Lightning Audits for 22 SaaS Landing Pages

Many SaaS companies have great products that can change lives, but struggle to convert traffic to their landing pages into sign-ups. We conducted lightning audits of 22 landing pages to identify quick-win opportunities for conversion improvement.

#Our Approach

Each audit took around 20-30 minutes and focused on:

• Clarity of Messaging: Can a new visitor understand what the product does within seconds?
• Design and Layout: Visual hierarchy, spacing, mobile responsiveness, and dark/light mode considerations.
• Conversion Barriers: Analyzing the effectivness site's CTA (Call-to-action such as "Contact us now!", "Order now!"), pricing presentation, and friction points in the signup flow.
• Credibility and Trust: Does this website have SSL (an encrypted link between a server and a users browser to protect data), are there broken links, and what is general professionalism of the site?
• Responsiveness across devices: We used various physical devices of different sizes including tablets, mobile phones, and several laptops. We used these to test the quality of experience across screen sizes.

#Key Insights

#Summary and Overall Patterns

Across multiple SaaS landing pages, we found recurring themes:

• Interactive or unique features often need stronger visual emphasis.

• Clear, consistent CTAs are critical to guide users toward desired actions.

• Mobile design often needs fine-tuning for spacing, alignment, and legibility.

• Trust-building elements like testimonials, company info, and functional links are frequently underutilized.

#Clarity and Messaging

• Quick Understanding of the Product: Many users may not immediately grasp what a product does, especially if interactive or dynamic features are presented in a way that looks static. For example, sections that allow users to interact with a demo or tool can be mistaken for images or non-interactive content. Making these features more visually obvious can increase engagement. This is vital as Nielsen Norman Group show that users decide to leave a web page within 10-20 seconds.

• Navigation and Link Expectations: Links and buttons should behave as users expect. For example, a “Pricing” link should navigate to the pricing section, rather than unexpectedly opening a sign-up form or another page. Meeting these expectations reduces friction.

• Highlighting Key Features: Unique product capabilities, like demos, interactive lessons, or personalized tools, are often under-emphasized. Explicitly showcasing these features with calls-to-action encourages users to try them.

• Clear Labeling and Messaging: Button text, section headings, and prompts need to be concise and unambiguous. Confusing or inconsistent labeling can create hesitation and reduce conversions.

#Design and Layout

• Visual Hierarchy and Spacing: Many pages would benefit from clearer separation between sections. For example, headings, banners, and calls-to-action (CTAs) could use more spacing to guide the user’s eye.

• Consistency in Elements: Pricing cards, buttons, or feature sections often vary in height, alignment, or size, which can make the page feel unpolished. Ensuring uniform sizes and spacing improves readability and perceived professionalism.

• CTA Visibility: Buttons sometimes blend into the background or surrounding content. Using consistent, high-contrast colors and styles for CTAs helps users notice and interact with them.

• Color Choices: Some text or section backgrounds use strong colors that reduce readability. Using slightly muted tones or contrasting backgrounds improves legibility without losing brand personality.

#Conversion Barriers

• CTA clarity and consistency: Confusing or inconsistent button labels (e.g., “Try free” vs “Start now”) can create friction. Users should immediately understand the action they are taking.

• Navigation expectations: Links in the navigation bar should behave as expected. For instance, a “Pricing” link should scroll to the pricing section rather than opening a new page unexpectedly.

• Highlight interactive features: Unique product features (like demos or interactive tools) are often underemphasized. Making these features more prominent can increase engagement and trial sign-ups. Storylane show that when prospects engage with an interactive demo their website conversion rates improve by 7.9x.

• Pricing and subscription clarity: Users need clear information about payment models, trial periods, and subscription types to make confident decisions.

#Credibility & Trust

• Trust Signals are Essentials: SSL certificates are present, but some pages have broken links, confusing buttons, or hidden information about the company or product creator.

• Testimonials and Social Proof: Displaying user testimonials, metrics, or recognitions prominently helps build credibility.

• Transparency on Technology or Features: Explaining key features, AI systems, or product limitations helps users feel confident in the product.

#Mobile & Responsiveness

• Layout Adjustments for small screens: While most pages are technically responsive, buttons, badges, and interactive elements often appear squished or misaligned on mobile devices.

• Navigation Accessibility: Menus that are not fixed to the screen or hard-to-access interactive elements reduce usability for mobile users.

• Text and Content Readability: Headlines, banners, and demo instructions sometimes cut off on smaller screens, which can confuse users. Reflowing content into single columns and ensuring sufficient padding improves clarity.

#Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Landing Page

• Standardize CTA labels and highlight interactive features prominently.

• Improve spacing, alignment, and visual hierarchy to guide users naturally through the page.

• Ensure navigation links behave intuitively and consistently.

• Optimize mobile layouts for buttons, badges, and text readability.

• Include visible trust signals: testimonials, credentials, and working links.

• Use color and contrast strategically to improve readability without overwhelming the user.

We are always open to helping teams and individuals tackling challenging problems in software development. If this project sounds like something you would need help with, please do not hesitate to schedule a 30-minute call with us to discuss your challenge.