Common Mistakes That Lower Conversion Rates

I've audited 7 port-cos in 3 months, finding $1M/month in wasted marketing spend. Here are the 6 biggest offenders: 1. Low Quality Scores Google ranks the "quality" of every ad campaign from 1 to 10. The higher it is, the less money you spend on clicks (and leads). I regularly saw scores in the 3-4 and even 1 range. For the record, we wouldn't even *dream* of letting anything below a 7 run long-term. The biggest culprit here was a mismatch between the keyword, ad copy, landing page, and the company's value prop. 2. Too Many Keywords One enterprise B2B SaaS was vaporizing over $100k a month to target 1000s of keywords. This is not necessary. You're much better off finding the top 10-20 best-performing keywords and focusing on them. You'll get a much more easily manageable campaign PLUS lower cost per MQL. 3. Lame Ad Copy And yes, I'm grouping "clever" here under "lame." Look, enterprise decision-makers aren't looking for anything clever or cute. Instead, they want clarity. The easiest formula is to simply state what you offer, who it's for, and why it's better than alternatives. Ideally including the original search terms. Or, explain it like you’d talk to my 6 year old. Simpler and better. 4. Optimizing to the Wrong Conversion This is a problem I see often, having the algorithm optimize for "button-clickers" vs. "hand-raisers”. A hand-raiser is someone who took the time to fill out a form with their details. Not a guarantee that they'll buy, but an infinitely better signal-to-noise ratio than paying obscene amounts of money just to track and optimize for people who will press a landing page button with zero qualified intent. 5. No Retargeting Instead of devoting 10-20% of ad spend to retarget folks who’ve been to your site or raised their hand (but haven’t bought), companies are only trying to win new clients. Big rookie mistake. If someone's already shown interest, you want to keep that spark alive, not let it die. 6. Bidding on Wrong Countries/Languages If 99% of your clients are in North America, then 100% of your marketing spend should target North America. Also, if your ICP speaks English, don’t target Spanish speakers. Bidding on places or languages unrelated to your ICP is another fantastic way of vaporizing money with *zero* results. TL;DR I can't name names because of NDAs, but even big-name companies you admire make marketing mistakes that cost them a lot. To avoid that: 1. Check your ad quality scores 2. Bid on fewer keywords 3. Write clear and simple copy 4. Optimize for "hand-raisers" 5. Retarget a few segments 6. Focus on relevant countries/languages only Questions? AMA in the comments:

The BIGGEST Video Funnel Mistakes of 2025 And I'm watching everyone make them. Just audited 52 video funnels. Same seven mistakes destroying conversions: Mistake #1: Autoplay assault Client's autoplay video: 0.8% conversion Same video, click-to-play: 7.3% conversion 73% never look at autoplay. 41% click when given choice. Mistake #2: Fake urgency theater "ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT!" (refresh, still 2 spots) E-commerce client killed fake urgency. Added "See if we're a fit." Conversions: 2.1% → 8.4% Mistake #3: Corporate word salad "We're passionate about delivering innovative solutions..." Nobody talks like this. Rewrote fintech script to: "Moving money shouldn't be this complicated. We fixed it." Watch time: 31% → 78% Mistake #4: Testimonial cemetery 12 talking heads saying "it's amazing!" What converts: One customer explaining exact problem and result. Trust scores tripled. Mistake #5: Hollywood production $30K video. Professional actors. Zero connection. Retail client ditched agency video for founder's raw explanation. Cart value up 52%. Mistake #6: Statement bombardment "We're the best. We guarantee results." Changed "We 10x revenue" to "What if customer acquisition was predictable?" Click-through: 4x improvement. Mistake #7: Faceless funnel Logo animations. Stock footage. No humans. Added founder's face to first 3 seconds. Watch time up 67%. The pattern nobody's discussing: You're optimizing for what looks professional. Not for what actually converts. What actually works: Vulnerability beats polish. My best converting video starts: "I got this wrong for 2 years straight." Questions beat declarations. "What's stopping you from scaling?" beats "We help you scale." Silence beats speed. Those awkward pauses you edit out? That's where trust lives. The uncomfortable truth: You're so obsessed with looking professional, you forgot to look human. Your polished video is perfectly ignorable. Your flawless funnel is flawlessly declined. Real data from Q4: Traditional funnel: 1.2% conversion Fixed funnel: 8.9% conversion Same traffic. Same offer. Different approach. The metrics that matter: Not: Production value But: Connection value Not: Script perfection But: Human imperfection Stop making videos for your board. Start making them for your buyers. Because buyers don't buy from brands. They buy from humans they trust. And trust doesn't live in the polish. It lives in the pauses.

