Vertical Patterns - System Reference¶

Per-vertical playbooks for landing pages: what these clients typically ask for, what features they need, what trust signals work, what tone to write in, what objections to address, what to charge.

Covers the 7 verticals we build portfolio for (from strategy/upwork/niche-portfolio.md):

Local service
B2B SaaS / pricing
E-commerce DTC single-product
Healthcare / wellness
Course / coaching / info product
Lead-gen for professional services
PPC system flagship

Loaded as system prompt for Lovable + the client-research Claude skill (Phase 2.1).

1. Local service (Tier 1 anchor - $499)¶

Examples: storage, removals, plumbing, electrician, locksmith, cleaning, landscaping, painting, HVAC.

Brief patterns¶

"Need a landing page for my [trade] business in [city]"
"Page to capture quote requests from Google Ads"
Budget usually $200-$800 fixed
Often no existing site OR a 2009-era Wordpress site
90% mention "leads" / "calls" as the goal

Features they actually need¶

Phone number clickable on mobile (essential - 40%+ of conversions on local LPs are phone calls per our Kiwi data)
Quote-request form (name + phone + service area + service type + brief description)
Service area stated clearly (counties / postcodes / cities)
Trust badges (Checkatrade, TrustATrader, Google Reviews badge for UK)
Photo of owner / team / van (proves real business)
Operating hours prominent
Before/after photos if applicable (cleaning, landscaping, etc)

Features they DON'T need¶

Hero video (rarely used in local)
A/B testing (volume too low to test meaningfully)
Multi-language (unless explicitly in a multi-lingual area)
Live chat (phone call wins for local)

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Star rating + review count (Google Business Profile or Trustpilot above fold)
Phone number clickable, prominent
Years in business locally if 5+
Photo of owner / team / branded van
Service area + operating hours

Copy tone¶

Direct, local-named, action-led
"We move Kiwi Storage customers in Manchester. Same-day quotes."
"Need a plumber in Brockley? Call us, no answering machine."
Avoid corporate language. Sound like a person, not a company.

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"How quickly can you come?"
"Do you cover my area?"
"What's it cost?"
"Are you insured / qualified?"

Pricing reality¶

They expect to pay $200-$800 fixed
Don't expect to charge premium - if you do, justify with real CR data (this is where Kiwi 3.95x lift earns the rate)
Recommended tier: Essential $499 standard. Add-on calendar widget +$99 if they take bookings.

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"We have a Wix / Squarespace / GoDaddy site we want to keep" - they want plugins, not a rebuild
Budget $50-$150 with no mention of urgency - bottom-feeder, not serious
"Looking for someone long-term" with no upfront project - retainer-only fishing

Win patterns¶

Mention Kiwi case study (specific 3.95x conversion lift on identical paid-traffic LP brief)
Promise 48-hour delivery if they supply photos + brand colours
Mention you'll wire up Google Ads conversion tracking (most local businesses don't have it set up properly)

2. B2B SaaS / pricing page (Tier 2 - $1,499)¶

Examples: invoicing tools, project management, AI platforms, dev tools, CRM, marketing automation.

Brief patterns¶

"Need a high-converting landing page for our new SaaS"
"Pricing page redesign / rebuild"
"Product launch landing page for [feature]"
Budget $1K-$5K fixed, sometimes $50-$95/hr
Often have an existing site that's "okay but not converting"
Mention specific tools (HubSpot, Stripe, Intercom)

Features they actually need¶

Pricing table (3 tiers, "Most Popular" anchor)
Customer logos (named brands they've worked with)
Specific feature breakdown (not vague benefits)
Free trial / freemium CTA (the standard SaaS conversion path)
API / integration mentions (sophisticated buyers want to know it'll fit their stack)
Documentation link (signals they're a real product)
Security / compliance badges (SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001)

Features they DON'T need¶

Phone number prominent (B2B SaaS buyers don't call, they self-serve)
Carousel testimonials (single named quote per section beats carousel)
Heavy stock photography (B2B SaaS aesthetic is clean, screenshot-led)

