ClickFunnels Review
Best Landing Pages & Sales Funnels

Want to read an unbiased ClickFunnels review from someone that took a lot of convincing to truly see the power of this landing page builder?

So this article was initially going to be on landing page builder software and SaaS services but on reflection, I came to the decision there is only one tool worth discussing.

That tool is Click Funnels by Russel Brunson, a true master of the internet marketing craft and service loved by thousands of marketers.

The reason it took me so long to see the benefits was that I have always built WordPress websites and for me, in most cases, I would just build an attractive landing page using WordPress.

However, not everyone wants to build their own website and often there are offers you might want to promote that don't fit under any of the websites you own.

So a quick and affordable way to get started in a matter of hours with affiliate programs or offers is to just turn to ClickFunnels instead.

Before we get stuck into this, if you are in a rush and want a short review and whether I would recommend ClickFunnels then the answer is a solid yes!

and you can try their 14 day completely free trial to decide for yourself.

However, there is a caveat.

ClickFunnels may not be for you if you are very comfortable building equally attractive sales packages using WordPress and already have a WP website set up in the niche you are promoting. In these instances, I personally stick with WordPress but there are many instances where that isn't the case and when that is the case ClickFunnels is my go-to.

What is ClickFunnels

As mentioned above ClickFunnels is a landing page builder that allows people to create sales pages online without the need to have a domain name, hosting and your own website built with something like WordPress.

But ClickFunnels isn't just landing page builder software, you can build a complete sales funnel from the landing page which is the entry point all the way through to the checkout and then members area.

Instead, you host your page on the ClickFunnels domain and use their software to build and design your page and fill out your content.

The other advantage here is that it's extremely easy to use and somebody who is a complete beginner to internet marketing and running a business online will definitely find this the path of least resistance when getting started.

ClickFunnels is packaged with tools to help you get the most out of your sales page that includes integrations with popular third-party services.

These integrations include payment processors like Paypal and Stripe, Email autoresponders like Aweber and MailChimp, and social media sites, customer relationship management tools and much more through automation provider Zapier.

These tools offer a lot of flexibility and power when wanting to automate and connect your essential services with your landing pages.

You can of course also add custom code and your typical elements to any pages to ensure your landing page has superpowers.

When it comes to the design aspect of your page ClickFunnels comes with a good collection of pre-designed templates you can use to get started that allows you to customize nearly every element.

But I Use WordPress...

So do I, and if you are running a complete website and promoting an offer or product related to your website's topic then it may be easier for you to stick to what you know and just create a new page on your WP install and use that.

In addition, you can also use a WordPress page builder like Elementor or Beaver Builder to create dynamic pages with a drag and drop editor.

There are however instances where ClickFunnels makes more sense.

If you aren't comfortable creating a unique and engaging sales page that will convert using WordPress, some themes don't have the tools required to customize your layout and add the features needed and some website owners lack the skills and patience.

If you don't have a domain name, hosting or website then it will be a lot quicker to get started with ClickFunnels.

You are outsourcing the design and development of your landing pages to a virtual assistant that lacks development skills and will find ClickFunnels much easier to learn.

If you want an easy way to sell physical or digital products online without building an eCommerce store using Shopify or WooCommerce.

You might be like me where you do have a website but sometimes you want to promote something that doesn't really seem relevant to one of your websites and you don't have the motivation to create a full website around that niche.

All of the above are perfectly reasonable scenarios where ClickFunnels is going to be the best tool for building your landing pages.

There are also scenarios where you might want to use ClickFunnels in collaboration with a WordPress website.

There are plugins to allow you to connect ClickFunnels to WordPress and sometimes you might want to use a WordPress website for your blog and website but keep your sales pages separate and not connected to your website directly, this is where ClickFunnels comes in.

Here's the ClickFunnels Advert that gives you a quick overview with a little splash of humor to boot.

Benefits of ClickFunnels

So what are the key advantages for an internet marketer when it comes to using ClickFunnels?

