The best ad campaign in the world still reads as a failure if the page you direct that traffic to isn’t converting. 💸

Landing pages are made to encourage users to sign-up, click, subscribe, or buy! So it’s frustrating for you and your audience when you burn through the budget and still wonder,

“Why is my landing page not converting?”

Landing Page Quote Seth Godin Direct Marketing

Landing pages, like direct marketing, let you deliver tailored messages to specific audiences—a plus when you want good results with limited resources.

So we made this list of 11 common landing page problems we see hurt conversion rates and how to fix them.

Your landing page probably has a conversion problem if it:

  1. Is actually a home page
  2. Sends mixed signals
  3. Ignores your brand voice
  4. Shows users ‘The Door’
  5. Is poorly designed
  6. Buries its purpose
  7. Lacks the incentive to convert
  8. Looks like all your competitors
  9. Doesn’t inspire trust
  10. Conflicts with the campaign goal
  11. Asks for too much

Keep reading if you’re ready to make your landing page a success!

🚨Problem #1: The Landing Page is a Home Page  

Visualize your landing page. Maybe it has a beautiful design and intuitive navigation. It could tell website visitors exactly what they need to know about your product or service.

But what if it’s not a landing page at all? 

Stay with me for a moment.

Unfortunately, businesses commonly include homepage-like elements on landing pages.

Problem 1 Landing Page Vs Home Page

You may be doing all the right things and just one or two wrong ones.

Don’t worry–making this mistake does not make you dumb.

What would be dumb? Not freshening up on 3 main differences between a home page and landing page. 😉

🛠️ Solution: understand how landing pages and home pages differ

Anyone who’s tried 2-in-1 shampoo+conditioner knows: it’s just one crappy way to do something twice.

2-in-1 solution

Combining a landing page with a home page? It’s less hybrid-sports-car and more Frankenstein’s monster.

That’s because while both assets are online, their design and purpose differ.

“If you have a website, you should also have a homepage that acts as the storefront for your business.

You need a landing page if you’re trying to meet a focused goal. Landing pages are almost always better at generating leads and making sales than homepages.” — Landing Page Vs. Homepage: What’s The Difference?   

Here are three common differences between a homepage and a landing page:

  • Navigation. Landing pages have no navigation — Homepages do.

Focus landing page visitors on one thing: your CTA. Don’t distract them with portals to other pages!

  • Traffic . Landing page traffic comes from ads — Homepage traffic comes from many sources.

You meet your ideal client at a business conference. Do you send them to the new office intern or your most experienced sales executive? (Hint: your landing page is the sales exec.)

When you’re paying for advertising space, send those clicks to your landing page. It’s more prepared to convert.

  • Goal. Landing pages have a single goal — Homepages promote website browsing.

Homepages should do three things: explain your brand, build trust, and promote engagement. It’s the digital face of your business.

But when you want conversions, landing pages shine.

Landing pages promote a single offer rather than the business generally.

This single-minded focus lifts conversion rates, ensuring a better return on ad spend (ROAS) .

And the next time you’re wondering how much these differences matter?

Just picture the 4% conversion rate of this ClickFunnel’s homepage…

clickfunnel homepage

…compared to the 30% conversion rate of their landing page:

clickfunnel landing page

🚨Problem #2: The Landing Page Sends Mixed Signals

You just spent days perfecting your landing page, and it looks great!

But have you forgotten about where your landing page traffic comes from?

You must create a consistent thread between your ads (traffic source), landing pages, and thank-you pages.

Without it, even a ‘perfect’ landing page feels unfamiliar, untrustworthy, or irrelevant to users.

mixed messages

Is your landing page having a Michael Scott moment? 🥵🥶

As a result, users can’t wait to leave your landing page without converting.

🛠️ Solution: achieve message match

When the design, messaging, and tone are consistent across ads and landing pages, you’ll have achieved message match.

“The goal of message match is to align the experience users get on your page with the expectations they form from your traffic source.”  — CRO Audit: Your 39-Point Guide for 2021

The changes you make to improve message match should bridge the pre-click experience and the landing and thank you pages.

So what are some ways you can create a consistent user experience across your conversion funnel?

To start, you can check:

  • Ad + Landing Page Copy

Use the same language from your ad headline, description, and call-to-action (CTA) button on your landing page.

