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I'm Mara — I help creatives create and launch digital courses and profitable products. I love chatting about online marketing, design and goal setting!

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The 5 Things Every Online Course Sales Page Needs

Sales page copy and design is one of the most frustrating parts of the course creation process. There are so many things you can put on your sales page that it’s hard to know what you should actually put on it to turn browsers into buyers.

Here are the 5 things every online course sales page absolutely needs:

1. Exactly what this course is about and who it’s for

I mean duh, right! Of course people need to know what your course is about, but so many people miss this step and think it’s really obvious what their course is about without explicitly spelling it out on the sales page. You want to keep this simple and avoid using fancy copy that’ll disguise what your course is actually about. You can literally just put “This is a course to teach you x result for x type of person.”

It sounds simple, but so many people miss this step or bury it towards the bottom of their sales page. A quick test to tell if you’ve nailed this is: If someone comes to your sales page can they tell within the first 20 seconds exactly what your course will teach them and what type of students this is the right fit for? If not, simplify your language and put it higher up on the page.

2. Multiple buy now buttons

I love a good call to action on your checkout button as much as the next person. There are a lot of really clever and creative things you can say to incentivize people to click, but it’s also super easy to confuse your potential buyers and never give them a way to actually purchase your course. Use simple language on your checkout buttons like “Enroll Here” or “Checkout Here” to help make it clear exactly where potential buyers need to go to join.

You also want to make sure you have multiple buttons to checkout with several high up on the page. This is especially important for people clicking over from email who may have already reviewed the full sales page and are now ready to buy. They don’t want to scroll through an endless mountain of copy before hitting the checkout button.

3. A list of everything included in the course

Here is where you get to list out all of the juicy details on exactly what your course is going to teach new students. Be detailed (without overwhelming people) and include an exact list of how many modules there are, how many lessons are inside of each module, what each lesson will teach you and any other content inside of your course including bonus materials like coaching calls, workbooks, templates and more! Try to keep your curriculum overview and list in one central area on the page. It’s tempting to want to split up any bonuses you’re offering and spread them throughout the page but it’s also really confusing and makes people unclear on what they are actually purchasing.

4. FAQ’s

As amazing as your sales page copy is, it’s never going to answer every single question someone might have. A lot of potential buyers purposefully scroll to an FAQ section to see what other details they may be missing or to see if their question is answered. Include anything prospective students may be asking you about the course, as well as things you’ve found yourself wondering about other online courses before enrolling.

Here are a few FAQ ideas to get you started:

  • How long does the course take to complete?
  • How long does it take for students to see results?
  • What other software/tools/etc… do I need to purchase in order to use this course?
  • How long do I get access for?
  • Is this a good investment for people in (insert a specific situation your potential students might face)?
  • When do I get access to everything (will you drip out lessons or give access to everything right away?)
  • When are the coaching calls and how do I join?
  • Is this course for beginners?
  • Do I get anyone one-on-one support?

Your FAQ should essentially be a living document on your sales page that you update regularly to reflect the questions and concerns prospective buyers are having.

5. A clear refund policy

There’s honestly no right or wrong answer on whether you should offer refunds or not, but it should be crystal clear for your buyers exactly what the refund policy is and what steps they need to take in order to get a refund. Create a succinct refund section on your sales page and explain how long the refund window is, how to ask for a refund and if there are any additional steps to take like completing a certain number of lessons or turning in homework.

It’s ok to link to a longer terms and conditions page to host all of the legal jargon for your refund policy, but don’t use your terms and conditions page to hide a long and confusing refund process that involves a bunch of different steps. This feels really frustrating to your customers and can start to feel like a bait and switch when the refund policy on your sales page leaves out a lot of important details.

Summary

Creating your sales page can feel like a really daunting task, but remember you can always tweak it, edit it and change it as you go. If you’re feeling stuck or having trouble getting started, you’re probably overthinking it and comparing your sales page to other entrepreneurs who have a team of copywriters and design experts helping them. It’s ok to start small and update it as your course evolves.

*This post may contain affiliate links.