• No hosting required.
• Nothing to install, everything runs in the cloud.
• Low barrier to entry, easy to use drag and drop page builder.
• One of the best lead generation tools on the market created by one of the world's experienced internet marketers.
• If you are making just 1 or 2 pages it will be much cheaper than hiring a web designer.
• Lots of integrations for payment processing and automation.
• Connect to your favorite autoresponder services.
• Membership Functionality.
• Sell digital and physical products or even your online courses.
• ClickFunnels lets you build complete sales funnels, not just landing pages.
• Free templates and sales funnels built for you.
• Split testing tools for A/B split testing different pages.
• Conversion tracking analytics and insights to monitor funnel performance.
• Optionally add a custom domain.
• Ideal for creating pages to direct traffic to from paid ads.
• Fantastic support that responds usually within a few hours.
• $97 per month for an all-in-one marketing suite.
• Bonuses include swipe files and follow-up funnels.

There aren't many drawbacks or cons to using ClickFunnels provided the tool is going to solve a need in your web business but if I was to pick out a few we could include the following.

• Maybe not ideal if you are a WordPress expert with a penchant for using a WordPress page builder plugin.
• As with any cloud services you need to be online to use it but that's the same with WP unless you edit locally but that is rare.
• No live chat support, I must admit I do like instant live chat support from my SaaS services when possible, particularly with web hosting in case things ever go down, I want an instant response.
• If the ClickFunnels servers were to go down then so would your landing page.
• Ugly URLs/Permalinks, however, this is only if you aren't using your own custom domain name and you can use an URL shortener service to make them easier to share.
• It's an additional recurring expense, though if used properly should represent a fraction of what you can generate in income.

Learning ClickFunnels

Learning how to use ClickFunnels is a lot easier than other tools and because they have a series of videos and learning resources it's easy to work your way through and quickly become proficient with the tools.

On their Youtube channel, they host regular webinars to help make sure the community is able to benefit from the latest ideas, tactics, and features and there's a large user base you can rely on to help in the forum.

As a ClickFunnels member, you can expect to learn a lot more than how to create beautiful sales pages as you will also learn the tips and tricks the experts use when building their sales funnels, lead magnets, follow up series, and content giveaways so you can improve your ability to create an end to end sales funnel that converts like gangbusters.

ClickFunnels uses a drag and drop approach which is very intuitive even to the absolute newbie and CF execute this well as their tool is very easy to use.

I have seen students pick up ClickFunnels in a matter of hours and producing fantastic-looking pages that are converting as they could only dream of before.

Who is ClickFunnels for?

ClickFunnels is a tool worth adding to your marketing and sales toolkit if you are:

• Marketing products online and running ads and don't have a website.
• Marketing lots of offers and products that span a wide range of niches and can't be organized properly with one or two websites so is far easier to just use sales pages.
• If you are testing an offer and not sure if you can justify investing in building a niche website dedicated to this industry.
• If you are committed to putting in the time required to build the funnels and generate traffic to make sure you can justify the $97 monthly cost.
• You are struggling with WordPress and other landing page builders and need something that is easy and has a full feature set.
• You are able to generate at least several hundred per month from sales or affiliate commissions.
• SME's and individuals who do paid advertising.
• Consultants who want to build a group or membership platform effortlessly.

Who isn't ClickFunnels for?

There are some people ClickFunnels may not be suitable for.

• Absolute beginners who don't yet have an offer or a plan for how to make money online yet.
• People starting out and on an extremely tight budget. If you spend $97 a month you need to be making sure you can cover the costs fairly quickly and make sure your profits aren't all eaten up by shiny tools.
• Those who are already satisfied with using WordPress and can create attractive and high converting squeeze pages with a WP Page builder plugin.

Ultimately ClickFunnels is going to be a game-changing tool for 80% of marketers and entrepreneurs out there who want to save time and achieve better results.

How Does ClickFunnels Work?

As mentioned ClickFunnels comprises several tools that allow you to create beautiful landing pages and highly engaging sales funnels.

You can create a ClickFunnels sales funnel in 8 simple steps.

#1 Select a Pre-Built Sales Funnel Template

ClickFunnels contains 22 different types of sales funnels that you can use to get started, these range from simple 2 step funnels for PDF giveaways to more detailed funnels with several stages.

You can browse these templates by industry or funnel type and each contains unique options which definitely help for inspiration.

#2 Choosing Your Design

Once your sales funnel is selected you then need to choose a design template that fits your needs.

There are plenty of options to choose from that will suit nearly every niche and market sector and they are updated regularly.

All of the designs have been battle-tested by Russel and his team of experts to make sure they are scientifically proven to convert.

