A new visitor decides quickly whether to stay on your page or go back to their search. In that time they are looking for answers to five questions. If your page answers them, people read on. If it does not, they leave, and they rarely tell you why.
What does a new visitor look for first?
- What is this?
- Is it for someone like me?
- Can I trust it?
- What will it cost me?
- What do I do next?
The sections below show how to check each one on your own page.
Can they tell what you do from the first line?
Read your main headline out loud to someone who does not know your business. Ask them what you sell. If they guess wrong, the headline is too clever or too vague. "Helping you grow" could be anything. "Family law advice for parents in Leeds" can only be one thing.
Can they see who it is for?
People stay when they see themselves on the page. Name the kind of customer you serve, the problem they have or the place you work. A dental clinic that says "for nervous patients" will keep the nervous patients who land there.
Is there proof near the top?
Buyers look for a sign that other people like them have used you and been happy. A short review, a star rating, a known client name or a number such as "1,200 patients since 2015" all help. Proof works best when it sits near the top, not at the bottom of a long page.
Can they find the price?
Many visitors want to know if you are in their range before they spend time reading. If you cannot show a full price, show a starting price or a typical range. Hiding it behind "contact us" makes some people leave, because they assume it is too expensive.
Is the next step obvious?
Give one main button and make it say what happens next, such as "Book a free 15 minute call" or "See this week's times". Too many buttons that all look the same make people hesitate. A form with ten fields will also lose people, so ask only for what you need.
What changes when ChatGPT sent them?
More people now find a business by asking ChatGPT for a recommendation. Those visitors arrive with your name and the question they asked, such as "who is the best accountant for a small café?" They expect your page to answer that same question.
So use the words your buyers use. If people ask ChatGPT for "a family lawyer for a divorce", make sure your page uses the word "divorce". When the page matches the question, the visitor knows the recommendation was right and keeps reading.
How can I check my own page in two minutes?
- Open your page on your phone, since most visitors will.
- Without scrolling, write down what the page says you do and who it is for.
- Find one piece of proof without scrolling more than once.
- Find the price, or a starting price.
- Find the main button and say out loud what will happen when you press it.
Any step you could not do is a fix to make. Start with the first one you got stuck on.
Want a real buyer's view?
It is hard to judge your own page because you know too much. In our landing page teardown, Mark visits your website as a first-time buyer, records what he thinks at each step and tells you what to fix first. It starts at US$50. You can also read how to get honest feedback on your landing page for free ways to test it.