This display ad and landing page from Lucidchart do a great job of creating message match in the copy.

lucidchart ad

Users who click onto the page from the display ad immediately know what the product is from the headline (organizational chart maker).

Ad Copy vs Landing Page Match

Match words or phrases from the ad headline, description/offer, and CTA to the corresponding landing page.

This page could improve by making the offer presented in the ad–a free 7-day trial–more explicit at the top of the landing page.

I will give them points for including ‘free’ in the Sign Up CTA (copied directly from the ad).

Nonetheless, you’ll want to include this information on your page. This context reinforces the offer and drives home why users want to help you meet the campaign goal.

  • Images

Fun fact: there was nothing wrong with the landing page this Instagram ad links to.

But here’s the thing, the conversion rate on the page likely suffers.

mismatch ad copy

All because the image (for this comfy-looking Knit Jogger) doesn’t lead to a landing page for loungewear. It goes to one for bras.

This ‘whoops’ illustrates how important images are to message match (especially with image-heavy ad formats).

Compare that experience to this Thursdays ad and landing page:

Product Message Match Example

Customize your landing pages to major product SKUs or services

By contrast, this conversion path doesn’t distract users from shopping.

Your ad image just intrigued them enough to leave their scrolling experience. Make it easy for users to find on-page!

So the next time you advertise with an image-heavy ad format, consider:

  • Sending traffic from product-specific ads to product-specific pages.
  • Double-checking all ad creative for relevancy to a campaign (especially multi-image files!)
  • Duplicating images or using the same emotion across ad and landing page creative
  • Impression (The Feeling!)

What’s more effective than matching ad text and images on landing pages?

Synchronizing these elements to make a positive impression or feeling for website visitors. It’s kind of like meeting people.

Think about this:

When users click on your ad, they form assumptions about what they’ll see on your page. 

They imagine how they’ll feel, what they’ll receive, what kind of people the page is for, or what your website will be about.

In other words, users prime themselves to answer a simple question: Is this the right page for me?

The kicker? With landing pages, it takes just 50 milliseconds (ms) for users to decide whether they stay or click away.

curb-your-enthusiasm-larry-david-first-impression

Landing page not converting? Maybe you should work on making a good impression…

Sometimes making a good impression means designing a campaign around a unified theme. It should appeal to a high-value target audience, like Byte does here:

Byte Football Theme Ad Campaign

The landing page mirrors the language, headlines, graphics, and icons from the ad. The theme appeals to a specific audience.

More importantly, aim to align the expectations established with your ad, and the feeling users get on your landing page.

So yes, definitely invest in design. Just make sure that the design resonates with the desires, values, and preferences of the target audience from your traffic source.

This brings us to…

🚨Problem #3: The Landing Page Ignores Your Brand Voice

Ever heard the phrase, “Jekyll and Hyde?”

It’s taken from a 19th-century story about a man possessed by his murderous alter-ego. Hundreds of years later, the split-personality bogeyman continues to play on our fear of the unpredictable.

dwight in office disguises

I can’t trust anything anymore 😭

It turns out landing page users have the same fear. They’ll click away when the tone of a page is inconsistent with the brand they’re familiar with.

Like if someone visited the Linear homepage and one day landed on a job application page that looked like this:

branded landing page spoof example

Linear home page vs. (spoof) job page

That kind of inconsistency gives off major scammy vibes.

In contrast, the Nielsen Norman Group found that consistency builds credibility and trust. So much so that it’s key to successful omnichannel experiences.

Inconsistencies tend to happen a lot when:

  • Businesses without a design team buy downloadable templates from landing page databases
  • Agencies bulk-produce landing pages without market research or brand input from company stakeholders
  • Marketer’s don’t have the bandwidth or design skills to create custom landing page designs for a new campaign

Regardless of how, users demand similar visual design, content, tone, and branding every time they interact with you.

​​🛠️ Solution: redesign with the brand in mind

Regardless of how small, you probably have an online audience. And you talk to that audience often, whether with your homepage, social media account, emails, or ads.

If the rest of your marketing materials are on-brand, all you have to do is use that same voice. A unified voice helps users trust the page enough to move forward and increases brand awareness.

For example, compare Vanguard Spine & Sport’s home page…

homepage-example-vanguardspine

…with the landing page for their weight loss service:

vanguard branded landing page example

The design and tone of the landing page cater to weight loss clients but still calls back to the main website.