🧠 I spent over 100 hours auditing 25 ecommerce websites to find what's killing conversions. Here are the learnings from 7 and 8 figure businesses making easily fixable mistakes. Some were painfully obvious. But a handful kept showing up over and over. Here are the Top 5 Areas that silently tank revenue on most ecommerce sites 👇 🛍️ Product Pages  • Poor images – No lifestyle context or size reference  • Confusing options – Variants not clearly explained • Missing info – Materials, sizing, or usage not shown  • Feature-heavy copy – Benefits not explained 💳 Checkout & Cart  • Hidden shipping – Only revealed at the last step  • Incomplete incentives – Missing progress indicators for free shipping  • Upsell overload – Too many or irrelevant offers 🗂️ Collection Pages  • Sold-out items – Shown first  • Wasted space – Hero banners push products below fold  • Poor filters – No friendly filter options  • Inconsistent design – Mixed image styles hurt UX 🏠 Home Page  • Vague value props – Doesn't explain what the brand offers  • Static banners – Look clickable but aren't  • Irrelevant messaging – Outdated promos still live  • Weak visual hierarchy – Key info buried ⭐ Social Proof  • No reviews – widgets showing “0 reviews” • Missing trust signals – No guarantees or security badges  • Poor review display – Broken star ratings or formatting  • No validation – No user-generated content or photos The best part? Every single one of these is a low or no-code fix. Most conversion killers aren't technical problems... they're customer confusion problems. Clear up the confusion, and conversions follow. Start with just 2-3 items from this list and you'll likely see results within weeks. 

Your campaigns are burning cash but not converting. The problem isn't your ad spend or targeting. Here's what's actually killing your performance... Most Series A founders blame low conversion on budget or channels. But I've seen the real culprit in dozens of active funnels. Your messaging is broken. Here are the 5 errors I find repeatedly: 1. Feature-first headlines that confuse prospects Your landing page leads with what you built, not what customers get. Prospects can't connect your features to their actual problems. 2. Generic pain points that don't hit home You're addressing surface-level frustrations instead of urgent business needs. Real buyers need specific outcomes, not vague improvements. 3. Competitor-copying that makes you invisible Your messaging sounds exactly like everyone else in your space. Prospects can't tell why they should choose you over alternatives. 4. Technical jargon that loses decision-makers You're speaking to engineers when the buyer is a VP or director. The person with budget doesn't understand your value proposition. 5. Weak calls-to-action that don't drive urgency Your CTAs ask for meetings without explaining immediate value. Prospects need a compelling reason to act now, not someday. I just helped a Series A founder fix these exact issues. Before: 2.1% landing page conversion, 45-day sales cycles. After: 8.7% conversion, 22-day average close time. Same traffic. Same product. Different messaging. The fix isn't more ad spend or better targeting. It's messaging that connects your solution to urgent buyer needs. Stop throwing money at broken funnels. Your messaging determines whether prospects convert or click away. If your campaigns are spending but not converting, send me a DM. I'll audit your funnel and show you exactly what's killing performance. ___________________________ 👋 I’m Marina Kogan 🌊 I help founders position tech products as must-have solutions.

Your click-through rate just hit 8%. Your conversion rate is still zero. 𝟳 𝗖𝗧𝗔 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝟭/ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 CTA says "Learn more about our services." Link goes to your homepage with seventeen navigation options. They clicked with intent and landed in decision paralysis. They close the tab without converting. → Every CTA needs a dedicated destination with one clear action. 𝟮/ 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 Email #2 in your welcome sequence: "Book a discovery call now." They've read exactly one email from you. They don't know you yet. Premature sales asks feel pushy and get ignored. → Match CTA intensity to relationship stage. 𝟯/ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 They click from their phone during their commute. Your landing page takes 8 seconds to load. They're already gone. Technical friction kills warm interest instantly. → Test every destination on mobile before sending. 𝟰/ 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 CTA: "Click to see what we discovered." Landing page: Generic service description they already knew. Bait-and-switch destroys trust faster than anything. → Your landing page needs to deliver what the CTA promised. 𝟱/ 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗧𝗔𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 "Download the guide" and "Book a call" and "Read the blog post" and "Follow us on LinkedIn." They don't know which action matters most. Decision fatigue leads to no decision at all. → One email, one primary CTA. Everything else is noise. 𝟲/ 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 They click "Get the template." Landing page requires: name, email, company, role, phone, company size, and subscribe to three lists. They wanted a template, not a commitment ceremony. → Friction after the click kills completion rates. 𝟳/ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 Your CTA appears after 800 words of content. Mobile readers never scroll that far. Or it appears in line 2 before they know what you're talking about. → CTA placement matters as much as CTA copy. Getting someone to click is the easy part. Getting them to convert after clicking is where most campaigns fail. Fix your destinations before optimizing your CTAs. ♻️ Repost if clicks don't matter without conversions. ➕ Follow me, Louis Shulman, for more tactics to stay top of mind and beat the competition. 📧 Join our weekly marketing newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYGzEeTb

Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of leading global digital and performance marketing teams. Along the way, I’ve seen top global B2B companies stumble when it comes to executing their marketing strategies. Here are the top 10 mistakes I’ve seen—and my tips for turning them into opportunities for growth. 1. Mistake: Skipping Buyer Personas Without clear personas, your messaging will miss the mark. Tip: Invest in detailed persona research to tailor your strategies. 2. Mistake: Neglecting a Robust Content Strategy Content is king, but too often, companies either produce sporadic content or miss the mark entirely. Tip: Develop a content strategy that aligns with each stage of the buyer’s journey. 3. Mistake: Disconnected Sales & Marketing Teams When sales and marketing operate in silos, the customer experience suffers. Tip: Foster a culture of collaboration with shared goals, regular communication, and joint planning sessions. 4. Mistake: Relying on Gut Over Data Marketing should be driven by insights, not instincts. Ignoring data can lead to missed opportunities and wasted budget. Tip: Let analytics guide your decisions and optimize in real time. 5. Mistake: Treating SEO as an Afterthought SEO is often overlooked or undervalued, leading to poor organic visibility. Tip: Make SEO a foundational element of your strategy. Focus on keyword research, on-page optimization, and building authoritative content that drives traffic over time. 6. Mistake: Poor Lead Nurturing Capturing leads is just the start; nurturing is key. Tip: Use personalized, automated workflows to guide leads through the funnel. 7. Mistake: Inefficient Paid Media Spend Overspending or under-optimizing paid campaigns wastes resources. Tip: Focus on high-performing channels and regularly adjust your strategy. 8. Mistake: Overlooking Mobile Optimization With more decision-makers using mobile devices, a non-optimized experience can be a deal-breaker. Tip: Ensure that your website, emails, and content are fully mobile-responsive. 9. Mistake: Underutilizing Social Proof In B2B, trust is everything. Yet, many companies fail to leverage testimonials, case studies, and reviews. Tip: Actively gather and display social proof across all touchpoints. 10. Mistake: “Set and Forget” Marketing The digital landscape changes fast; staying static won’t work. Tip: Continuously audit and refine your campaigns for better results. Avoiding these common pitfalls isn’t just about fixing mistakes—it’s about unlocking the full potential of your digital and performance marketing efforts. By being proactive and strategic, B2B companies can not only avoid these traps but turn them into stepping stones for success. #DigitalMarketing #B2BMarketing #PerformanceMarketing #Strategy #GrowthHacking #SEO #ContentMarketing #LeadGeneration

I still remember the first time I ran a Google Ads campaign for a real estate client. 💡 I was excited. We had a solid budget, great-looking creatives, and a compelling offer. But after two weeks… The results were disappointing. Clicks? Plenty. Leads? Barely any. Conversions? Even worse. I thought I did everything right. So what went wrong? After analyzing the campaign, I found five mistakes that were silently killing our results: 1. Broad, Untargeted Audience I had set up general targeting, thinking more visibility = more leads. But in real estate, quality beats quantity. We were attracting people who were just browsing, not serious buyers or sellers. 2. Weak Ad Copy That Didn’t Speak to the Buyer’s Pain Points Our ads said things like "Find Your Dream Home Today." Sounds nice, right? But so does every other ad. It wasn’t specific, emotional, or action-driven enough. 3. A Slow, Confusing Landing Page Our ad led to a generic homepage—bad move. People didn’t know where to click, and the page wasn’t built to convert leads. 4. No Negative Keywords Our ads were showing up for completely irrelevant searches like “cheap apartments for rent” when we were selling luxury properties. No wonder the leads were unqualified! 5. No Proper Tracking & Optimization We were spending without analyzing. The campaign was running on autopilot with no A/B testing, bid adjustments, or audience refinements. How I Fixed It (And You Can Too!) ✔ Refined Audience Targeting: We focused on high-intent buyers using precise geo-targeting, income-based segments, and lookalike audiences. ✔ Rewrote Ad Copy for Urgency & Relevance: Instead of “Find Your Dream Home,” we used “3BHK Condo in Marina Bay – Ready to Move In. Limited Units Left!” It spoke directly to the buyer’s intent. ✔ Built a High-Converting Landing Page: A simple, fast-loading page with one clear CTA (Book a Viewing) instead of a cluttered homepage. ✔ Used Negative Keywords: We excluded terms like “cheap,” “rental,” and “broker jobs” to filter out irrelevant traffic. ✔ Tracked & Optimized Constantly: We monitored clicks, conversions, and lead quality, making real-time adjustments to improve ROI. The Result? 🚀 ✔ Lead quality improved by 40% ✔ Cost-per-lead dropped by 25% ✔ Higher engagement, better conversions, and a happy client Lesson learned? Running real estate PPC ads isn’t just about throwing money at Google or Meta. It’s about strategy, precision, and constant optimization. If you’re struggling to generate high-quality real estate leads with ads, let’s chat. I’ll help you turn clicks into conversions and make your ad spend work smarter. 📩 DM me, and let’s build a winning PPC strategy for your real estate business! #RealEstateMarketing #PPC #GoogleAds #LeadGeneration

