Landing pages that convert: what they need

You're about to invest in ads, and someone told you that you need a landing page. Makes sense: it's where the click lands, and it decides whether your ad money turns into leads or disappears. The problem is that almost everyone knows they need a landing page, and few know what separates a page that wins customers from one that just exists.

The good news is that there's data on this. Platforms and research firms have studied landing pages for years, and the findings keep repeating. We've pulled together the six things a converting page needs, with a source for each, so you can use it as a checklist when you hire.

How well landing pages usually convert

Before the list, a benchmark. Unbounce's 2024 Conversion Benchmark Report analyzed more than 41,000 landing pages and over 57 million conversions. The median conversion rate across all industries was 6.6%. In other words: for every 100 visits, the typical page generates about 6 or 7 leads, sign-ups or purchases.

Half of all pages fall below that. The difference between those above and those below is rarely the button color. It's in the items below.

1. A clear offer right up top

The first screen is where visitors decide whether to stay. According to Nielsen Norman Group, in April 2018, people spend 57% of their page-viewing time on the part visible before scrolling, known as the fold. People do scroll, but attention is concentrated at the top.

That's why the first screen needs to answer three questions without scrolling:

• What it is. The product or service, in the words your customers use.
• Who it's for. People who see themselves there stay.
• What to do now. The main action button, visible.

A clever headline that doesn't say what you sell costs you visitors.

2. Simple, short copy

The Unbounce report has one of the most useful findings for anyone hiring a page: the harder the copy, the lower the conversion. Pages written at a simple reading level, roughly middle school, converted at 11.1%. Pages written at a professional level converted at 5.3%, less than half.

The same study shows a negative correlation between word count and conversion. That doesn't mean every page has to be short. It means every sentence has to earn its space. Short sentences, common words, one idea per paragraph.

3. Proof that it works

Visitors don't know you. Before leaving their contact info, they look for signs that others have trusted you and it worked out. Proof is anything that shows this with facts:

• Testimonials with name, photo and company, not anonymous quotes.
• Client logos, when you're allowed to show them.
• Real numbers: years in business, clients served, measured results.
• Case studies with a before and after.

Put the proof near the action. That's where doubt shows up.

4. One action only

A landing page isn't a company website. It exists for one thing: request a quote, book, download, buy. Every extra link, to Instagram, to the blog, to the full menu, is an exit door competing with that action.

Pick the main action and repeat the same button throughout the page, with the same text. If you have two offers for two audiences, build two pages.

5. A short form

The form is where interest becomes a lead, and every field is an obstacle. Nielsen Norman Group puts it plainly: “Every time you cut a field or question from a form, you increase its conversion rate.” The recommendation is to remove anything that can be asked later or found out some other way.

The same goes for ecommerce. Baymard, in June 2024, found an average of 11.3 fields in the checkouts it studies, when about 8 would be enough. And it concluded that the number of fields matters more to the experience than the number of steps.

For a lead-generation landing page, a name and a way to reply, like WhatsApp or email, are usually enough for the first step. Ask the rest in the conversation.

6. Fast and built for mobile

In the Unbounce report, 83% of landing page visits came from mobile. Even so, desktop converted 8% better, a sign that many pages are still designed on a computer and only adapted for phones.

Speed is part of this. In a case study published by Google's web.dev in June 2026, Nuvemshop sped up store loading and saw mobile conversion rise 8.9%. If the page is slow to show the top, the visitor from the ad leaves before reading the offer.

What this means for you

When you hire a landing page, use the list as your criteria, along with how much a professional website costs:

• Does the first screen say what it is, who it's for and what to do?
• Is the copy written in your customer's language?
• Is there real proof near the button?
• Is there only one action?
• Does the form ask only for what's needed?
• Was the page designed mobile-first, and does it load fast?

At the Studio, landing pages and websites are designed for mobile from the first draft in Figma and built with Claude Code. The price is fixed after discovery, the deadline is written into the contract, and code, files and access stay in the client's name.

If you're going to spend money on ads, the page that gets the click has to measure up. That's exactly what the Studio delivers in its professional website and landing page design service.