It includes a high-quality, visible logo at important page sections above and below the fold. It also includes elements from their brand guide: fonts, color palette, icons, etc.

🚨Problem #4: The Landing Page Shows Users ‘The Door’

Imagine you just spent several days launching your biggest seasonal ad campaign across paid search and paid social. You feel confident about the campaign’s success–look at that killer click-through rate!

But wait, why are conversions so low and cost per acquisition (CPA) so high!?

You set up a click map test on the landing page and realize too late: users are clicking external links before they interact with your primary offer.

And you’re not alone. This graph of 20,000 lead generation landing pages suggests conversion rates continue to fall as the number of links rises.

It doesn’t take much to distract users from your conversion goal and specific message. 

squirrel-doug-distractions

your ad traffic=golden retriever,
links=squirrel!

You’ve worked hard and paid a lot of money to get people on your landing page!

It’s time to stop showing landing page traffic the exit sign.

Instead, follow this cardinal rule: The 1:1 Attention Ratio.

​​🛠️ Solution: use the 1:1 attention ratio 

Unbounce co-founder and digital marketing expert Oli Gardner describes attention ratio as “the ratio of links on a landing page to the number of campaign conversion goals.”

The 1:1 attention ratio keeps users in a conversion path by cutting out external destinations or distractions.

In other words, it’s the ratio of a high-converting landing page.

Any optimized marketing campaign has a single, focused goal. Its landing page should have one call-to-action supporting that goal.

1 to 1 attention ratio Alcatraz Escape Games

This landing page prompts users to complete a single action through one link: Get an Event Quote.

Remember: for every one page, there should be a single place to click. Remove:

  • CTA buttons linking to other offers
  • Links to other pages on your website (e.g., “About Us”)
  • Downloadable links that aren’t your offer (e.g., case study)
  • Navigation bars or menus (see Problem #1)
  • Links to social channels or your blog
  • Links to informational pages, even if they relate to your landing page offer (e.g., “Click here to read more”).

Cut links until a single above-the-fold CTA that supports the campaign goal remains.

“Exceptions” to the 1:1 Attention Ratio 

  1. Repeating CTA buttons

You can repeat the CTA button several times on your landing page, especially when the page is several scrolls long.

repeat CTAs on alcatraz landing page

Repeating the CTA on Alcatraz’s landing page helps undecided users act after receiving the information they need.

“[Repeating the CTA] button gives readers at the bottom of the page an immediate action to take. It also means they don’t have to scroll back up to the top; the decreased friction here will lift conversions.”  — Lead Generation Landing Page

  1. Anchor Tags

Anchor tags are OK to keep as well. In fact, they can improve the user experience. Plus, anchor tags aren’t technically links. They help users navigate a long landing page by bumping them to sections further down the same page.

  1. Lightboxes

A visitor to that same Alcatraz landing page wants to know more about specific escape rooms. They scroll to this section.

Alcatraz Landing Page Example Lightbox

“More Info” text opens up a lightbox with a description and short video about specific escape rooms.

On a traditional webpage, clicking a “More Info” button would redirect them from the booking CTA to a separate info page.

You’d see a significant drop-off: the redirect creates a point of exit for visitors.

Instead, this page’s ‘More Info’ button activates a lightbox. The box has all the info they need without being a distraction or exit point.

Lightboxes help preserve the 1:1 principle without bogging down the page with helpful details that may not be relevant for all users.

🚨Problem #5: The Landing Page is Poorly Designed

We get it. You have a lot about your business you’d like to cover on your landing page!

But a messy page overwhelms visitors to your landing page and hurts the user experience.

Instead, focus on simplicity:

  • Cut down drawn-out “About Us” sections
  • Shorten your description copy. Now make it even shorter.
  • Condense text blocks to bullet points
  • Increase font sizes to 12 pt. or larger (it should be visible from far away!)
  • Protect negative space
  • Trash detailed “More info” sections or convert it into optional lightbox links
  • Keep essential elements–like branding, a headline, and CTA button–alone above the fold
  • Follow the 1:1 attention ratio & landing page rules

​​🛠️ Solution: cut out the clutter

A typical landing page layout will have some of these elements:

