Are people visiting your landing page only to bounce after the first 5 seconds?
Are you constantly editing your landing page headline or text because you're not sure what actually converts?
As a conversion copywriter, I'll tell you that landing pages that convert have the following qualities:
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Consistent messaging across the page.
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Elevate the buyer experience (skip to #5 for the full scoop).
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Written for a specific customer profile.
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Moves the reader from their beginning stage of awareness to the intended stage of awareness when they're at the end of the page, e.g., from Solution Aware to Most Aware.
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Have enticing and relevant calls to action - sometimes "Get started" just isn't the way to go.
However, many landing pages flop because they don't have these qualities.
In this article, I'll break down five reasons why your landing page isn't converting and how you can apply quick but strategic fixes for better conversions!
Let's get it started🎶
1. Fluff, Be Gone!
You know your customer's pain points, problems, and desires like the back of your hand. Unfortunately, they're not reflected in your hero section. Your product may be awesome, but your customers are more interested in knowing you can solve their problems.
They're thinking, "Does [your company] understand that I have this problem?" One of the best places to answer that question is your hero section. The 7-second rule still applies! Grab their attention within the first few seconds so they're compelled to keep reading.
Take this example:
2+ years in the B2B space. Schedooly is a rising content-scheduling platform that's served 500 entrepreneurs in South Africa. We are very trustworthy and provide a great experience for all our clients. All our clients have great results and love working with us.
>>Learn More<<
Do you feel the fluff?
This hero section is weak because it's just bragging about the company's achievements when it should be identifying the buyer's problems and inviting them to take action or read further.
Here's a better way to phrase it:
Schedule 20+ Instagram posts in 5 minutes. Tired of manually uploading multiple Instagram posts for your clients? Schedooly helps coaches and course creators on Instagram automate their post scheduling without breaking the bank.
-> Schedule your first 25 posts in a 14-day free trial <-
Boom! This example is straight to the point:
- The value prop is visible in the heading, so the company is able to differentiate itself from the competition.
- The CTA mentions the desired outcome in the subheading and invites prospects to take action, i.e., start a free trial.
- The problem around manually uploading multiple posts was addressed. It identifies who the most ideal customers are: coaches, content creators.
Cut the fluff, and conversion rates go up🎵.
2. One Reader, One Offer, One Promise, One Big Idea
The rule of one states that you're writing for one reader, you're presenting one offer, and you're using one big idea to present your biggest benefit. Unlike website pages, you should qualify prospects before they get to your landing page.
Why should you qualify them?
People will scroll all over your site but won't take action because they don't actually want or need what you offer. You'll have to water down your messaging to appeal to everyone, and your unique feature will lose its spark.
Lastly, your landing page performance will flop or underperform. Even worse, you might think that your product/service is bad when you were just selling to the wrong people. Your best prospects are people who need and want what you're offering and are happy to buy from you.
So...how do you find them or attract them?
The best way to do this is to conduct customer surveys or on-site surveys, and then analyze the results.
Examples of questions you can get answers to are:
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Do your existing customers refer other people with similar roles to you?
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Do they like using your product/service?
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Are they happy with your product/service?
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Ask them to rate you in a short email or in the platform.
The results will also guide you on whether you need to shift your messaging or fix your product to improve the user experience for your ideal client.
Once you know whom you're writing for, writing becomes easier because you can accurately describe what they're looking for and provide relevant proof that your solution works.
Then, you can direct that market segment to your landing page. For example, you can send an email with a link to the landing page.
Speaking of proof, let's chat about testimonials.
3. Any Relevant Testimonials? Put ‘Em In!
Testimonials work best when they're used with context. Instead of slapping some quotes or screenshots on your page, tell a story with your social proof.
Your testimonials, case studies, and customer results data (social proof⚡) have to resonate with where your client is NOW.
Can they see themselves overcoming a burning issue like the smiling person in the testimonial?
Your testimonials should tell your reader:
- The problem your past client was facing
- How they used your solution to solve their problem
- The results they got from using your solution, e.g., a marketer was able to optimize their landing page copy using Hotjar's heatmap platform.
Now that we've tackled testimonials, let's look at how messaging affects landing page conversions.
4. Master Your Messaging.
Messaging is how you talk about your solution so that your ideal client finds it desirable.
Here are some reasons why your ideal clients don't want your solution:
- You're regurgitating the same pain points your competitors are echoing.
- You're focusing on how great your product is instead of describing your customer's desired outcome so they feel your solution can get them there.
- There's an audience-product mismatch; you're addressing person A but you actually want person B to convert.
What does your audience actually need to hear to buy?
If you want your readers to convert, let them know:
✅ Who you are and why they should like you - people buy from others they feel familiar with or share similar interests/values with.
✅ What makes you the no-brainer choice - you need strong positioning and messaging that resonates with them.
✅ What problems you're solving for them and how you solve them - for example, your methods/strategies/tools.
✅ Why you're equipped to solve their problem - for example, you've been certified to solve that specific problem or you have experience solving that problem.
Whew, we've almost reached the end! The next point will show you how to provide a 5⭐ user experience from the moment they read your copy.
5. Elevate Your User Experience
How do you produce the most happiness when your customer buys from you?
By exceeding their expectations.
In short: Happiness = Reality - Expectations.
When your expectations are too high and reality doesn't deliver, you get crushed. When your expectations are low but you get more than you expected, you're pleased.
It comes down to underpromising and overdelivering, not overpromising and underdelivering.
In your industry, people can have positive or negative expectations of your product. Whatever they think, you're going to underpromise and overdeliver so they feel like you're providing better service than they anticipated.
Lastly, let's look at what expectations are and what they aren't.
Some expectations your customers have:
- You're trustworthy, professional, and provide good service. That's usually not a strong selling point unless most of your competitors are very unreliable.
- Your solution will help them solve that problem. Everyone's asking "what's in it for me?"
- Your solution will help them feel better about themselves and their business. Nobody wants to feel embarrassed because the solution they got failed to help them.
- Your solution will increase their authority and social status. For example, a Saas company hires SEO agencies to increase their visibility and authority in their niche through SEO-optimized blog posts.
- It's easy to access the solution. On the page, you can remove unnecessary pop-ups, make the form visible, brief, and easy to access, and minimize clicks so the process doesn't feel tedious.
- It's easy to contact you. You don't take 3 months to reply to your emails, someone responds when they use the chatbox at the bottom corner of your screen, and most importantly...your contact links are accessible on the page.
Some expectations they don't have when they come to your page:
- Your solution is fantastic. Nope, you have to show them that you understand their problem first. Then, you show that your solution can help them solve the problem. Lastly, you attach a compelling CTA that compels them to get it.
- You're the only one who can solve their problem so they'll go with you. If it's too hard to contact you or if you're unable to communicate properly, they're moving to the company with better messaging.
Time to Whip Out Your Landing Page💻!
If there's anything you'll take out of this:
Vague messaging, bad user experience, and poorly formatted pages will cost you users & customers in the long run.
Feel free to add more tips in the comments or share your thoughts.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next article :)
Also published here