Landing Page Optimisation: A Practical Guide to Increasing Conversions

What to review

Compare the page with the search result, advert, email or social post that preceded it. Check whether the offer, audience, wording and next step remain consistent. Different sources can reflect different levels of awareness, so separate landing pages may be appropriate when visitor needs genuinely differ.

Use Google Search Console to understand search intent, investigate why visitors may not be converting, and learn how stronger message match can help you get more leads from the same advertising budget.

Test idea: Compare a generic hero with one that directly repeats the traffic-source promise.

Vague claims make visitors work to understand relevance. Specific language connects the offer to a recognisable situation or outcome without promising results you cannot support. This is central to making a website work harder and to broader work to improve website conversions.

Test idea: Compare a broad brand statement with a specific audience-and-benefit proposition.

A useful opening normally combines a clear headline, clarifying subheading, relevant image or product preview, visible action and proportionate reassurance. The main action should usually be easy to find early, while complex offers may need supporting explanation before asking for commitment.

Test idea: Compare a benefit-led headline with a feature-led headline.

Test idea: Keep the headline and change the subheading from a repeated slogan to specific supporting detail.

Contrast and visibility matter more than any particular button colour. Place the action where visitors are ready for it, repeat the same primary action on long pages, and add relevant reassurance about the next step. Check its size and spacing on mobile.

Test selected changes in the visual A/B testing editor, learn about editing website text without coding or testing without developers, and explore the free A/B testing tool.

Test idea: Compare generic button copy with wording that names the immediate action and outcome.

Review competing CTAs, unnecessary links, confusing structure, forced account creation, unclear next steps and information presented too early. Navigation should not be removed universally: reduce it only when doing so supports the page’s specific task without withholding useful routes.

Popups can help when their timing and message are relevant. Intrusive messages that cover content, appear immediately or are difficult to close usually add friction.

Test idea: Compare the standard navigation with a reduced version on a focused paid-campaign page, while retaining essential trust and policy links.

Useful proof may include attributable testimonials, sourced reviews, permissioned customer logos or detailed case studies. Operational reassurance can include a clear business identity, contact details, privacy information, delivery or cancellation terms and transparent pricing.

Make the people and policies behind the offer verifiable through about information, relevant questions and answers and clear terms. Decorative or unfamiliar trust badges can reduce credibility rather than improve it.

Test idea: Compare social proof near the primary CTA with the same proof placed only near the bottom of the page.

Use persistent labels, useful field-specific errors, suitable input types, mobile keyboards and accurate privacy reassurance. Make the submit button describe the action, provide an unmistakable confirmation state and explain what happens next.

Shorter forms are not always better. Additional qualifying fields may reduce volume but improve lead suitability or follow-up. Review the trade-off in the context of CRO for lead generation.

• Test idea: Short form versus a more qualifying form; watch completed forms and qualified leads.
• Test idea: Single-step versus multi-step form; watch completion and step drop-off.
• Test idea: Generic versus descriptive submit copy; watch valid submissions.
• Test idea: Privacy or response-time reassurance beside the button; watch submission and error rates.

Check that the layout reflows without horizontal scrolling, text remains readable, controls are tap-friendly and adequately spaced, and forms use appropriate keyboards. Ensure sticky bars and popups do not cover important content or controls.

Keep essential offer, pricing, reassurance and next-step information available. Test the complete journey on real phones with different browsers and keyboard states.

Test idea: Compare a standard mobile CTA with a carefully sized sticky CTA that never obscures content.

Optimise image dimensions and formats, remove unnecessary scripts, reserve space for media and render the primary content quickly. Fix broken links and JavaScript errors, set the mobile viewport, use HTTPS, and provide a clear page title and description.

No particular performance score guarantees better conversion. Investigate speed in the context of real devices, journeys and visitors. Use the technical-quality section of the full website checklist for a broader review.

Choose the primary conversion, write a clear hypothesis and decide the success metric and guardrails in advance. Verify analytics, QA targeting and variation behaviour, run the experiment for a meaningful duration and avoid stopping as soon as the result looks favourable. Record the outcome, limitations and next step.

Learn how to judge whether a website change worked, explore the possible value of a conversion-rate uplift, or build a variation with the visual editor. The Google Optimize alternative guide explains the platform context.

If traffic is too low for a useful A/B test, use customer interviews, support questions, analytics and usability findings to make evidence-informed fixes. For hands-on support, see managed CRO and current pricing.