  • Above the fold:
    • Company logo
    • Main Headline
    • A brief description of the offer
    • Call To Action (CTA)
    • Image or graphic that supports the offer
  • Below the Fold:
    • A longer description of your service or offer
    • Social Proof–includes ratings, customer quotes, client or customer brand logos and testimonials, awards, or certification badges.
    • Product or service image/icon
    • A form with a CTA button (can be above the fold or omitted)
    • A Benefits section–includes specific benefits and context to the offer; answers “what you’ll get,”
  • Footer, or “Last Call”
    • Headline summarizing the offers most compelling benefits
      • E.g., “Are you ready to get back to a pain-free life? Schedule an appointment today to get started.”
    • Final CTA
    • Company logo
    • Privacy policy (that does not redirect from the page)

In less than three scrolls, this page hits every element from our landing page checklist:

landing-page-streamlined-lineardesign-get-facebook-audiences-cheat-sheet

  • Displays the offer and its features
  • Lists benefits
  • Covers social proof
  • Establishes trust
  • Reduces friction
  • Provides controlled route for warmer audiences to learn more about Linear’s core services

In other words, the page only provides what is necessary. Keep the focus on the campaign goal.

🚨Problem #6: You Bury The Landing Page’s Purpose

Is the purpose of your landing page immediately clear to new users?

Slow-Motion-hit-in-the-head

This obvious ^

Businesses often assume users will read to the end of the page.

In reality, users most likely won’t read beyond the top of the fold (the first part of the landing page visible without scrolling). On an average page, scroll-depth drops 15% per every full scroll down.

This means that your page should say what you want and what users get ASAP.

​​🛠️ Solution: pass the blink test

There are a few ways to improve the clarity of your page.

Start by passing the bink test , also known as the five-second rule. 

Your most valuable information should be immediately available and digestible at a glance.

At the end of the 5 seconds, users should know:

  • That your landing page is relevant (the headline)
  • What they get (the offer, a short description, hero image)
  • That you’re trustworthy (branding, sometimes social proof)
  • What you want them to do (CTA)

Place other information further down. This includes supporting arguments and information.

I tried the blink test out myself with this Zendesk ad for the “Best CRM Software.”

I landed on this page, took a 5-second look, and wrote out the highlights.

zendesk 5 second rule

What I got, in order:

  • Close more deals
  • ChartMogul, Freshly, Staples
  • Boost sales team efficiency
  • Make better decisions
  • Start your free trial

I wish they made the offer (a free trial) more prominent and matched the message between the ad and landing page headlines. Also, the CTA button would stand out more if the size and color stood out from the client logos.

But besides all that, the page does enough to keep my attention.

The benefits are clear and compelling, and the page is short enough to focus on the second CTA button.

Mostly, it makes sense, which is what you should aim to do too.

🚨Problem #7: The Landing Page Offer Lacks Urgency

Your users are real people–and they have a lot going on in their day.

So when they click your ad and see your landing page offer, what incentive is there for them to act right now ?

If the copy or elements on your landing page suggest users can act on your offer whenever they want to, the chances of immediate conversion go down.

​​🛠️ Solution: add scarcity 

If you want to persuade traffic to convert immediately, sprinkle in some scarcity.

Whether real or perceived, introducing a limit (in time or supply) to your offer creates a feeling of urgency in potential customers.

Still can’t picture it? Just imagine a swarming mob of Black Friday shoppers on the night of Thanksgiving.

black friday impact of scarcity

The power of scarcity.

Additionally, scarcity messaging causes consumers to rate products as more unique and valuable . The higher valuation makes them more satisfied with their purchase.

Here are a few ways you can add scarcity to your landing page:

  • Limited time offers, including ‘flash offers.’
  • Expiration dates on discount codes
  • Countdown clocks
  • Reduced trial periods (e.g., 14 vs. 30-days)
  • Trigger words like hurry, now , limited , or few

Our designers used a few of these tactics in our landing page for Audible Genius.

Audible Genius Scarcity

After adding scarcity, the page had a 40% conversion rate for the digital course sales.

Scarcity works on non-product offers as well.

If you’re advertising an event or webinar, highlight seat limitations or how many spots remain (just be honest!). You can also emphasize the time, money, or opportunity lost by not booking or calling you.

Need more ideas? Just take a look at the brands doing it best, like Amazon.

Amazon scarcity example

Amazon: “Better buy this within 4 hrs 43 minutes to get this ASAP!”

