Coming soon pages are useful. Used wrongly? Nearly useless.
Slap a timer on a blank page and call it “coming soon” — it won’t get you anywhere. Launch day comes and nobody turns up.
Here’s what you’re missing…
If you use a coming soon page correctly, it can be one of the most powerful audience-building tools at your disposal — and you get access to it before you sell a single product.
With careful attention to design and messaging, your coming soon page can build your email list, boost your brand signals, and create serious hype around your launch before you ever go live.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why Coming Soon Pages Play a Huge Role In Generative Search Ranking
- 6 Elements Your Pre-Launch Page Must-have
- Optimise your coming soon page for generative search ranking
Why Coming Soon Pages Play a Huge Role In Generative Search Ranking
Search is evolving quickly.
Keywords are only half of the SEO battle these days. Search engine AI (like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT) pulls data from brand mentions, citations, and other “trusted sources” to build answers.
Ahrefs research found YouTube brand mentions and branded web mentions were “the top two factors that have the highest correlation with AI Brand Visibility” across ChatGPT, AI Mode and Google AI Overviews.
Crafting shareable pre-launch content helps build these signals from day zero. Starting with an optimised coming soon page.
Email traffic converts at 19.3% — the highest of any traffic source. Just building an email list can have massive ROI. That’s why capture needs to be your coming soon page’s number one job.
Factor in building for generative search ranking from day one — and you’ve got yourself a coming soon page that can do wonders for your launch traffic.
6 Elements Your Pre-Launch Page Must-have
1. Clear Value Proposition
Visitors need to know what they’re waiting for.
It should go without saying, but…say it.
A value proposition absolutely must be above the fold on your coming soon page. In fact, the value prop should be the very first thing visitors see as they land. Clear copy that answers 3 questions in 1 headline:
- What is it?
- Who is it for?
- Why should they care?
If someone landing on your page doesn’t understand within 5 seconds what you’re building — they’re gone.
2. Email Opt-In + Lead Magnet
Here’s the most important element on your coming soon page.
Not a button. Not a video. An opt-in form with a reason to sign up.
Think about it. Most coming soon pages are guilty of this sin — they ask for your email. But they give nothing in return.
If you’re not selling your product yet, you better be giving something valuable for your visitors’ email address.
This is where lead magnets shine. Give your visitors a free gift in exchange for their email. Whether that’s:
- Early access / founding member discount
- Free checklist / downloadable guide (+ fun lead magnet audit here)
- Sneak peeks behind-the-scenes before launch
Stats show landing pages with one call-to-action convert at an average of 13.5% (Unbounce). Keep forms short. A name + email is plenty. Every extra field bleeds your conversion rate.
3. Short Video
You’re selling your story. And your audience wants to know who you are.
Video is one of the highest-converting additions you can make to any pre-launch page.
A short (60–90 second) video that explains the problem your product solves, who it’s for, and why it came to be humanises your brand and builds trust quickly.
Again, YouTube is your friend for building generative search ranking from day zero. Upload this video to YouTube and allow AI systems to pull from it when forming answers about your brand in search.
Video is a growing reference point for generative AI systems. Building a YouTube channel early can help establish the brand across AI-generated search from day one.
4. Social Proof (Yes — Even Pre-Launch)
“But I haven’t sold to anyone yet…”
Fair point. Doesn’t matter.
Fresh customers = fresh logos.
Beta tester quotes. Press logos for online reviews. Number of waitlist signups. Famous faces in your niche who love what you’re building.
“Nobody knows about me… yet.”
True. Popularity comes with time. But every little signal helps.
When people feel like “everyone is doing it” they hop on board. Flip that psychology. Build intrigue. Build momentum. Generate hype before you launch.
Let people know that they won’t be the only person buying on launch day. And create reasons why they shouldn’t wait.
5. Countdown Timer
Ever wonder why timer emails convert so well?
The timer creates a sense of urgency. The moment visitors land on your page and see a date passing them by — they want to join in.
Once that hustle starts, pair it with an opt-in form + deadline reason and you’re golden.
Early bird pricing? Bonus given? Limited spaces? Whatever you do — sell that email address.
Pro-tip: Use real dates. Fake countdowns are toxic to your brand’s reputation before you’ve started building it.
6. No Distractions — Period
Last item, promised…
Mobile landing pages that hide nav bars double their conversion rates. Coming soon pages are no different.
Remove distractions. Navigation bars. Blog links. Social icons. Give your visitors one job when they hit your page.
Sign up.
That’s it.
Optimise your coming soon page for generative search ranking
Ranking for generative search relies on building brand signals online. Citations, brand mentions, and other signals of online popularity.
All things you can create with a strong coming soon page strategy.
Publish some blog articles. Create sticky conversations about your problem in community forums.
Build mentions and signals early. Here are a few tricks.
Create a pre-launch blog article about the problem you solve. These are great for AI SEO as it gives search engines something to index. Then cite and mention in AI answers down the road.
Community outreach = brand mentions. Online forums, Reddit posts, niche community newsletters are full of unlinked brand mentions. Generative AI tools crawl these mentions when determining how authoritative your brand is.
Videos build brand signals. As touched on earlier, Ahrefs found YouTube brand mentions were one of the highest correlating factors to AI search visibility. Get on YouTube before you launch.
Put your best content first. The research found 44.2% of all LLM citations were generated from the first 30% of text on a page. Place your value prop, lead magnets, and content hierarchy front and center.
Build these signals before day one and generative search systems will thank you when you go live.
Before You Go…
Your coming soon page doesn’t need to break the bank.
It just needs these six elements…
- Crystal-clear value proposition
- Email opt-in with lead magnet
- Short video revealing the story behind the product
- Social proof can come from places other than customers
- Countdown timer with a REAL date on it
- No distractions
Focus on crafting these elements and you’ll build your email list before you build your product.
Now that’s a coming soon page done right.