Most people wondering how to create a good poker landing page worry about superficial stuff like where to put the banners and how to get more clickthroughs and conversions by affiliate link placement. And that stuff’s important, sure, but it’s not the most important aspect of a poker landing page you should worry about. It’s not even the first thing you should think about.
The first and most important aspect of a good poker landing page is the copywriting. If you haven’t written a first sentence that encourages your reader to read the second sentence, and a second sentence that encourages the reader to read the third sentence, and so on, then you’ve failed even before you’ve started. The perfect poker landing page is one which a visitor will read all the way through and then sign up for a poker room at the end of it.
Here are some tips to improve your copywriting, which will in turn improve your landing pages:
- Labor over your first sentence. The first sentence on the page is the most important sentence on the page. Readers who are bored by your first sentence won’t read your second sentence. Here’s an example of a good first sentence: “Since 2003, I’ve made six figures a year playing poker at PokerStars.” Here’s an example of a bad first sentence: “PokerStars was founded in 2000, and their offices are in the Isle of Man.”
- Be clear and specific. Being straightforward and expressing an actual opinion will go a long way toward improving your landing pages. No one is interested in vague comments like “The competition at PokerStars varies greatly depending on what games and limits you play.” People are interested in hearing specifics like “Competition in the lower limit Texas holdem (below $3/$6) games at PokerStars are soft, but the players get a lot tougher when you start playing $5/$10 and up.”
- Be concise. Don’t waste a lot of words on nonsense. Get to the point.
- Write a great headline. A good headline provides a specific benefit to the reader. “How to Make $100,000 a Year Playing Texas Holdem at PokerStars” is a lot more effective as a headline than “Poker Stars Review.”
- Focus on providing the reader with benefits. Your reader should know why she’s reading your article. If the benefits of reading the article aren’t clear, then she won’t read the article.
- Be credible. Don’t claim that the 100% deposit bonus of $50 at PokerStars is an “exclusive” offer. That’s just plain not true, and it doesn’t take any time at all to figure that out. Another way of being credible is by including a byline. Anonymously written articles are less credible than something with a name on it. (And a picture of the author makes a page even more credible.)
- Every paragraph should have a topic. If you don’t know what the main idea of every paragraph on your page is, then you have some rewriting and revising to do.
- Be specific and include details. Specific writing is powerful and interesting. Vague writing is weak and boring. Details are better than generalities.
- Provide a call to action. But you don’t have to stress out about the call to action. Something as simple as a statement at the end of your article that says, “You might be able to make $100k a year playing at PokerStars too. Just sign up using one of the banners or links on this page.” can be effective.
- Finish the way you started. When you start your article, you should start with a benefit that you’re going to offer the reader. This article explains that I’m going to provide ways to create better poker landing pages. When you end your article, restate how you’ve provided that benefit to the reader, then offer next steps.
These are general tips and strategies for creating better landing pages. If you’re interested in receiving a detailed consultation regarding the copy on your landing pages, then I’m available for individual consulting. You can read more about my background as a consultant and get details about contacting me on my poker SEO consulting page.
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