Five checklists to run before you publish

• Value proposition sits above the fold

  A visitor working out what you do and whether it is for them should not need to scroll first, because the decision to stay or leave is made from what is visible on arrival.

• Headline names the reader's problem or outcome

  A headline that could sit unchanged on a competitor's homepage is telling the reader nothing specific about what changes for them.

• CTA (call to action) states the next action in words

  'Get started' promises nothing; a CTA that names what happens next, seeing pricing, sending a brief, booking a call, gives the reader a reason to click.

• Proof sits next to the claim it supports

  A claim standing alone, with nothing beside it to back it, reads as an assertion the reader has no reason to believe.

• Navigation does not compete with the one action you want taken

  A header crowded with links gives the reader as many reasons to leave the page as to stay on it.

These checks assume one primary offer; a homepage serving several distinct audiences needs its own version of each check for every audience it addresses.

• Benefits stated alongside features

  Every feature answers the question the feature itself doesn't: what does this mean for the person reading.

• Structure scannable in short bursts

  Headings, short paragraphs and bullet points let a reader skim the page and still land on the point, because most visitors scan before they read.

• Sensory or concrete language used where it earns its place

  Specific, physical detail beats abstract praise; 'stitched leather strap' tells the reader something 'premium quality' does not.

• Likely objections addressed on the page

  Price, delivery, fit, compatibility or durability worries are answered before the reader has to go looking, so the doubt doesn't sit unresolved.

• CTA (call to action) visible without scrolling

  The button or link telling the reader what to do next appears above the fold, because a reader who has decided shouldn't have to hunt for the next step.

• Claims match what the product actually does

  Nothing on the page overstates a feature or implies a result the product can't reliably deliver.

For the reasoning behind benefit-led writing and the difference between a feature and a benefit, see the guide on writing a product page (/blog/how-to-write-a-product-page.html).

• Subject line fits the character limit

  Check it against the character limit for your email platform, since most inboxes cut it off partway through and the reader never sees the end.

• Preview text is written

  Write the line the inbox shows beside the subject.

• One call to action (CTA) carries the email

  Give the reader a single action to take, because an email offering three ways forward usually gets none of them clicked.

• First line hooks before the reader scrolls

  Put the point of the email in the opening line, since many inboxes display only that line alongside the subject and preview text.

• Unsubscribe link is present and working

  Include a working unsubscribe link in every marketing email you send.

• PECR requirements are checked separately

  Treat consent and marketing permissions under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) as a legal question for the ICO's own guidance.

This list checks the copy, not your legal position: for PECR questions, follow the ICO's own guidance rather than this checklist.

• Within the platform's character limit

  Check the actual limit for the placement you're using, because search headlines, social captions and display banners are cut off at different points.

• Hook in the first line

  A scrolling reader decides whether to keep reading before anything else on the page gets a chance to persuade them, so the opening line has to earn the second one.

• Benefit stated

  Name what changes for the reader, not just what the product does: a returns policy is a feature, being able to send it back for nothing is the benefit.

• CTA names what happens next

  Say what the reader gets when they click. 'See prices' commits to something; 'learn more' commits to nothing.

• Claims are ones you could stand behind if challenged

  Anything testable, such as fastest, cheapest or guaranteed, needs evidence behind it before the ad runs.

This checklist covers craft, not compliance. Where a claim touches health, finance or the environment, weigh it against the CAP Code before you run it.

• One offer

  The page promotes a single product, service, or signup.

• No competing navigation

  The main site menu, footer links, and any CTA other than the one you want are removed, because each is a route off the page and away from the action.

• Headline matches the ad or email that brought them here

  The wording the reader clicked on is echoed at the top of the page, so they can confirm within seconds that they've landed in the right place.

• Trust signals present

  Proof such as reviews, accreditations, or a stated guarantee sits near the offer, because a landing page skips the normal site navigation a reader might otherwise use to reassure themselves.

• CTA visible on load

  The call to action sits above the fold, meaning visible on screen before the reader scrolls, because not every reader scrolls and the action needs to be within reach immediately.

These checks confirm the page is built around one action. They don't tell you whether that action is the right one, or whether the offer itself will land, since that depends on who's arriving and why.