Stop Over-Designing Your Landing Pages: The CRO Secrets That Actually Boost Conversions
Here’s a hard truth: most brands don’t have a media buying problem they have a landing page problem. You can pump thousands into Meta ads, but if your landing page looks like a cluttered billboard or confuses people into bouncing, you’re setting money on fire. In Episode 7 of The Scalability School Podcast, Andrew Foxwell, Zach Stuck, Brad Ploch, and CRO expert Ryan Doney dug into what really makes a landing page convert. And spoiler: it’s not fancy graphics or over-the-top design it’s clarity.
The first mistake most brands make is over designing. Adding animations, sliders, walls of text, and a parade of graphics in the name of “polish” might make your designer happy, but it makes your customer frustrated. Customers don’t want to decode your page like it’s a puzzle they just want to know three things right away: What is it? Why should I care? How do I get it? If your page doesn’t answer those within seconds, you’re leaking conversions before you even get started.
That’s why the hero section the top fold of your page is mission critical. Ryan recommends keeping it clean and clear: a headline that focuses on the benefit (not just the product), a line of copy that explains the “why,” and a CTA button that’s impossible to miss. Too much information upfront overwhelms people; too little leaves them confused. Think of it as your elevator pitch short, clear, and to the point.
Beyond clarity, friction is the silent killer of conversion rates. Every unnecessary click, extra form field, or distracting pop-up adds resistance. Customers shouldn’t have to fight to buy from you. Simplifying forms, making buttons consistent and obvious, and cleaning up your mobile flow are quick wins that make a huge difference. Ryan emphasized mobile in particular most of your traffic comes from there, and even small design flaws cost you real money.
Finally, don’t get caught in the trap of testing everything at once. If you redesign your hero, rewrite all your copy, and move your checkout flow in a single test, you’ll never know what actually worked. Test one major change at a time. A few headline variations or CTA placements can teach you more than a full redesign and those learnings compound over time.
At the end of the day, the best landing pages are the simplest. They aren’t built to impress your design team they’re built to guide your customer to a decision as quickly and clearly as possible.
3 Landing Page Fixes to Try This Week
Rewrite your hero headline to state the customer benefit clearly, not just what the product is.
Audit your mobile page and remove at least one source of friction (extra fields, clunky pop-ups, hidden CTAs).
Run a single variable test like CTA button placement or headline variations to get a clear read on what improves conversions.