How to write a side project landing page that turns visitors into users

A side project landing page has one job: help the right visitor understand what you made, believe it works, and take the next step. Most makers spend weeks on the product and an evening on the page, and it shows. Every post you write, every listing and every launch sends people to that one page, so a small improvement there makes all your other distribution work better. You do not need design skills or a fancy builder. You need clear words in the right order. Here is a simple structure you can write in an afternoon.

Start with who it is for and what it does

Before you write anything, finish this sentence: "It helps [specific person] [do a specific thing] without [specific pain]." For example, "It helps freelance designers send invoices in under a minute without a monthly subscription." If you cannot write this sentence, the page will be vague no matter how good it looks. Keep it next to you while you write; every section should support it.

The headline: say the outcome, not the technology

Visitors decide in a few seconds whether to keep reading. The headline at the top of the page should tell them what they get. Good headlines are concrete and plain:

• Weak: "The next-generation productivity platform."
• Better: "Plan a week of dinners in five minutes."
• Weak: "Built with Rust and WebGPU."
• Better: "Edit huge photos in your browser without lag."

Under the headline, add one or two sentences that explain how it works or who it is for. This subheadline is where you can add detail the headline left out.

One clear call to action

Decide the single thing you want a visitor to do: start free, download, join the beta, or buy. Put that button right under the headline and repeat it at the bottom of the page. Use a label that says what happens, like "Try it free in your browser" or "Download for Mac", rather than "Submit" or "Learn more".

Avoid offering five choices at once. If you have a secondary action, such as "Watch a 30-second demo", make it visibly less prominent. When everything is a big button, nothing is.

Show the product, early

People trust what they can see. Right below the top section, show the product doing its main job:

• A short screen recording or GIF of the key action is often the most convincing thing on the page.
• A clean screenshot with a one-line caption explaining what is happening.
• For a game, a short gameplay clip. For a template or book, a preview of real pages.

Keep media light so the page loads fast on phones, and add alt text so it works for everyone and for search engines.

Explain the benefits in three short blocks

Pick the three things your users care about most and give each one a short heading and a sentence or two. Write them as results, not features. "Works offline, so you can track hours on a plane" is better than "Offline mode". If you find yourself listing ten features, move the full list lower on the page or to a separate page. The top of the page is for the reasons someone should care.

Add honest proof

New projects rarely have big logos or thousands of reviews, and that is fine. Do not invent any. Use the honest proof you do have:

• A live demo or free tier people can try without signing up. This is the strongest proof there is.
• Real feedback from real users, shared only with their permission.
• Specifics about how it works: what data it stores, where it runs, what happens to files.
• Who made it. A short line about you and why you built it makes a small project feel trustworthy.
• A changelog or "last updated" note that shows the project is alive.

Answer the questions that stop people

Most visitors leave because of a doubt, not because they dislike the product. A short FAQ near the bottom can remove those doubts. Common ones for side projects:

• How much does it cost, and is it a subscription or a one-time payment?
• Do I need to create an account?
• Does it work on my device or platform?
• What happens to my data?
• Is it still being worked on? What if you stop?

Answer each in one or two sentences. If you have pricing, show it clearly on the page in the currency your audience uses. Hidden pricing makes people assume it is expensive.

Get the technical basics right

A landing page that is slow or broken on a phone loses people before they read a word. Check these:

• It loads fast on a mobile connection. Compress images and avoid heavy scripts you do not need.
• The text is readable on a small screen and buttons are easy to tap.
• The page has a unique title, a meta description and one H1, so it can show up properly in search and look good when shared.
• Link previews work: set a share image and title so posts on social sites show a proper card.
• You can see where visitors come from, using simple privacy-friendly analytics or link tags.

Test it with real people

You are too close to your project to judge the page. Show it to three or four people who match your target user and ask them to look at it for ten seconds. Then ask: "What does this do, and who is it for?" If they cannot answer, the headline needs work. Ask what would stop them from trying it, and add the answer to the page. Repeat this whenever you make big changes.

After launch, watch two simple things: how many visitors click your main button, and where they came from. If one source sends lots of visitors who do not click, the page may not match what that source promised. Adjust the headline or the post, not just the button colour.

A simple landing page outline

1. Headline with the outcome, plus a one or two sentence subheadline.
2. Main call to action button.
3. Product screenshot, GIF or short video.
4. Three benefit blocks.
5. Honest proof: demo, real feedback, who made it.
6. Pricing, if you charge.
7. Short FAQ.
8. Repeat the call to action.

That is all a side project needs. Write it, test it with a few people, and improve one section at a time.

Send more of the right visitors to your page

A good landing page works best when people keep finding it. You can list your project free on the Digital Underground Developer Marketplace: your listing gets its own indexed page, and the Visit button sends interested people straight to your landing page with no fee and no cut of sales. You can also enter the Maker League to get in front of other makers and their followers.