively little copy and focus on the sales pitch and call to action. They may feature links to longer resources.
Long-form pages: They include content on the sales page. While they still have the sales pitch and call to action, they may include product details or testimonials from satisfied customers.

Related: How Do Landing Pages Work?

Sales page versus landing page

Sales pages and landing pages are similar because they’re both parts of a website that encourage visitors to perform a specific task. While sales pages focus on motivating customers to buy a product or service, a landing page can have a variety of goals. For example, the marketing team at a financial services company might create a landing page to encourage visitors to sign up for a free webinar series for business owners. The landing page can help the marketing team generate leads who might eventually become customers, but the goal isn’t to sell anything.

What's included in a sales page?

Whether you choose to use a long-form or a short-form sales page, there are several elements that most sales pages include:

Headline

An effective headline can get readers’ attention and create a sense of urgency, which can increase the probability of a sale. The headline for a sales page might be the same as the link from the main website, but it may also vary to include search keywords. Typically, headlines are explanatory and include the product or service's unique selling proposition (USP) to encourage them to continue reading further down the page.

Copy

Copy refers to any text on a page that tells website visitors key details about a product, service or brand. Many sales pages use bullet points, charts and short paragraphs, which allow visitors to learn valuable information quickly. You can also use style elements like bold text and larger font sizes to emphasize certain words or sections within the page.

Call-to-action button

Many sales pages include multiple buttons with a call to action, which directs readers to buy a product or service. By including multiple buttons, you can make it easy for website visitors to click on the button and purchase when they’re ready to purchase. Your CTA button might have a contrasting color along with personalized, actionable copy.

Testimonials

Testimonials are another way to create credibility for a brand, as readers can learn from other consumers the impact that the product or service had on their lives. If recognizable brands use your company’s product, you may want to consider adding their logos to the sales page as well. For example, a marketing company might list the businesses that use their services, which can convince other business owners that the marketing firm can help them.

Images and videos

Most sales pages include visuals that help visitors understand the product or service. You might include images or videos of people using the product or pictures of different product types. A video testimonial can show visitors the product or service while also verifying its quality. Not only do these graphic elements help website visitors to better understand a product they're considering buying, but they also add visual appeal to the page and can help make a sales page easier to scan.

How to create a sales page

Here are the basic steps you should take to create a sales page:

1. Identify your target audience

When you start creating a sales page, the first step is to identify the ideal customer. By defining your audience, you can identify the benefits that are of the greatest interest to them and write copy that resonates with those consumers. To define your ideal customers, you can survey your own customers, review your website analytics and examine your social media analytics. During your research, identify your ideal customer's greatest challenges, motivations and influences.

2. Define your value proposition

A value proposition is typically a single statement that explains the benefits of buying a specific product or service. Typically, value propositions explain what a customer can accomplish if they purchase the product or service. For example, a tutoring company’s marketing team might create a value proposition that describes the academic success a student might have with help from their tutor. A simple way to create your value proposition is with the following template:

We help [ideal customer] to [specific accomplishment] by [product/service].

3. Determine pricing options

Choosing the right price for a product is critical for successful sales. To determine the best price and what consumers are most willing to pay, you may want to consider offering different prices with varying levels of service, so consumers can choose the package that best meets their needs. You can also do market research to understand the price range for similar products and services.

4. Choose a type of sales page

As mentioned, you can create either short- or long-form sales pages. Often, higher-priced products and services require longer sales pages to persuade consumers to purchase. These long-form sales letters typically include a greater number of testimonials and may even include a section with frequently asked questions to overcome some of the more common objections that buyers have before purchasing. One way to determine the most effective length for your sales page is to create and split-test multiple versions of the page.

5. Create a headline

The next step is to create your headline for the page. You might work with the rest of the marketing or content creation team to brainstorm and create b multiple headlines before determining the one you want to use. Just like the page length, consider split-testing different headlines to determine which best resonates with your audience. Typically, the best headlines are direct and highlight the benefits consumers can expect when they purchase.

6. Emphasize the benefits

Focusing on the benefits of a product or service can encourage customers to buy while they’re browsing the sales page. Consider both direct and indirect benefits of using a product or service. For example, a finance company may have a smartphone application that helps consumers save time on their online banking. While time savings are a direct benefit of the app, an added benefit may be that consumers can be more relaxed or have more time for their families and other activities they enjoy.

7. Overcome objections

Overcoming objections in your sales page copy can increase the number of customers who make online purchases without speaking to a sales representative. First, identify the objections customers might have, like price. Next, look for opportunities to address and overcome those objections in your copy. For example, if the price is a common objection, then you may overcome it by highlighting the value people get from using your product. You could also use testimonials to overcome objections.

8. Add visual elements

Once you're done writing your copy, you can add visual elements, like pictures and videos, to emphasize the benefits of the product or service. You can also add videos that show how to use the product or provide testimonials. If you create an infographic or other visual aid for your sales page, consider making it a downloadable resource so readers can share it with their friends and colleagues.

9. Create a sense of urgency

One of the last steps you can take when creating a landing page is to create a sense of urgency to encourage website visitors to take action right away. This lessens the chance that the customer forgets about the product or chooses a competitor. You can create a sense of urgency by adding a countdown timer to highlight that a product is only available for a limited amount of time. You could also offer a short-term discount or emphasize that there are only a limited number of products available.

Related: How To Create Urgency in Sales

Tips for creating a successful sales page

Here are a few strategies you can use to create a sales page that appeals to customers and encourages them to purchase a product or service:

Test elements on the page. Small changes to your sales page can have a big impact on conversions, so it's important to split-test your page regularly. Try testing different headlines, videos and colors for the page and CTA buttons.
Use a responsive design. Many people shop online directly from their mobile devices, so making a page that works well on mobile devices, like tablets and phones, can increase purchases. Consider using a web design consultant to help you create a mobile-friendly sales page.
Remove distracting page elements. While a website typically has menu bars and sidebars to make it easy for visitors to navigate, these elements can be distracting on a sales page. Remove sidebars and include only necessary headers and footers so that consumers can better focus on the other elements on your page.