I’m embarrassed to admit how many things I’ve bought because the items were only “safe in my cart for 1 hour,” so I’ll move on. 🙃

Note: be careful not to underdeliver on your promise. Scarcity can harm your brand in the long run by reducing brand loyalty for those who miss out on the offer ( source ).

🚨Problem #8: The Landing Page is Forgettable

You’ll eventually advertise to an audience that wants to buy. But that audience isn’t sure why they should buy from you .

It’s typical of mid-funnel audiences to “window shop.”

Users will often pick the brand with whom they’re most familiar if your landing page doesn’t stand out. 😔

​​🛠️ Solution: use USPs and the customer’s story 

Are you in a competitive market and struggling to stand out?

There are a few ways to make your landing page more compelling and memorable for your ideal audience. And it all starts with honing in on your audience’s experience.

Then making your landing page copy all about them.

1. Highlight what is unique about your offer: 

What about your landing page offer is unique to your business?

unique selling points landing page headline

If your offer delivers value that your competitors don’t (or can’t!), play it up in your headlines and descriptions.

For example:

  • Shoppers are often hesitant to buy online if they’re unsure about sizing and fit. Nordstrom advertises free tailoring for customers–a unique service that resolves a specific fear.
  • Candid focuses on how they’re the only orthodontist-directed subscription aligner service. If you’re paying for such an expensive treatment, don’t you feel better in the hands of an expert?

Note: Whatever you do, keep it relevant to your target audience!

It’s not a unique selling proposition if that thing is irrelevant to your customer, or it’s something a competitor also does. Additionally, your unique selling proposition should meet a need or help them achieve a goal.

2. Promise them a feeling or transformation:

This landing page headline gives a money-back guarantee. Postclick’s audience has likely struggled to realize an ROI using other digital marketing services. For that audience, Postclick’s assurance is priceless.

offer-a-feeling-landing-page-example

They could have positioned their offer as basic insurance, just like any other company. Instead? They offer safety and security .

It can work for services, too. Instead of a wedding planner offering a consultation, they offer a stress-free roadmap to a memorable ‘big day.’

OLAY isn’t famous for telling people, “we sell face lotion.” Their tagline “Love The Skin You’re In” promises customers a transformation from insecure to confident.

3. Solve their problem

If you have current customers, have you asked them what problem they faced before they hired you? What about how they felt when they finally started seeing progress using your product or service?

Highlight that problem on your landing page.

Mucinex is famous for personifying its customer base’s problems.

Mucinex personified problem

They launched themselves above a sea of cold-medicine competitors by vanquishing mucus gremlins in their marketing materials.

4. Be a trusted guide: 

Lots of people deliver solutions to problems. You can make sure your landing page stands out by positioning yourself as an experienced source with a plan to conquer their problems.

increasing trust landing page example

Are you trusted by millions? Rated #1? Beloved in a specific local area? Let us hear it!

Instapage’s bold headline positions its platform as a best-in-class landing page builder. Phrases like “Try the best landing page builder today” and “the most powerful landing page builder on the market” echo that message.

Pro Tip: be careful that you don’t focus too much on yourself. Make your customer the star of the story.

Your message should just do enough to show you’re an expert at solving their problem.

Take a step back and refocus on your target audience. Let current customers prop you up with social proof (we cover this next 👇).

🚨Problem #9: Your Audience Doesn’t Trust The Landing Page 

When user’s land on your page, one pressing question they have is, “Can I trust them?”

A conversion is a sign of trust from the customer. People invest valuable time and often money to do business with you!

Make sure your landing page does enough to deserve their trust.

When I worked at a SaaS tech startup, enterprise leads would often ask, “what other [their industry] companies use your software?”

  1. That this is a legitimate offer. Not a scam.
  2. That you have proven experience in delivering on the offer
  3. That others like them have trusted you enough to invest in your offer

Landing pages often highlight unique selling points but forget trust-building elements.

​​🛠️ Solution: inject social proof

So how do you show potential customers you’re legit?

Show social proof –elements that represent your current customers’ experience with your business. Social proof builds trust and credibility with users because we instinctively like to follow the actions of others.

Nielsen-Global-Trust-in-Advertising-Survey-Earned-Media

The most trustworthy advertising comes from people we know (source).

