PIPELINEGuide
Landing page: the most common mistakes and how to avoid them
Projects involving landing pages rarely fail because of technology. The patterns repeat themselves — and can be prevented in advance.
The most common mistake with a landing page is starting with the technology instead of the actual bottleneck. A project that nobody in the business actually maintains delivers less in the long run than a smaller one that is actually used.
01 — Mistakes
The most common mistakes
- Starting too big. Projects where nobody can use anything for months fail more often than average. A small, usable first step is almost always the better way.
- Not involving the people who work with it. Requirements that only come from management rarely match the actual work.
- Not defining a success measure. Without a metric defined in advance, you can't say afterwards whether it delivered anything — and the next decision will be made on gut feeling again.
- Overlooking operating costs. The project price is only part of it. What operation costs over three years belongs in the same calculation.
- Creating dependency. If you don't get access, documentation and source code, you're locked in. That needs to be clarified before commissioning, not after.
02 — Warning signs
When to be skeptical
- Guaranteed results. Anyone promising top Google ranking or a specific revenue increase is selling something they can't deliver.
- No pushback. A provider who thinks every project is a good idea has either not listened or is only selling.
- Time pressure. Limited-time discounts on project prices are a sales tool, not an offer.
- Unclear ownership. Anyone who won't clearly say who owns data and access doesn't have your interests at heart.
- No contact with technical expertise. If only sales sits in the first meeting, that's where misunderstandings arise.
03 — Bottlenecks
What typically causes delays
- Content and deliveries. By far the most common cause of delay. Text, images, price lists, access credentials — what's missing blocks progress.
- Decisions. When it's unclear who approves, the project waits. A named contact person with decision-making authority noticeably shortens the timeline.
- Access to third-party systems. Getting access to inventory management, phone systems, or CRM regularly takes longer than the integration itself.
- Endless review rounds. Two correction rounds are normal, five are a sign that the goal wasn't clear at the start.
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
What definitely belongs on it?
What you offer, for whom, what it costs or at least in what range, who you are, and a single clear next step. Price information scares away less than its absence.
What if the landing page doesn't convert?
Then we look at the drop-off points before we rebuild anything. Usually it's a single section, not the whole page — you find it through measurement, not guessing.
Does the landing page have to match the website?
Visually yes, structurally no. It may be significantly leaner — often without main navigation, so there's only one way forward.
Can the same landing page be used for multiple ads?
Yes, as long as the promise of the ads aligns. If the offers differ significantly, each ad needs its own page — otherwise the expectation at the click doesn't match.
How many do we need?
One per offer and target group that is advertised separately. If you sell three services to two target groups, six make sense — provided each gets enough traffic to be assessable.
Why not simply advertise the homepage?
Because the homepage is there for everyone and therefore concrete for no one. Anyone who clicks on an ad about a specific topic expects exactly that topic — not a menu with eight options.
Can you also run the ads for it?
That's a separate service that we also offer. Landing page and ad should match in content, but technically they are two separate work steps.
05 — Decision
How to move forward
The most affordable next step is a conversation, not a quote. Twenty minutes is usually enough to clarify whether a project makes sense, what scope it involves, and whether we're the right fit.
If we're not, we'll say so. An honest no costs less than a project you abandon after three months — for both sides.
06 — Next
Related pages
- Landing page — Overview
- Landing page — Provider comparison
- Landing page — Privacy
- Landing page — Process
- Landing page — Measuring success
- Landing page — DIY
- Landing page — Contract and ownership
- Landing page — How it works
- Have a website created
- Google Ads
- SEO
- All guides
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