Before you drive a single visitor to your new landing page, run through this checklist. These are the twelve things that most commonly derail landing pages — the ones that are easy to miss when you’re close to the work and ready to launch.
One. The headline passes the stranger test. Show your headline to someone who knows nothing about your business. In ten seconds can they tell you who the page is for and what they’ll get? If not, rewrite before you launch.
Two. The page loads in under three seconds on mobile. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to test this. Every additional second of load time reduces conversion rate measurably. Compress images, reduce scripts, eliminate unnecessary plugins.
Three. Every link works. Click every button, every link, every navigation element. A CTA button that goes nowhere is a conversion killer. A form that submits to an error page destroys trust you spent the whole page building.
Four. The form actually delivers. Fill out your own form and verify you receive the follow-up email or the thing you promised. The most common missed detail in landing page launches is a broken form-to-email connection.
Five. The page is fully functional on mobile. Pull it up on an actual phone. Tap every button. Fill out the form with your thumbs. If it’s frustrating, it’ll cost you conversions.
Six. The thank you page exists and is appropriate. After someone opts in, what do they see? A proper thank you page — not a generic WordPress default — continues the relationship and sets expectations for what comes next.
Seven. The meta title and description are set. These are the text elements that appear in search results and when the page is shared on social media. Default WordPress titles and empty descriptions are missed opportunities.
Eight. Analytics are installed and tracking. If you can’t measure traffic and conversions you can’t improve them. Google Analytics or an equivalent should be installed and verified before you send traffic.
Nine. Social sharing produces the right preview. Share the URL in a Facebook post or LinkedIn post (without publishing) and check the link preview. Does it show the right image, title, and description? Social sharing is a significant traffic source and poor previews reduce click-through rates.
Ten. The email confirmation (if applicable) arrives within minutes. If you’re using a double opt-in sequence, the confirmation email needs to arrive immediately and it needs to be clear about what the subscriber needs to do.
Eleven. The CTA is visible without scrolling on mobile. Your most important conversion element should be visible above the fold on the most common screen sizes. Test this.
Twelve. You’ve read the whole page out loud. This is the best copyediting technique available. Reading out loud catches awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, missing words, and logical gaps that silent reading misses. Do it before anyone else sees the page.
Twelve items. Thirty minutes of verification. Worth every minute.