Above all other metrics, the conversion rate is by far the most accurate indicator of progress, marketing efficacy, and overall success. If a landing page has a high conversion rate, that means a significant percentage of its visitors are performing a desired action, whether that be buying a product/service, opting into an email newsletter, filling out a survey, clicking an ad, watching a video, or any other purpose the page is designed to facilitate. Adversely, a poor conversion rate means visitors either genuinely aren’t interested in what you’re offering or your on-page content isn’t persuasive enough. To dig a bit deeper into the factors that cause low conversion rates, let’s look at the four most common mistakes that hurt conversions:

1. Misleading or Inaccurate Headlines

People don’t like being lied to and nobody likes being force fed hyperbole that can be quickly recognized as “false advertising.” If someone clicks a headline that says “how to never pay for lawn service again” and is led to a page that tries to sell them a monthly lawn mowing service, you could see how that might be an immediate turnoff. If they arrive on the page expecting one thing and are instantly met with something else, chances are they’ll be exiting soon thereafter. Create attractive but honest headlines and save yourself the disappointment of having a high bounce rate.

2. Outlandish Claims or Exaggerations

Once you’ve gotten past the initial step of designing a likable and appropriate headline, it’s important to make sure the on-page content is equally reasonable and believable. Consumers have become savvy to the get-rich-quick schemes that used to spread around the web like wildfire. Nowadays they want to see something tangible and new with proof and facts to back it up. Use data and reputable sources to support your points and focus on being both informative and entertaining. Visitors should feel like they’re learning or discovering something rather than being forcefully sold something.

3. Fake Urgency and Overly Sensational Writing

We’ve all heard about the marketing gimmicks that used to work so well but are no longer great ideas. A prime example of an outdated and ineffective method is creating an artificial sense of urgency. Sure, a small percentage of people will fall for the “only available today” pitch, but the vast majority of your visitors will see this as a tacky sales tactic and that’s not the look you’re going for.

4. Making it Difficult to Take Action

Many copywriters make the mistake of trying to cram the world’s greatest sales letter into a single landing page. If someone is actually interested in what you’re offering, they won’t need to read an entire book chapter to make their decision. Don’t hide your call-to-action (CTA) beneath three pages of over-spaced creative writing and storytelling. Use floating boxes, buttons, and several CTAs throughout the content to simplify the process of taking action and you’ll start seeing more conversions for sure.

Put Yourself in the Shoes of the Visitor

Finally, one of the best ways to see if your landing pages are setup to convert well is to thoroughly scrutinize the content and layout as if you’re a first-time visitor. Ask yourself a series of questions like:

• Does this page look like it’s trying to sell me something?
• Do I feel like I’ve found a genuine solution or something worth sticking around for?
• Is the content boring or am I compelled to continue reading?

Being honest with yourself about the visitor experience and viewing your landing pages objectively is the best way to ensure you’re not wasting time with unappealing pages that will only need to be tweaked further later on.