Improve landing page conversion: fix this first

An ad sets an expectation in a few words, and the visitor carries that expectation to the page. They do not read the page to find out what it is. They look for the thing the ad named, in the headline and the first image, and if it is missing within a few seconds they assume the click was a mistake. The owner rarely sees this, because the owner already knows what the product is. The page reads clearly to the person who built it. A stranger who clicked for a different job reads a category name, finds no sign of their job, and leaves.

• The headline: does it repeat a word from the ad, such as the product or the job?
• The first screen on a phone: is the main button visible without scrolling?
• The header menu: how many links compete with the signup button on this page?
• The button label: does it say what happens next, such as Start free trial?
• The form: does it ask for every field before the visitor has seen anything useful?

Open the ad and copy the exact product or job words it uses. Then read your headline and ask whether a stranger could tell, from the headline alone, that the ad and the page are about the same thing. Most mismatches are small. A wrong headline reads Streamline your billing. The right one repeats the ad: Invoice reminders that send themselves. A visitor who clicked for invoice reminders needs to see those words before anything else on the page. Change the headline first, because nothing below it gets read by someone who has already decided the page is not for them. Keep the subheading to one sentence that uses the same words as the ad.

A landing page that started life as a homepage still carries a header with five links, a product tour, a pricing link and a contact form. Each link is a reasonable place to go. Together they give the visitor no next step, so they scroll, open the menu, come back and leave. Check the first screen at phone width and count the places a tap can go. Keep the signup button, hide the rest of the menu on this page, and check the button label. A button that says Learn more keeps the visitor deciding whether to read. One that says Start free trial tells them what the tap does.

The form is the first place an ad visitor is asked for something real. A visitor who has just clicked an ad will give an email address. They are not yet willing to give a company size, a phone number and a job title for a product they have not used. The wrong form asks for all of that before the first project. The right form asks for an email and a password, then asks the company questions after the first project is saved. If the confirmation email never arrives, the signup stops there. Each simulated visitor has a working email inbox, so a run shows whether the confirmation reaches them before they give up.

Each new ad, headline or keyword brings visitors who expect something different from the same first screen. A page that worked for last month's campaign can fail this month's, without a single line of the page changing. After each change, send the same visitors through the same task again and compare who got further. With paid credits, visitors can sign in with a test account you provide, and protected previews open with a site password.