Simple Guide to Building a Great Landing Page for Your Startup Idea

A landing page should clearly communicate your value proposition, establish trust, and make it easy for visitors to give you their email address. Here’s how to achieve that.

1. Key Elements of a Great Landing Page

  • Compelling Headline: Summarise your value proposition in one sentence. Be clear, specific, and benefit-driven. Example: “Unlock Smarter Customer Discovery for Founders – Free Tool!”

  • Subheadline: Expand on the headline with a brief explanation of what you offer. Example: “Generate unbiased interview scripts to uncover real customer pain points in minutes.”

  • Visuals or Mockups: Add a clean, relevant image or illustration that supports your message. If you have a prototype or concept, showcase it.

  • Call-to-Action (CTA): Include a clear, prominent CTA, such as “Get Early Access” or “Sign Up for Updates.” Make it stand out with a contrasting colour.

  • Brief Benefits List: Highlight 2-3 key benefits or features that align with your target audience’s needs.

  • Trust Signals: Use testimonials, social proof, or an explanation of how users’ email addresses will be treated (e.g., “We’ll never spam you”).

  • Form: Keep the form simple. Only ask for the essentials (e.g., name and email address).

  • Mobile Optimisation: Ensure your page looks great and functions well on mobile devices.

2. Best Free/Cheap Services for Building a Landing Page

Here are some services tailored to startups:

No-Code Builders

  • Carrd (Free, £20/year for custom domains)
    Perfect for simple, elegant landing pages. Easy to use with email integrations. https://carrd.co

  • Tilda (Free for basic pages, from $10/month for advanced features)
    Offers stunning templates and robust design options. https://tilda.cc

  • Mailchimp Landing Pages (Free with Mailchimp Free Plan)
    Use Mailchimp’s landing page builder and connect email signups directly to your email marketing. https://mailchimp.com

Form-Centric

  • Google Forms + LinkTree (Free)
    Create a simple form and link to it using LinkTree or similar services. Ideal for tight budgets. https://linktr.ee

  • ConvertKit Free Plan (Free)
    Includes landing pages with email list integrations and automation for up to 1,000 subscribers. https://convertkit.com

Squarespace Starter Plan (£13/month)

A slightly pricier option, but ideal if you want a custom domain, hosting, and the ability to scale your site into something bigger. https://squarespace.com

3. Writing Tips for Your Copy

  • Speak directly to your audience. Use “you” instead of “we.”

  • Highlight benefits first, features second.

  • Keep it concise—use bullet points where possible.

4. Promoting Your Landing Page

  • Share it on social media, in relevant groups, or through existing contacts.

  • Join communities where your target audience hangs out (Reddit, Slack, forums).

  • Use free or low-cost ads (e.g., Facebook Ads with tight targeting).

Next Steps

  1. Select one of the tools above and draft your landing page.

  2. Test it with real users to gather feedback on clarity and appeal.

  3. Optimise based on data (click-through rates, sign-ups).