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Customer logo bar above fold (recognisable enterprise logos)
Single high-credibility testimonial mid-page (named, role, company, specific outcome)
SOC 2 / GDPR badge near pricing CTA
Founder photo + brief bio (early-stage especially)
Free trial / no-credit-card guarantee

Copy tone¶

Stripe.com is the benchmark - clean, direct, technical when needed, no jargon
"Cut your invoicing time in half" beats "Streamline your finance operations"
Active voice always. "We send the invoice" not "The invoice is sent"
Plain words ("use" not "utilise")

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"How does this compare to [competitor]?"
"What's your data security / compliance?"
"Can I integrate with [my existing tool]?"
"Is there a free trial / can I cancel anytime?"
"What happens if I outgrow my plan?"

Pricing reality¶

They expect to pay $1K-$3K for a single LP
They WILL pay $2K-$5K for a properly-instrumented page with A/B testing + CRM integration
Recommended tier: Conversion+ $1,499 standard. Performance $2,999 for "pricing page + 2 variants" briefs.

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"Must have built a SaaS pricing page that converted at X%" with no realistic budget - they want enterprise expertise at junior rates
"Long-term partnership opportunity" with $300 starter project - bait
Demand for proof of "10+ SaaS clients" - we don't have that yet; skip rather than oversell

Win patterns¶

Reference our Stridepay spec page (when built)
Mention the demand-side stat: "67% of SaaS pricing pages we've audited bury the price - I'd put it above the fold"
Propose A/B testing the headline or CTA as part of Tier 2 (clients rarely think of this; differentiates you)

3. E-commerce DTC single-product (Tier 2 - $1,499)¶

Examples: food / drink brands, cosmetics, fashion, single-product launches, supplements.

Brief patterns¶

"Landing page for product launch - paid social traffic"
"Shopify product page redesign for higher conversion"
"Build a high-converting LP for our new [product]"
Budget $500-$3K fixed, often paired with paid ad budget mentioned
Often Shopify-based (which we've rejected) OR custom (which we take)
Mention specific platforms (Meta Ads, TikTok Ads)

Features they actually need¶

Hero product image (large, bright, well-lit)
Hero video (background loop or short product demo - 26% demand)
Reviews / star rating (aggregate + individual quotes)
Add-to-cart CTA prominent + sticky on scroll
Shipping + returns policy above fold or near CTA
Recognised payment logos (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna)
Mobile-first absolutely critical (60%+ of paid social traffic is mobile)
UGC (user-generated content) photos if available

Features they DON'T need (depending on product)¶

Long-form sales copy (DTC product pages run 3-7 sections, not 20)
Heavy form fields (just email if email-capture; otherwise straight to checkout)
A/B testing on simple impulse-buy products (test only on $50+ AOV)

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Aggregate review rating + count above fold (e.g. "4.7 from 1,892 reviews")
Recognised payment logos near CTA
Shipping + returns policy prominent
Real customer photos in reviews (UGC stronger than text-only)
Money-back guarantee with clear terms

Copy tone¶

Warm, brand-led, sensory - tactile language matters
"Tastes like a roast on Sunday" beats "Premium-quality ingredients"
"Soft enough to sleep in" beats "Comfortable fabric"
Active voice, present tense

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"How long does shipping take?"
"What if I don't like it?"
"Where do you ship?"
"What's it made of?" (for food / cosmetics)
"Is it suitable for [allergy / preference / use case]?"

Pricing reality¶

DTC briefs vary wildly - established brands pay $2K-$5K, new founders try $300-$800
Recommended tier: Conversion+ $1,499 with hero video standard
Add-on Stripe checkout +$399 if they want direct payment on the LP

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"Must use Shopify / Replo / Wix" - hard reject (per portfolio.md)
$200 budget with "must look premium" - mismatch
Demand for product photography or video production - refer out (not our scope)

Win patterns¶

Reference Saltcastle spec page (when built)
Mention you'll preserve their brand voice (not impose generic SaaS feel)
Promise mobile-first build with explicit Lighthouse 90+ on mobile

4. Healthcare / wellness (Tier 2 - $1,499)¶

Examples: mental health apps, wellness coaching, fitness platforms, telemedicine, therapy.