One of our biggest mistakes was treating demo calls as a single touchpoint. This is ineffective, especially for B2B companies. There are distinct stages to focus on: 1. Tracking: Every demo call needs to be recorded and analyzed. 2. Client Interaction Patterns: Identifying patterns can show you where your clients drop off or what excites them. 3. Common Bottlenecks: Once you spot trends, you’ll see where prospects are losing interest or getting confused. 4. Biz Dev Optimization: Regular communication with your biz dev team is key to refining and improving the process. 5. Script Adjustments: By understanding the friction points, you can edit your scripts to address potential client concerns proactively. For example, in analyzing our calls, we found that clients were often uncertain about pricing before the end of the demo. By tweaking our demo flow to bring up pricing earlier and give more clarity, we saw a 15% improvement in conversion rates. Breaking down each part of the process has given us clarity and helped us make impactful improvements. Are you taking a similar approach with your demo calls?

Lost 24% of checkout conversions last quarter. Then discovered the real problem wasn't our ads... It was our discount codes. We were pushing high-value discounts through UPI payments, thinking it'd boost sales. Instead, it created friction. Customers had to manually enter codes and jump through hoops. The competitor? They made discounts automatic. Zero friction. Key lesson: Small UX decisions create massive ripple effects. 3 takeaways from this expensive mistake: ⤷ Test your entire customer journey, not just your ads. Your best performing creative means nothing if customers can't check out ⤷ When running discounts, make them effortless. The moment you ask customers to do extra work, you're losing them ⤷ Track checkout abandonment rates by payment method. The data will tell you where the friction points are Sometimes the "obvious" growth lever actually kills your conversion rate. Have you made any surprising discoveries about what's really hurting your conversions?

Struggling with cold intros that don't convert?  My client was too, and it made her lose heart. She could get referrals, but thought she couldn't close because she disliked selling herself. Most advice focuses on perfecting the offer. Wrong place to start. You don't need the best offer to close. I've sold $50M deals at Fortune 100s,  and netted $100K in 100 days solo. These are the 11 common mistakes I learned kill referrals, and the fixes that get closes: ❌Talking data only and overloading the audience ✅Be curious. Ask questions. Let them tell you what they need. 💬”What prompted you to want to meet today?” The goal is 40-60% buyer talk-time. ❌Pitching features instead of belief ✅Check their belief in you as the solution they need. 💬”What do you think delivers the biggest unlock for you?” Winning discussions have 28% more buyer questions. ❌Positioning as a general problem solver ✅Be the 32MM drill bit for the 32MM hole they need. 💬”Here is how and where I have solved this before.” Specialists are 2.9X more likely to command $10 K-plus project fees. ❌Skipping urgency ✅Show a loss-or-gain case. 💬”Would you burn another $160K trying to figure this out on your own.” An urgency cue lifts revenue 27% in studies. ❌Not establishing a decision expectation ✅Be clear about your direction. It is fair to set the agenda. 💬”I will ask for a decision by the end of this call.” Calls with a clear expectation have a 70% higher close rate. ❌Believing what you do is easy ✅Own your expertise was hard won and unique. 💬”I delivered X by doing Y for this client.” Generic social proof drops win rates 22%. ❌Expecting your experience is sufficient ✅Show leverage, talk method. Method > Experience. 💬”I used my 5 step framework to get the same outcomes at 20 clients.” 78% of clients pay a premium when they perceive exceptional, niche expertise. ❌Not demonstrating your impact ✅Quantify and connect outcomes to their needs. 💬”The result of this was a 20% increase in X.” Value-based pricing raises revenue up to 25% over hourly billing. ❌Focusing on your objectives, not theirs ✅First, demonstrate value, then explore mutual fit. 💬”Given your problem, here is how you accelerate. This is my method.” Buyers talk 28% more in calls that close. ❌Coming across as desperate ✅You choose whether you make an offer. 💬”I'm really excited for this opportunity," not "I really need to close to pay my kid’s tuition.” Discounting too early correlates with a 27% drop in win rates. ❌Treating an ask as dirty ✅Believe in yourself and your offer. 💬”If I feel we are a fit, I will tell how I work and ask for a decision at the end of this call.” Fastest sales cycles spend 53% more time clarifying next steps in the first two calls. My client made these easy fixes. Her close rate increased by 50%. Her confidence in herself? Up 100%. Try these easy fixes in your next call. Watch your close rate soar. Which do you believe will make the biggest difference?