Landing Page Not Converting? Check These 9 Things First
Quick answer: Start with the four biggest leaks: make the headline match the ad or link people clicked, keep one offer and one button, make the page load fast on a phone, and cut the form to the fields you truly need. Change one thing at a time and compare against your current conversion rate.↗ Share on X
If your landing page gets visitors but few sign-ups or sales, check these first, in this order: (1) does the headline match the ad or link that brought people there, (2) is there one clear offer and one button, (3) does the page load fast on a phone, and (4) is the form short. Most low-converting pages leak at one of these four points. Fix them before you touch colors, fonts, or fancy tools.
Below is the full 9-step checklist, what "good" looks like for each step, and how to test changes without guessing.
What counts as a good conversion rate?
How to Pick the Right Email Automation Tool for Small Business Beginners →
How to Segment Your Email List by Engagement for Better Opens →
How to Train AI to Write Persuasive Product Reviews for E-Commerce →Conversion rate is simple: the number of people who did the thing you wanted, divided by the number of visitors, times 100. If 1,000 people visit and 30 sign up, your rate is 3%.
There is no single "good" number. It depends on:
- What you ask for. A free checklist download converts much higher than a $500 purchase.
- Where traffic comes from. People from your email list already trust you. Cold ad traffic does not.
- The device. Phone visitors often convert lower than desktop visitors, especially on long forms.
So do not compare yourself to a number you saw online. Compare your page to itself last month. Write down your current rate before you change anything. That number is your baseline — the starting point you measure against.
Smart software picks in your inbox
Is your tracking even working?
Before step 1, make sure you can trust the numbers. Many "broken" pages are really broken tracking.
Do this quick test:
1. Open your page in a private browser window.
2. Fill out the form or click the buy button yourself.
3. Check your email tool, CRM (the software that stores your contacts), or analytics. Did the test sign-up show up?
4. Do the same test on your phone.
If your own test did not appear, stop here. Fix tracking first. Otherwise you will "improve" a page based on fake data.
The 9-step checklist, in priority order
How to pick a host that grows with your online store →
Landing Page Structure That Converts: 8 Blocks in Order →
Landing Page That Converts: 9 Fixes You Can Do Today →Work from top to bottom. The top items usually have the biggest effect and take the least time.
| # | What to check | Good sign | Bad sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Message match | Headline repeats the promise from the ad or link | Ad says "free template," page talks about "our platform" |
| 2 | One goal | One offer, one main button | Three offers, menu links, social icons |
| 3 | Headline clarity | A stranger can say what you offer in 5 seconds | Clever slogan that explains nothing |
| 4 | Mobile speed | Main content shows in a few seconds on a phone | Blank screen, huge images, pop-up blocks the view |
| 5 | Above the fold | Headline, benefit, and button visible without scrolling | Big photo pushes the button down |
| 6 | Form length | Only fields you truly need | Asking phone, company, and job title for a free PDF |
| 7 | Proof | Real reviews, real customer results, screenshots | No proof, or stock-photo "testimonials" |
| 8 | Objections | Price, time, and risk answered on the page | Visitor has to email to ask basic questions |
| 9 | Button text | Says what happens: "Send me the checklist" | "Submit" |
Now let's go through each one.
1. Does the headline match what they clicked?
This is the most common leak. Someone clicks an ad that promises one thing and lands on a page that talks about something else. They feel lost and leave.
How to check: Put your ad, email, or post next to your landing page. Read the ad's main promise. Now read your headline. Do they use the same words?
Fix: Copy the key phrase from the ad into the headline. If you run three different ads with three different promises, make three versions of the page. Most funnel builders let you duplicate a page in one click.
2. Are you asking for more than one thing?
A landing page is not a website. A website helps people explore. A landing page asks for one action. Every extra link is an exit door.
Remove or hide:
- The top navigation menu
- Links to your blog or "About" page
- Social media icons that send people away
- A second offer ("Also check out our course!")
Keep your privacy policy link in the footer. That one is needed.
3. Can a stranger explain your offer in 5 seconds?
Show your page to someone who has never seen it. Give them 5 seconds, then hide the screen. Ask: "What is this page offering?"