Brief patterns¶

"Need a landing page for our wellness app"
"Mental health platform - lead gen page"
"Telemedicine clinic - book consultation page"
Budget $1K-$3K fixed
Often mention HIPAA (US) or GDPR (UK/EU) compliance
Sometimes mention CQC (UK Care Quality Commission)

Features they actually need¶

Clinician advisory board / credentials (named, registered, photographed)
Booking widget (Calendly or custom calendar)
Regulatory badges (HIPAA, CQC, GDC, BACP, etc as appropriate)
Calm CTAs ("Start your free assessment" not "GET STARTED NOW")
Privacy reassurance prominently (your data is safe + how)
Educational content sections (FAQ + "What to expect")

Features they DON'T need¶

Scarcity urgency ("Only 3 spots left!" reads scammy in healthcare)
Pop-ups for email capture (intrusive in trust-sensitive vertical)
Aggressive sales copy
Stock photography of "happy generic people"

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Clinician credentials above fold (named + registered + photo)
Regulatory badge prominent (HIPAA / CQC / etc as appropriate)
Patient outcomes data when ethically + legally allowed
Press coverage from credible health publications
Calm guarantee / refund policy

Copy tone¶

Calm, supportive, professional
No hype language. No "REVOLUTIONARY breakthrough"
"Designed with clinicians" beats "Revolutionary AI-powered therapy"
Empathy in copy - acknowledge the problem before pitching the solution
"Therapy can feel daunting. We make the first step easier." (good)
"FINALLY - The therapy app that ACTUALLY works!" (bad)

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"Is my data private?"
"Are your clinicians qualified?"
"Will my insurance cover this?"
"What if I'm not ready / not sure if I need it?"
"How is this different from [Headspace / Calm / BetterHelp]?"

Pricing reality¶

Established healthcare brands pay $2K-$5K for properly-credentialed LPs
New founders try to pay $500-$1K; less worth our time given the compliance overhead
Recommended tier: Conversion+ $1,499 standard
Add-on Calendly widget +$99
Add-on custom cookie banner +$199 (compliance-sensitive vertical)

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"Must be HIPAA-compliant build" without budget over $3K (this is technical work that we'd need extra time for)
Claims of "cures" or "guaranteed health outcomes" - regulatory risk, skip the client entirely
Anti-medical-establishment language - signals fringe / supplements grifter, not legitimate healthcare

Win patterns¶

Reference Calmkit spec page (when built)
Mention the regulatory/compliance literacy ("I'll make sure your cookie banner gates the analytics scripts properly per UK GDPR")
Promise a calm tone that doesn't undermine clinical credibility
Offer to coordinate with their compliance/legal team during build

5. Course / coaching / info product (Tier 1 / Tier 2 - $499 / $1,499)¶

Examples: cohort courses, online courses, coaching programs, membership communities.

Brief patterns¶

"Sales page for my course launch"
"Landing page for cohort signup"
"Coaching program lead-gen page"
Budget $500-$3K fixed, sometimes hourly
Often mention specific platforms (Kajabi - we reject, Teachable, Circle, etc)
Often founder-led / personal-brand-led

Features they actually need¶

Founder / coach personal brand above fold (photo + 1-line credibility)
Specific student outcomes with names + timeframes + before/after metrics
Curriculum / week-by-week breakdown
Cohort dates + countdown timer if time-bounded
3-5 price tiers (Early bird / Standard / Premium) is common
Long-form sales page (creator economy expects this)
Money-back guarantee with explicit terms
Anti-objection paragraph addressing "I'm not [smart / experienced / ready] enough"

Features they DON'T need¶

Heavy enterprise trust signals (SOC 2 etc - not relevant)
A/B testing on $200 courses (volume too low to test meaningfully)
Complex integrations (one form → email list → checkout is the standard flow)