Here’s a landing page example from one of our clients. They use social proof to convert users on booking their home restoration service.

trust-signals-elite-restoration-restoration-services-landing-page

This page is chock full of trust signals.

Elite Restoration includes a trusted start-rating front and center above the fold.

More social proof follows:

  • An awards/recognition section
  • Company context
  • Familiar icons (insurance logos)
  • A statistic
  • A customer video testimonial

While your landing page probably doesn’t need this much social proof, it depends on your audience.

Premier Restoration’s demographic values trust signals a lot–we’ve seen as high as a ~23% conversion rate on this page.

Types of Social Proof: 

Here are some simple ways to inject more social proof on your landing page:

  1. Testimonials

Testimonials are simple, brief recommendations from current customers.

Note: don’t pick just any current customer. Feature testimonials on your landing page that represent that page’s target audience.

social-proof-example-edenstrader-artifical-light-workshop

Photographer and business coach Eden Strader does this on her Artificial Light Workshop landing page above.

Maybe the testimonials could be more concise. But the customer images match her target audience of young, female, professional photographers.

Besides adding names, you can also mention age or company titles when relevant to your traffic.

  1. Statistics, data, and numbers

Made a difference to past customers? Quantify that difference and share it on your landing page.

For example:

  • Join the millions of members achieving their goals
  • Proudly serving the metro area for 30+ years
  • 40% reduction in yearly energy costs
  1. Logos

Work with other cool brands? Dropping the logo icon of brands with industry clout, broad recognition, or relevance to your ideal customer is a huge trust booster.

Familiar logos can make a big impact even if they have little to do with the offer. If you can prove that a company like Microsoft invested its trust in you, it goes a long way psychologically.

Do try to make sure the logos are relevant to your audience. If the landing page is for enterprise companies, use enterprise logos, not mom-and-pop brands.

  1. Others

Some others to place on your landing page include:

  • Awards & recognitions
  • Reviews
  • Case study or “success story”–a specific, data-backed analysis of a customer’s problem, the solution you provided, and their results

Social Proof Pro Tip:

You do need reviews, but don’t stress over a perfect 5-star rating!

Which-review-factors-do-consumers-care-most-about-when-choosing-a-local-business-860x492

Overall rating, legitimacy (realness), and recency were the three top review factors in this consumer study by BrightLocal (source).

Focus more on featuring honest, authentic reviews from current customers on your landing page.

Honestly, appearing ‘perfect’ may not serve your conversion rates in the long run.

A joint study by Northwestern University and Power Reviews determined that a ‘perfect’ rating doesn’t equal more sales. The optimal average star ratings sat between 4.2 and 4.5.

Consumers are wary of fake reviews and unrealistic promises. Your audience will appreciate the transparency and mark a few negative reviews as exceptions.

🚨Problem #10: The Landing Page Conflicts With The Campaign Goal

We said it in a solution above: an optimized marketing campaign has a single, focused goal.

But there are a lot of elements on a landing page, each with its own ‘voice.’

Landing page visitors can tell when one or two of those elements are off-pitch.

Oli Gardner Quote - Landing Page Attention Ratio

If you’re not sure what the goal of your campaign is, now is the moment to figure that out.

Then, wrangle in all the pieces of your landing page and make them point to that goal.

Otherwise, it’s like landing in a crowded, noisy room where the only thing that’s marked is the exit sign.

​​🛠️ Solution: unify all landing page elements

Take a look at the landing page that isn’t converting well, and do a little exercise:

  1. At the top of a page, write out your specific campaign goal
  2. Below, list each landing page element (copy, headlines, images, forms, icons)
  3. Summarize each element’s message (literal or implied)
  4. Compare each message to your campaign goal
  5. Ruthlessly change elements that do not align

Hubspot’s landing page for their Social Media Workbook is an excellent example of a clean landing page that supports a single campaign goal:

Hubspot-1-goal-landing-page

The purpose of their campaign is to grow their email list. Users receive a downloadable workbook in exchange for submitting their email with a brief popup form.

Let’s take a look above the fold:

  • Logo and branding: they’re there, which is what matters. I know I can trust the page, but the company doesn’t steal the spotlight.
  • The headline: it’s clear and in a large font. I know exactly what the page is about–the workbook.
  • The main image: a little orange blob draws my eye to the main image, a picture of a workbook, with a title that mirrors the main headline
  • The product description: it’s specific and actionable. It talks directly to the target audience (social media beginners). Additionally, it gives me details about what I get and offers a transformation. I can use the exercises immediately to improve my business.
  • The CTA button: tells me exactly what I’m supposed to do, with urgency. It contrasts with the background.

