In the last few years, I've been following the same steps to create the landing page for my side projects. This saves me a lot of time and it works every time.
I've found that this works very well when you're running a one-man show and you don't have a lot of time on your hand. You should spend most of that time coding the actual project instead.
1. Choose a CSS framework
Bootstrap was my first option for a few years but now I prefer Bulma. It's easy and lightweight.
The framework is not that important, but it's a good way to try new things in a small part of the project.
2. Search for a free landing page template
Now that I know which CSS Framework I want, I just search for a free landing page template for it.
At the end of the day, almost all of the free landing page templates look alike no matter what framework you use. I don't go overboard with this.
Landing pages are very important, indeed. But when I'm launching I know it's not worth spending a lot of hours working on it. I know I will have to review it in a few weeks and make changes based on user feedback and metrics.
3. Always write a F.A.Q
This is good exercise for me. Not only because it will help the potential users to understand what I'm offering, but also because it helps me to better define the product and how to pitch it.
4. Create a video
This might sound difficult but it's quite easy.
- Use PowerPoint/Google Slides/iMovie/Keynote to create the video. If you use PowerPoint or Google Slides you will need to record the screen. If you're using Keynote you can export it as an MP4 directly from the application which makes it quite easy.
- The video improves a lot if you have a voice-over explaining what your tool does in sync with the video. A good way to have good voices in your video is to use Amazon Polly. It's free!, you just need to open an account on AWS and use it directly from the web. Write down the text, choose a voice, download the mp3 and sync it with the video.
- Add some music to the background. I like to use SoundCloud and download Creative Common music from there. You can find a lot of Royalty free songs to use.
5. Create a blog
In this case, I use any Static Site Generator and even GitHub Pages to create the blog.
If you're offering an Open Source tool remember that ReadTheDocs is a good choice too.
I try to write as much I can to provide the users a place to find out news about the product, questions, and tutorials about it.
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