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Founder / creator personal brand above fold (photo + 1-line credibility)
Aggregate student outcomes ("Trained 1,200+ founders since 2023")
3-5 named student case studies with photos + before/after specifics
Money-back guarantee (outcome-tied is strongest)
Press / podcast appearances if relevant

Copy tone¶

Personal-voice (founder writing in first person)
Story-led - "Three years ago I was where you are now"
Specific transformations described
First-person OK in long-form sales pages (different from B2B SaaS)
Match the founder's existing brand voice (read their Twitter / YouTube / podcast)

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"I don't have time for this"
"I've tried courses before and they didn't work"
"Is this for [beginners / advanced]?"
"What if it doesn't work for my specific situation?"
"Why is this more expensive than [other course]?"

Pricing reality¶

Course pages range $500-$3K depending on length + integration needs
Recommended tier: Essential $499 for short squeeze pages with founder voice
Conversion+ $1,499 for full sales pages with video + CRM integration
Add-on hero video +$199 (creator economy clients almost always want video)
Add-on Stripe checkout +$399 if they want direct purchase

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"Must use Kajabi / Teachable / Thinkific" (hard reject)
"Guaranteed to make you $X in Y days" claims from the client - sketchy
No track record of past students - the offer is the founder; if they have no proof, the page can't be built honestly

Win patterns¶

Reference Ship & Tell spec page (when built)
Mention you'll preserve their personal voice (not generic SaaS feel)
Propose long-form sales page structure (creator clients expect this)
Offer to coordinate with their existing email platform for course delivery

6. Lead-gen for professional services (Tier 1 - $499)¶

Examples: solicitors, accountants, financial advisors, business consultants, conveyancers, IP lawyers.

Brief patterns¶

"Landing page to generate consultation requests"
"Need a lead-gen page for my [profession] practice"
Budget $300-$1,500 fixed
Often older / traditional businesses
Usually mention Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads as the traffic source

Features they actually need¶

Regulatory authorisation badge prominent (SRA / FCA / ICAEW / etc as appropriate)
Founder / partner photos with credentials mid-page
Specific client outcomes ("Saved a client £47K in HMRC penalties")
Free consultation CTA as the standard offer
Booking widget (Calendly) for the consultation
FAQ around the process (clients want to know what happens next)
Years in business if 5+

Features they DON'T need¶

Hero video (rarely used in professional services - keep it conservative)
Aggressive scarcity / urgency tactics
Stock photos of generic people in suits (trust-killer)
Live chat (consultations happen by phone or in-person, not chat)

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Regulatory authorisation badge above fold (SRA / FCA / etc)
Founder / partner photos with credentials mid-page
Specific client outcomes (with anonymisation where required)
Years in business locally
Free consultation guarantee as risk-reduction

Copy tone¶

Trust-heavy, plain, jargon-free
"We help small businesses cut their tax bill, lawfully"
"Buying a house? We handle the legal bit, fixed fee, no surprises."
Avoid legalese - they're paid to translate it, the LP should too
Conservative but human

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"How much will it cost?"
"How long does the process take?"
"Are you regulated?"
"What if [specific situation] applies to me?"
"Why use you over [competitor]?"

Pricing reality¶

Solicitors / accountants will pay $500-$2K for a properly-credentialed lead-gen LP
Often have existing brand identity that must be respected (logos, partner branding)
Recommended tier: Essential $499 standard
Add-on Calendly widget +$99 for consultation booking
Add-on CRM integration +$249 if they use Pipedrive / HubSpot

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

Anti-establishment / anti-regulator language - signals problematic client
Promises of "guaranteed outcomes" in legal / financial work - regulatory risk
"We don't need to mention our regulator" - either they're not regulated (skip) or they don't understand trust signals (we educate, then bid)

Win patterns¶

Reference Northfield Conveyancing spec page (when built)
Mention regulatory-compliant cookie banner inclusion
Demonstrate understanding of their professional regulator (SRA's rules on advertising, FCA's financial promotions rules, etc)
Propose specific consultation booking flow over generic contact form

7. PPC system flagship (Tier 3 - $2,999)¶

Examples: agencies running paid traffic, in-house marketers, ecom brands at scale.