#3 Organize and Rearrange Your Funnel

Once your funnel and design have been selected you can completely customize the order, remove unnecessary stages of the funnel or add new ones if the funnel you have chosen is nearly how you want it but you wish to add additional steps.

ClickFunnels makes it extremely easy to completely modify your funnel and switch out anything that doesn't suit your needs and replace it with a more relevant page.

#4 Edit The Content

After you have the overall framework of your sales funnel setup it's time to dive in and start customizing the contents.

You can change every element of each stage including text, videos, images, buttons and the design and layout.

Adjust colors and add custom CSS to get your pages to perfectly match your branding and design taste.

#5 Add Products

Once your content is all on-point you can optionally add in products you want to sell, set the price and connect payment gateways.

ClickFunnels a complete shopping cart solution built-in that supports multiple payment methods.

You may skip this step if you are promoting affiliate offers rather than your own products and simply want to place your affiliate links in the sales funnel pages instead.

#6 Split Testing

Don't underestimate the importance of A/B split testing and how it can help you drastically increase your conversion rate and as a result your profits.

The thing that puts most people off running numerous tests on different versions of a sales page or email follow-up is due to how laborious this task used to be, but with ClickFunnels it's really a painless process that you will find a lot of benefit in using.

#7 Create Email Follow Up Sequences

Now you can create email sequences and automated text messages that go out to new customers, or when people sign up for a PDF or webinar.

You can also use segmentation options to group your list by different criteria to make your follow-ups more intelligent and increase the conversion rate.

There are lots of criteria you can use to decide whether people on your list receive certain messages such as whether they purchased, or just saw a page but didn't purchase, and so on.

#8 Launch Checklist & Lift Off

Once you have completed all of the other steps in building your sales funnel, landing page, and email sequence you will be prompted to go through a launch checklist to ensure you have completed all of the steps before you put your new campaign live.

Congratulations, you have created your first ClickFunnel! Pat yourself on the back, you are on the road to building and equally importantly retaining your audience.

#9 Tracking Stats and Performance

Once your campaign is live and has been running for long enough to gather some data you will be able to perform detailed analysis on your sign-ups, leads, sales, and other criteria that can help you tweak your funnel and improve results.

Use your analytics and reporting within the dashboard combined with split testing on an ongoing basis to ensure you are maximizing your profit potential.

Examples of ClickFunnel Use Cases

Okay so let's look at a couple of examples of how a sales funnel would work with ClickFunnels

Webinar Sign Up Funnel

#1 Landing Page - New visitor lands on your landing page and signs up with their email address.

#2 Thank You Email - Providing information on the link to the webinar if it's a replay or the time and date if it's an upcoming live webinar.

#3 Webinar Page - A landing page where you can embed your webinar or link people to shortly before the webinar with a link to your webinar URL.

Selling an eBook Funnel

#1 Landing Page - New visitor lands on your landing page with information about the eBook and can purchase from this page.

#2 Order Form - An order form page where the visitor can complete their purchase.

#3 Thank You Page - A page the customer is redirected to where they can access their eBook download.

#3.2 A Thank You Email - An email receipt and another way to provide the customer with a link to their product.

Membership Sales Funnel

#1 Landing Page - New visitor lands on your landing page with information about the membership and can purchase from this page.

#2 Order Form - An order form page where the visitors can complete their purchase.

#3 Membership Login - Customer is redirected to a page where they can log in to the membership area.

#3.2 A Thank You Email - An email receipt and the customers' membership details.

#4 Membership Area - The user logs in and now has access to the membership they purchased.

In all of these sales funnel the visitor can be tagged in your email list as 'product purchased' and you can add them into another sales funnel for another product or upsell at a later date to maximize the lifetime value (LTV) of your customers.

ClickFunnels Comparisons

So how does ClickFunnels compare to other tools?

WordPress Page Builders

Compared to using WordPress page builders like Beaver Builder, Thrive, Architect, Divi, and Elementor all I can say is there is a far shorter learning curve in getting used to the tools and creating beautiful looking high converting land pages.

I am a massive fan of WordPress and page builder plugins, however, I have to admit for the beginner or non-technical web entrepreneur it is far easier to get started using ClickFunnels and I have seen many more students achieve fast results opting for this approach.

If you have a domain you can still use it with ClickFunnels too so if using an unbranded URL is putting you off that shouldn't be a concern.