What’s best about this page is what it doesn’t do.

They eliminated any element that didn’t scream “download this eBook.”

🚨Problem #11: The Landing Page is Too High-Commitment

You never imagined you’d meet the person of your dreams that night. Funny, attractive, a shared passion for bird watching, you’re smitten.

So when they turn to check their phone, you get down on one knee and propose…

high friction CTA and marriage proposal rejection

Proposal on the first date…were we surprised? 😬

Now let’s be honest.

Would you be surprised by a rejection?

And yet, we’re still shocked by low conversion rates after doing the same thing to our landing page traffic.

Paid Traffic Audience Temperature Match

Marketing funnel stages correspond to specific offers. Let your audience guide the CTA.

To a new website visitor, “book a meeting” can feel like “marry me.”

Instead, focus on moving them down your marketing funnel. Deliver valuable offers that match the current stage of your relationship.

​​🛠️ Solution: The Wedge Method

The usual solution is to adjust your offer.

Is your Facebook traffic still in the awareness phase? Create a low-friction marketing offer.

A florist might change a custom order estimate to an informational eBook. “3 Things to Ask Your Bridal Florist Before Signing a Contract.”

Now the audience who downloaded the eBook is a little warmer. She can now retarget them with an ad campaign using the higher friction offer.

BUT–what happens when you can’t change your higher-commitment marketing offer?

In these cases, use The Wedge Method.

Wedge CoachCare Comparison After Wedge Method Conversion Path Optimization

The Wedge Method helped Coachcare get 1647% more conversions for scheduled demos.

The Wedge Method is a campaign optimization technique. It helps you make high-value conversions like demos or bookings by ‘wedging’ those offers in a low-friction conversion path.

“Matching our lead magnet offer to the correct marketing funnel stage increased RPM eBook downloads dramatically.

But more importantly, the wedge technique improved the conversion rate for demo requests, with a lower CPA than the original campaign.”  — The Wedge Method .

You can do it in 5 steps:

Step 1: Understand your conversion funnel.

Step 2: Find the high-friction points causing users to bounce.

Step 3: Use a lead magnet that matches your traffic’s funnel stage to drive your wedge offer

Step 4: Position the wedge in your conversion path

Step 5: Track target conversions and results

(More details here ).

🎁 Bonus #12: Less Guessing, More Testing

If your landing page is not converting, you’ve likely already tried to find a solution.

The BIG frustration hits after you make changes that don’t work.

Take your landing page adjustments to the next step and start testing.

This list is just a starting point to help generate testing ideas or reveal gaps:

  • CTA – Test different call to action text, button color, and placement
  • Main Headline – Test multiple headlines, keeping in mind scarcity and message match principles
  • Forms – Experiment with different form lengths, single-step, and multi-step forms. Remember that usually, less is more.
  • Social Proof – Test photos that look more like your ideal customer. Test testimonial length and design. Test social proof earlier on the page or more often.
  • Landing Page Layout – Test page length and try adding new sections, removing sections, and changing order.

Meet Your Users Where They Are

You can do all the “right things” with your landing page and still see poor conversion rates. That’s because ultimately, every audience is different.

True, the goal of testing, research, and optimization is to improve conversion rates.

Conversions will always be less than you hope until you understand what your user needs. Things like their:

  • Most valued benefits
  • Problems and pain points
  • Commitment level

Take the time to analyze who your users are. Then create a landing page for them with those things in mind.

And if you’re like most marketers and don’t have the time? Consider getting an audit and landing page design proposal from an agency or freelancer with experience and available bandwidth.

Conclusion

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how to salvage your campaign.

Even better, you’ll know what to look for the next time conversion rate problems become your problem.

It takes auditing, testing, and a few design iterations to get it right, so be patient!

Ready to tackle your next landing page conversion problem? Download our essential landing page checklist.

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Ariana Killpack

Director of Content

Ariana prides herself on always learning everything there is to know about pay-per-click advertising and conversion rate optimization, which is why she can create such excellent content. When she’s not writing fantastic content, you can find her hiking, swimming, or baking bread.

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