Why Is My Landing Page Not Converting?

Learn why your landing page isn’t converting by identifying the six common mistakes businesses make.

Most landing pages don’t convert. In fact, the average conversion rate across industries is around 6.6%. But here’s the good news: with the right tweaks, many underperforming pages can hit 10%. When you work with professionals like Lead Ember, this figure can rise to 20%. 

That’s closer to the stats landing page giants like Amazon pull off. What do the experts know that you don’t? Here’s a breakdown of the top reasons landing pages fail and how to fix them.

1. It’s Full of Weak CTAs 

There are multiple elements to a landing page, but the call to action does most of the heavy lifting. It’s that point of the page where your customer decides to go all in or bounce. But too often, customers find CTAs to be vague, generic, or downright unappealing. Worse still, many can’t even see it. 

This needs to change. 

A CTA should stand out on a page. It should be clear, specific, and most importantly, benefit-driven. The copy shouldn’t just tell leads to click, it should explain why they should. 

Some common red flags we’ve noticed:

  • Generic CTAs like “Submit”
  • Vague CTAs like “Learn More” 
  • Mysterious CTAs like “Click Here”

The best fix for all these issues? Specificity.

Consider the difference when you tell the customer what happens next. 

  • “Book Your Demo Here”
  • “Schedule a Call Now”
  • “Get a Free Quote in 30 Seconds”

While there’s no exact science to making CTAs work, here are some suggestions you could consider incorporating. 

  • Use of active verbs, like get, or schedule. 
  • Highlight the immediate benefits of clicking — a free quote, or a demo. 
  • Keep it specific but simple. 
  • Personalise the message (“Book ‘your’ demo”, or “Claim ‘My’ Discount”)

In terms of design, the placement, size, colour and font make more of a difference than you think. Here are several statistics for proof.

2. It’s Not Well-Designed

Too many landing pages forget one key rule of the internet: most people don’t read, they scan. If a visitor can’t immediately figure out what your page is about and what they’re supposed to do about it, you have lost them. 

We’ve seen it all. Headlines buried under stock images. Paragraphs that read like instruction manuals. Buttons that are either too small, too far under the fold, or worse, completely invisible. Forms crammed into a sidebar with no explanation or urgency.

When designing a landing page, borrow from the principles of Scandinavian design: minimalism, neutral colours, and clean lines. A high-converting landing page directs the eye to the right place. It places the headline front, centre, and above the fold. It has a clear visual hierarchy that emphasizes the CTA and makes key information easier to find. 

Don’t rely on layouts that make your customers do the hard work. Work with Lead Ember to improve landing page conversions. 

3. It’s Irrelevant to the Ad 

As internet users, we can all attest: nothing is more frustrating than clicking on one link only to land up in another place. For many businesses, this disconnect happens more often than they realize.

The ad says one thing; the landing page delivers something else.

This mismatch breaks trust instantly. Visitors feel tricked, even if it wasn’t intentional. And once that happens, they’re not sticking around to figure it out.

A landing page must instead be a direct extension of the ad that got users to click in the first place. By that, we mean the offer should be identical, not just similar. If, for example, the ad says “Free Quote in 60 Seconds,” the page better lead with that. Otherwise, the click goes cold fast. It should go without saying, but this is also the same reason you should avoid using your homepage as your landing page.

4. It’s Full of Grammatical Errors 

The internet is full of content and not all of it has the right intentions. Users are more weary of scams than ever before  and the clearest signal that something is amiss is a page full of obvious errors and typos. 

Of course, all humans make mistakes. A stray comma or awkward phrase won’t ruin your credibility. But repeated, careless errors tell a different story. 

They suggest a lack of attention, or worse, a lack of professionalism. And when you're asking someone to hand over their contact info, book a call, or make a purchase, credibility matters.

Clean, error-free copy reads better, makes the point faster, and builds confidence. It tells the visitor that you take your service seriously and that you put thought into your offering. It also indicates that you’ll devote equal care to your leads. Proofread your landing page like it’s a sales pitch, because that’s exactly what it is. 

5. It’s Loading Too Slowly 

Today’s attention spans are shorter than ever. On social media, if a video doesn’t hook viewers in seconds, it flops. The same applies to your landing page. 

According to research from the Aberdeen Group, a load time of over 3 seconds puts off 40% of all customers. That’s almost half your potential leads gone for no apparent fault. Considering conversions are already hard to achieve, slow load times are devastating. 

The biggest cause? Large or unoptimised images. But it’s not the only one. JavaScript bloat, hosting issues, or excessive third-party plugins all slow things down.

If you’re an expert, you’ll probably know how to use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to help. But if you aren’t, work with the team at Lead Ember instead. We have experience in building landing pages that don’t result in massive delays.

6. It’s Lacking Social Proof

Most users who click on an ad are naturally suspicious. They don’t want to be the first to try something unproven, especially from a business they’ve never heard of. That hesitation is natural. And without social proof, it only intensifies.

Users want to know if others have tried what you’re offering. Moreover, they want humans to confirm that it works and that it was worth it. This is where testimonials come in handy.

A landing page with reviews and case studies are far more likely to succeed. A short quote from a happy customer can often do more than a paragraph of sales language. Even one or two strong testimonials can tip the scale.

If you don’t have any testimonials yet, it’s time to start asking. You could send out a Google form, or an email request, or even offer to interview former clients. Whatever you do, don’t fake reviews. Customers spot these tricks from a mile away.

What Does a Successful Landing Page Look Like? 

A strong landing page does a few things well. It holds attention, builds trust quickly, and makes the next step obvious. So, focus on getting these basics right:

  • Write clear, short, and error-free content
  • Brainstorm more compelling headlines and decisive CTAs
  • Include social proof that demonstrates the value of your service 
  • Ensure your page loads quick both on desktop and mobile

Finally, remember: a landing page isn’t about your business, it’s about the customer. When you speak their language and offer real value, conversions follow. 

If you’re looking for someone to help turn your landing page into a lead machine, get in touch with our Dubai-based Lead Ember team today. 

Apart from our Google Ads expertise,we build custom pages for service businesses that increase inquiries by 3x-10x. Let’s talk. Book a strategy call here.

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