Guide · From the free 15-minute conversion checklist
Why does my website get visitors but no sign-ups?
When people arrive but don’t sign up, go through the sign-up yourself as if you had never seen the site. These are five places to look along the way.
The sign-up promise isn’t clear on the first screen
- On a phone, before scrolling, a newcomer should be able to tell who the sign-up is for and what they get from it.
- The sign-up button should name what happens next. “Submit” doesn’t.
- Whatever the words beside the button promise should be what the visitor actually gets after the click.
The way to sign up leaves questions open
- Start on the homepage and keep going until you reach the sign-up confirmation.
- Note every question you’re left with on the way: what it costs, how long it takes, who can join, what you’re committing to and what comes next.
The form asks too much, or loses what people typed
- Take out one field or choice the sign-up doesn’t need. Keep what safety, consent and the service itself require.
- Leave a field empty or fill it in wrong. The error should say how to fix it, and what you typed should still be there.
Signing up is hard on a phone
- Read the sign-up page without zooming, and tap its button without catching the one beside it.
- On a slower connection, the sign-up should appear before any large decorative images.
There’s nothing useful before the ask
- Give people an example, a preview or a checklist before asking them to sign up.
- Any proof you show should be real and permitted. A demonstration is not a customer result.
- Not everyone is ready to sign up. Offer a useful way to stay in touch, with email permission asked for on its own, apart from creating an account.
Choose one change
Then pick one. Complete this sentence: “I think [specific friction] stops [visitor] from signing up. I will change [one thing] and check sign-ups over [period].” Record today’s sign-ups before you change the page. If traffic is low, say so: a handful of sign-ups cannot show that a change caused an improvement.
The full checklist walks the whole route in 15 minutes, with a note to fill in as you go. No account needed.
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