ClickFunnels vs LeadPages

Leadpages is another great tool for building landing pages but doesn't really compete directly with ClickFunnels because it lacks a lot of the sales funnels aspects and really tries to specialize as a landing page builder only.

Even as a landing page builder, over the last few years, it has become clear to me that there is no comparison as ClickFunnels is far easier to use and more flexible.

Leadpages allows you to create attractive landing pages and is easy to use too but lacks the power and end-to-end functionality that ClickFunnels provides with its range of integrations.

ClickFunnels features a built-in autoresponder and affiliate management tools whereas Leadpages doesn't.

Leadpages also lacks any eCommerce facilities natively built-in and has lackluster analytics and reporting tools.

Leadpages is probably the best alternative to ClickFunnels but really only replaced the Etison editor ClickFunnels use as their drag and drop page builder. ClickFunnels contains several other tools that make it more of a suite or toolkit than a single piece of software.

How to send traffic to your ClickFunnels pages

A few people have asked how you actually generate traffic to your pages, offers and sales funnels on ClickFunnels and this will depend on what you do and your experience but generally these are some of the most common examples of how people drive actual human beings to their ClickFunnels pages.

Blogging

One of the most common ways to drive traffic to a landing page is through blogging.

This could involve blogging on your own website and then linking to your landing page but you will likely get better results blogging on third-party platforms like Medium, doing guest posts on authority websites, or answering questions via the form of blog format answers on Quora.

YouTube

YouTube videos are another great way to get exposure to your landing page.

You can link to your landing page in your description and because YouTube frowns on directly linking to affiliate offers ClickFunnels serves as the perfect halfway house where you can get your visitors to leave their email address.

Social Media

If you have a large social media following then a great way to monetize that traffic is to build an email list that you actually own. This is why many people on social media send people to a sign-up page where they can sign up using their email address.

You don't own your social media profile and these platforms are known for changing the rules and squeezing profits away from influencers.

Building an email list is taking the power back since you have full control over this marketing medium.

Email Lists

You might already have an email list and want to see if your readers are interested in a specific offer or webinar you are hosting.

You can use ClickFunnels as a quick and attractive place to get your email readers to sign up for something new or to buy something from you via your ClickFunnels eCommerce store.

Paid Ads

Paid advertising and PPC Ads (Pay-Per-Click) are another common way users of ClickFunnels drive traffic to their landing pages. Paid advertising offers instant traffic and results and allows you to start testing from day 1.

If you launch a new landing page and want to start generating sign-ups and sales straight away without putting in the hard work and have a budget then this is a great place to start and means you don't have to do lots of blogging and build authority first.

Common Questions

Let's cover some questions that get raised about ClickFunnels.

Can I build a membership site with ClickFunnels?

Yes, one of the main advantages and unique features baked into ClickFunnels is the ability to build membership areas you can use to grow your groups or community and give customers access to gates content and exclusives.

Can I use ClickFunnels with my Shopify Store?

Yes, this is a situation where you might want to have landing pages and a sales funnel separate from your Shopify store to promote deals and special offers. In fact, you can use ClickFunnels as a powerful marketing tool with any eCommerce or dropshipping business including if you sell products through Amazon FBA.

If you are running adverts using Facebook Ads or Google Adwords sending your traffic to a highly optimized landing page to opt-in for an offer is a great way to improve conversions and maximize the effectiveness of your ad spend.

Can I use ClickFunnels in conjunction with my WordPress blog?

Yes, if you want to keep your WordPress install clean and have to create lots of sales pages you can run both side by side for your web page needs.

You can also install a ClickFunnels plugin for WordPress that gives you additional controls and access to your sales funnels from within your WP environment.

What is a good ClickFunnels Alternative?

LeadPages is likely the closest ClickFunnels alternative though the options do differ.

There aren't any other tools that offer all of the same options under one roof however you can build your own landing page system using WordPress and a page builder plugin.

I often opt for WordPress and Beaver Builder or Elementor to build sleek and flexible sales pages for my offers.

How do I get ClickFunnels Training?

The ClickFunnels package includes a plethora of learning resources from professional ClickFunnels experts and consultants. This includes videos, documentation, a support forum, and their support ticket system.

Did you know, ClickFunnels even have a Retire in 100 Days Affiliate Bootcamp? This might be another great way to learn how to master the art of affiliate marketing and sales funnels at the same time.

