Landing page checklist: 30 checks before you launch

A practical landing page checklist for the first screen, copy, proof, pricing, design and the details that break on launch day. Copy it, work through it, ship.

The Klar team ·

A landing page rarely fails because of one big mistake. It fails because of five small ones: a headline that assumes too much, a call to action below the fold, proof nobody can verify, a price you have to hunt for, and a trial length that changes between the hero and the FAQ.

This checklist covers the things worth checking before a page goes live. It's grouped by what a visitor sees in order, from the first screen down. Work through it with fresh eyes, or better, with someone who has never seen the product.

The first screen

Most visitors decide whether to keep reading from what they see before they scroll. If the first screen doesn't do its job, nothing below it gets read.

  1. The headline says what you sell. Not your mission or a slogan. A stranger should be able to say what the product is after reading it once.
  2. It's clear who it's for. Name the role, the company type or the situation. "For modern teams" names nobody.
  3. The subline says why it matters. The outcome the buyer gets, ideally with a number or a specific.
  4. The main call to action is visible without scrolling, on a typical laptop screen.
  5. The call to action says what happens next. "Start free trial" or "Book a 20-minute demo", not "Submit" or "Learn more".
  6. There is one main action. If two buttons compete, make the secondary one a text link.
  7. The visual supports the headline. A product screenshot or a clear illustration of the outcome, not a stock photo of people pointing at a laptop.

The copy

  1. It answers what you replace. Buyers compare you with what they do today: a spreadsheet, a competitor, an agency, doing nothing. Say which, and why you're better.
  2. Benefits come before features. Each feature section starts with what the buyer gets, then how.
  3. It uses the buyer's words. The terms they'd type into a search box, not your internal product names.
  4. Every claim is specific. "Saves time" is a claim. "Cuts invoicing from an hour a week to ten minutes" is a reason.
  5. It handles the obvious objections. Price, switching effort, security, lock-in, "will this work for my case". If a buyer would ask it on a sales call, the page should answer it.
  6. It reads well when skimmed. Headings alone should tell the story. Most visitors read only those.

Proof

  1. Proof sits near the claims it supports, not in a single block at the bottom.
  2. Customer logos and quotes are real and named. A quote with a name, a role and a company beats three anonymous ones.
  3. Numbers are believable and sourced. "4.8 on G2 (120 reviews)" is checkable. "Loved by thousands" isn't.
  4. There's something for the skeptic. A case study, a demo video, a free trial with no card, a guarantee. One concrete reason to believe you.

Pricing and the offer

  1. The price is easy to find, or the page says clearly why it isn't on the page and what the next step is.
  2. The terms are consistent everywhere. Trial length, "no credit card", refund policy and plan limits say the same thing in the hero, the pricing section, the FAQ and the sign-up form.
  3. The risk is reversed. Free trial, free plan, money-back guarantee or easy cancellation: say which, and say it near the call to action.

Design and readability

  1. There's a clear visual order. The eye goes headline, subline, call to action, proof, in that order.
  2. Body text is readable. At least 16 px, enough contrast, lines that aren't too long.
  3. Sections are clearly separated, so a skimmer can see where one idea ends and the next begins.
  4. It works on a phone. Check the first screen and the call to action on a real phone, not just a resized browser.

If visitors come from a campaign

  1. The page keeps the ad's promise. The headline continues what the ad, keyword or email said. See our guide to message match.
  2. The offer in the ad is on the first screen. If the ad says "free for 5 clients", so does the hero.

The launch-day basics

  1. Every link and button works, including the footer and the sign-up form's success state.
  2. The page has a title and description written for search results and link previews, and a share image that looks right in Slack and on LinkedIn.
  3. Analytics are installed and tested, so you can see where visitors drop off from day one.
  4. The page loads quickly. Large images and heavy scripts on the first screen cost you visitors before they've read a word.

How to use this checklist

Go through it once yourself, then hand the page to someone outside the team and ask them three things: What does this company do? Who is it for? What would stop you from signing up? Their answers will tell you which items on this list you thought you'd covered and hadn't.

If you want a faster first read, Klar runs a panel of simulated buyer personas over your page and checks many of the items above for you: the first screen and call to action (in the design review), contradicting terms (in the consistency check), and missing proof or unclear positioning (in the persona feedback). It works on a design or a staging page too, so you can run it before launch. The personas are simulated, so treat what they find as a list of things to check, and test the big decisions with real buyers.