If they cannot answer, your headline is too vague. A clear headline usually has three parts:
- Who it is for ("For new dog owners")
- What they get ("a 7-day potty training plan")
- The result ("so accidents inside the house stop")
Clear wins over clever almost every time. Save the wordplay for social media.
4. How fast does it load on a phone?
Slow pages lose people before they read a single word. Test it for free:
1. Open Google PageSpeed Insights.
2. Paste your page URL.
3. Look at the mobile result, not desktop.
Common fixes, easiest first:
- Compress images. A hero photo should rarely be bigger than a few hundred kilobytes. Free tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh do this.
- Remove unused scripts. Old chat widgets, extra tracking pixels, and heatmap tools all slow the page.
- Avoid autoplay video at the top of the page.
- Delay pop-ups. A pop-up that covers the page the moment it opens hurts more than it helps on mobile.
5. Is the button visible without scrolling?
"Above the fold" means the part of the page you see before scrolling. On a phone that area is small.
Check on your own phone: without scrolling, can you see the headline, one line about the benefit, and the button? If a giant photo takes the whole screen, shrink it or move it below the button.
Also repeat the button further down the page. People who read everything need a button waiting at the end.
6. Is your form scaring people away?
Every field is a small "cost" for the visitor. Ask only for what you will actually use in the next step.
- Free download or newsletter: email only. Maybe first name.
- Webinar: name and email.
- Sales call or quote: name, email, phone, and one question about their need.
If your sales team wants more data, collect it later, after the person is already in. A two-step form also helps: the first screen asks for email, the second screen asks the rest. People who started tend to finish.
7. Would you believe this page?
Visitors look for signs that real people got real results. Useful proof includes:
- Short reviews with a first name, photo, and a specific result
- Screenshots of messages from customers (with permission)
- Logos of places you have been featured, only if true
- The number of customers or downloads, only if it is real
Never make up testimonials. Besides being dishonest, fake-looking proof lowers trust fast.
8. What questions are left unanswered?
Visitors leave when a doubt has no answer. Write down the questions people ask you by email or DM. Then answer them on the page, usually in a short FAQ near the bottom. The usual ones:
- How much does it cost, and are there extra fees?
- How long does it take?
- What if it does not work for me? (Explain your refund policy clearly.)
- Do I need any special skills or tools?
9. Does the button say what happens next?
"Submit," "Click here," and "Learn more" tell the visitor nothing. Replace them with the result:
- "Send me the free checklist"
- "Save my seat for Thursday"
- "Start my 14-day trial"
Under the button, add one short line that removes fear, like "No credit card needed" or "We never share your email." Only write it if it is true.
How do you test changes without guessing?
Change one thing at a time. If you change the headline, the image, and the button on the same day, you will not know which one helped.
A simple testing routine:
1. Write down your baseline conversion rate.
2. Pick the highest item on the checklist that is failing.
3. Make one change.
4. Wait until the page gets enough visitors to judge. For small pages, that often means at least a couple of weeks, or a few hundred visitors per version.
5. Compare the new rate to the baseline.
6. Keep the winner. Move to the next item.
If your funnel builder has A/B testing (showing two versions to different visitors at the same time), use it. It is more reliable than comparing different weeks, because traffic changes with holidays, ad budgets, and the day of the week.
Your next step today
Open your landing page on your phone right now and run the first three checks: does the headline match the link, is there only one button, and can you see it without scrolling? Fix the first one that fails, write down today's conversion rate, and check the result again in two weeks.
FAQ
What is a good landing page conversion rate?
There is no universal number. A free download converts far higher than a paid product, and email traffic converts better than cold ads. Compare your page against its own rate from last month instead of an average found online.
What should I fix first on a low-converting landing page?
First confirm your tracking records a test sign-up. Then check message match between the ad and the headline, remove extra links and offers, and test mobile speed. These usually matter more than colors or fonts.
How long should I run a landing page test?
Long enough to get a fair number of visitors on each version, often a couple of weeks or a few hundred visitors for small pages. Change only one element per test so you know what caused the result.