Brief patterns¶

"PPC landing page system for our ad campaigns"
"Need multiple landing pages for A/B testing"
"Conversion-focused landing page for paid traffic" + "ongoing optimisation"
Budget $2K-$10K fixed
Often explicitly mention CRO, A/B testing, tracking
High client sophistication

Features they actually need¶

Multiple page variants (3 is standard) for systematic testing
Multi-step form OR quiz OR calculator to segment leads
Full tracking stack (GA4 + GTM + Meta Pixel + Google Ads + LinkedIn Insight + CRM)
A/B testing infrastructure (Vercel edge config, 1+ tests over 30 days)
Attribution dashboard (Looker Studio template)
Multi-channel notification routing (email + Slack + CRM with conditional logic)
Performance summary reporting (weekly email)

Features they DON'T need¶

Anything that contradicts the system thinking (1-off page, no testing)
Stock photography
Generic copy

Trust signal stack (priority order)¶

Aggregate stats above fold ("Generated 12,847 qualified leads at $4.15 CPL")
Recognised client logos (B2B SaaS or ecom brand-name logos)
Specific named case studies with before/after metrics + timeline
Founder / team credentials (if early-stage agency)
Technical credibility (mention specific tools, integrations, methodology)

Copy tone¶

Sophisticated, data-led, confident
Numbers and specifics over vague promises
"23%+ form conversion rate, validated across 4 LPs" beats "high-converting"
Direct, no fluff - their audience is other marketers/agency people who hate marketing-speak

Common objections to address in FAQ¶

"How is this different from just using Unbounce?"
"What's the time investment from my team?"
"Can you integrate with [our specific stack]?"
"What's the ongoing cost after the initial build?"
"What if we don't see results in 30 days?"

Pricing reality¶

Agencies / sophisticated marketers WILL pay $2K-$5K for a system, not a page
Often come with paid-media budgets attached (their ads are spending $5K-$50K/mo)
Recommended tier: Performance $2,999 standard
Add-on Stripe +$399 if they sell direct
Add-on custom cookie banner integration (Iubenda etc) +$199

Red flags (skip the bid)¶

"Need 10 landing pages for $500" - mismatch
"We want unlimited revisions over 6 months" - scope explosion
Agency client expecting white-label without disclosure - we don't white-label

Win patterns¶

Reference FlowDesk spec page (when built)
Demonstrate technical credibility (mention specific tools, methodology, attribution thinking)
Propose the 30-day optimisation plan as integral to the system, not an add-on
Offer to coordinate with their existing media buyer / analytics team

Cross-vertical quick reference¶

Vertical	Recommended tier	Standard delivery	Key add-on(s)	Skip if mandatory
Local service	Essential $499	48hr	Calendar +$99	WordPress, Wix
B2B SaaS pricing	Conversion+ $1,499	5 days	A/B test, CRM	Webflow
E-commerce DTC	Conversion+ $1,499	5 days	Stripe +$399, video	Shopify, Replo
Healthcare	Conversion+ $1,499	5 days	Calendly, cookie integration	Vague "AI cure" claims
Course / coaching	Essential or Conversion+	48hr or 5 days	Video, Stripe	Kajabi, Teachable
Professional services	Essential $499	48hr	Calendly, CRM	Unregulated practice
PPC system	Performance $2,999	14 days	(Tier 3 includes most)	Unbounce-only briefs

Status¶

Phase 0.5 of strategy/upwork/todo.md. Designed to be loaded as system prompt for Lovable + the client-research Claude skill. Used in tandem with landing-page-conversion-design.md, landing-page-copy.md, trust-signals.md, client-research-method.md.

Update with any new patterns observed across 5+ bids in a vertical. Don't add patterns based on a single bid - they're not validated.