Can you use ClickFunnels for a membership site?

Yes, this is one of the unique benefits of ClickFunnels that gives it an edge over tools like WordPress and other page builders as their membership area is professional, user-friendly, and allows you to create a gated community for your leads or customers.

Building a membership website with WordPress, for example, is quite an involved process that in most cases will require you to hire a professional to help but with ClickFunnels you can have your own free or paid for membership area in an hour or two.

How do I make money with ClickFunnels?

There are many ways to use ClickFunnels to make money online.

1. You can use it to sell your digital or physical products
2. You can use it to sell membership access or online courses
3. You can use it to promote affiliate programs and offers.
4. You can use it to build your email list to monetize later
5. You can promote ClickFunnels tools as an affiliate to other marketers and entrepreneurs.

So there you have it, 5 examples of ways you can use ClickFunnels as one of the major ingredients in different sales funnels.

Can I Use ClickFunnels for Webinars?

Yes and no, you can use it as a tool to bring traffic to your webinar and generate signups but you would use an alternative service to actually create and host the actual webinar video and chat. Since most webinar tools provide embed code options you can usually add your webinar to the landing pages you build.

How much does ClickFunnels Cost?

ClickFunnels suite of tools costs $97 per month at the time of writing though promotional discounts may be available seasonally or periodically.

The pricing may seem steep but when you consider the amount of value that is included, the potential returns from highly optimized landing pages and sales funnels it's a great deal.

Not to mention the amount of time you can save compared with reinventing the wheel and building your own HTML or WordPress pages.

Is ClickFunnels a Legit Service or a Scam?

ClickFunnels is 100% legitimate and provides a very powerful service trusted by tens of thousands of users around the world.

ClickFunnels has a very good reputation among marketers however there will always be customers who are disgruntled or purchased it under the illusion it was a complete business in a box and a get rich quick opportunity which it is of course not.

How to build an email list without a website

This is where a tool like ClickFunnels comes into its own and fills a void perfectly. This tool is the best option if you don't have a website and need a landing page tool for collecting email addresses.

Can I cancel ClickFunnels?

Yes, either within the 14-day free trial or afterward you can cancel your subscription and membership at any time no questions asked and you can do so yourself from within the dashboard without having to have any awkward conversations with support staff.

If you cancel during your free trial then you will not be billed and if you cancel once you are a paying customer you will not be billed for the next payment cycle.

ClickFunnels Review Final Thoughts

There are numerous ClickFunnels reviews online but many of them are lacking the detail and real pros and cons to help make an informed decision on whether this software is right for you or not.

Hopefully, this article has gone some way to answering any questions you had.

ClickFunnels is packed with features and integrations and I highly recommend it to anyone new to internet marketing that needs somewhere to drive traffic to and build an email list but while it's an excellent tool there are some situations where you might be better off without.

If you are a WordPress power user and have tools like Beaver Builder, Thrive Architect or Elementor then you can probably do everything ClickFunnels does directly from your favorite CMS.

If like most people you aren't a wordpress expert then this is likely going to be one of the most useful tools in your toolbox for promoting products, services and building an email list of interested leads.

Landing pages are an essential component of lead generation and building a sales funnel and ClickFunnels is one the single best tool out there for creating your sales and squeeze pages.

While ClickFunnels is a premium product, if you don't have the time or money to pay web designers this tool will save you a fortune and allow you to set up your sales pages in no time.

You also get lots of bonuses, education, templates, swipe files, and other resources to help you get started.

A ClickFunnels subscription includes the following:

• ClickFunnels - Smart Funnel Builder ($2,997/yr Value)
• Etison Editor - Simple Webpage Creation ($1,997/yr Value)
• Backpack - Easy Affiliate System ($997/yr Value)
• Actionetics - Follow-Up Funnels ($4,997/yr Value)
• ClickFunnels Member Community (Priceless)
• + Other extras like the Funnels Cookbook PDF.

So you get ClickFunnels and a series of other tools, and pre-built follow-up funnels so even more of the work is done for you.

Sign up here to learn about their 14-day free trial.

Personally, my favorite option is the WordPress funnel builder approach of using Beaver Builder or Elementor but Clickfunnels is still very popular.

If you aren't convinced and need a full website builder then consider WordPress or these WordPress alternatives.