Landing page audit checklist: 24 yes-or-no checks, in the order to run them

Key takeaways

• Run the checks in order, from the ad to the thank-you page. A page that fails message match loses visitors before any other check matters.
• The first screen carries the most weight: users spend 57 percent of their viewing time above the fold, per Nielsen Norman Group.
• Check the page on a phone first. 83 percent of visits in the Unbounce benchmark sample came from mobile devices.
• Use hard pass lines where they exist, such as Google’s LCP of 2.5 seconds or less and a text contrast of 4.5:1 from WCAG.

What is a landing page audit checklist?

A landing page audit checklist turns a review into questions with a yes or a no. Each question names one element on the page and the line it has to pass. A “no” is a finding, and the element it names is where the fix goes.

It is the hands-on half of an audit. The guide on what a landing page audit is covers when to run one, the ten areas it checks and what it costs. This page is the list you work through with the page open.

Before you start: write down three things

Copy the ad, email or post that sends visitors to the page, name the one action that counts as a conversion, and note today’s conversion rate. The guide to a good landing page conversion rate gives the median for your industry.

The checklist at a glance

Six areas, four checks each.

Area	Pass line	How to check
1. Message match	Headline repeats the ad’s promise and keyword	Ad and page side by side
2. First screen	A stranger names the offer and the audience after 5 seconds	Five-second test, on a phone
3. Call to action	1 primary button, label says what happens next	Count buttons, click each one
4. Proof and offer	Named proof within one screen of the button, price or starting price stated	Scroll from the button up and down one screen
5. Form	Only fields you need today; the average checkout has 11.3, per Baymard	Count fields, submit a test entry
6. Speed, mobile, reading	LCP ≤ 2.5 s, INP ≤ 200 ms, CLS ≤ 0.1, contrast ≥ 4.5:1	PageSpeed Insights, a contrast checker

1. Message match: does the page keep the ad’s promise?

Google Ads scores ads partly on landing page experience: how relevant and useful the page is to people who click the ad.

1. The headline repeats the promise. Pass when the ad’s main benefit shows up in the headline in the same words.
2. The keyword is on the page. Pass when the search term or ad keyword appears in the headline or the line under it.
3. The offer matches. Pass when the price, discount or free trial in the ad appears on the page as stated.
4. The look matches. Pass when the image, colours and product name in the ad return in the first screen.

2. The first screen: what does a stranger get in five seconds?

Users spend 57 percent of their viewing time above the fold, according to Nielsen Norman Group. They also decide in the first 10 seconds whether to stay, per another NN/g study.

5. The offer is clear. Pass when someone new to the page says what you sell after a five-second test.
6. The audience is clear. Pass when the same person names who it is for.
7. The button is visible. Pass when the primary button shows without scrolling, on a phone too.
8. Nothing covers it. Pass when no cookie banner, chat widget or popup hides the headline or the button on first load.

3. The call to action: is there one clear next step?

9. One primary action. Pass when one button stands out and every other link looks quieter.
10. The label says what happens. Pass when the button reads like “Get my quote” or “Start the trial”, not “Submit” or “Learn more”.
11. The click goes where it promises. Pass when each button leads straight to the form or step it names, with no detour.
12. The conversion is tracked. Pass when a test click or form entry shows up in your analytics as a conversion.

4. Proof and the offer: does the page answer the doubts?

13. Proof sits near the button. Pass when a review, client logo or number appears within one screen of the primary button.
14. The proof is specific. Pass when it names a person, a company or a figure. “Trusted by thousands” fails.
15. The price is on the page. Pass when the visitor sees the price, a starting price or what the first step costs.
16. The top objections get an answer. Pass when the page says how long it takes, what the risk is and what happens after the click.

5. The form: does every field earn its place?

The average checkout holds 11.3 form fields, and 17 percent of users have abandoned an order because the checkout was too long or complicated, per Baymard Institute.

17. Each field is needed today. Pass when you use every field before the next contact. Ask the rest later.
18. Labels stay visible. Pass when each field has a label outside the box. Nielsen Norman Group found placeholder text alone makes it hard to remember what belongs in a field and to fix errors.
19. Errors are clear. Pass when a wrong entry shows a message next to the field, in plain words.
20. The thank-you page says what is next. Pass when it tells the visitor what happens now and when they will hear from you.

6. Speed, mobile and reading level

21. The page loads fast. Pass when PageSpeed Insights shows the Core Web Vitals in the good range: LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP of 200 milliseconds or less, CLS of 0.1 or less.
22. It works on a phone, from the ad. Pass when you open the ad on your phone and reach the thank-you page without zooming. Unbounce found 83 percent of visits on mobile, though desktop converts 8 percent better.
23. Text and buttons are easy to read and tap. Pass when body text has a contrast of at least 4.5:1 and every button is at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, the WCAG 2.2 minimums.
24. The copy reads easily. Pass when a readability checker puts the page at a 5th to 7th grade level. In the Unbounce benchmark, those pages convert at 11.1 percent, 56 percent higher than pages at an 8th and 9th grade level.

How to rank what you find

Count the “no” answers, then sort them by how many visitors each one touches. Areas 1 and 2 touch every visitor, the form only those who got that far. Fix from the top down.

Write each finding with the element behind it: the headline text, the button label, the field name. When the problems sit across several pages, a conversion optimisation audit follows the visitor through the whole site.

Which checks to run first, by type of page

If the page gets paid traffic

Start with area 1. Every paid click lands on the headline first.

If you sell a service through a form

Start with areas 4 and 5. Visitors who want a quote need proof and a short form.

If you run a SaaS trial or signup page

Start with areas 2 and 3. A stranger has to name the product and see one clear button.

Frequently asked questions

What should a landing page audit checklist include?

Message match, the first screen, the call to action, proof and the offer, the form, and speed and mobile. Give each check a pass line, so the answer is a yes or a no.

Can I audit my landing page for free?

Yes. Work through this checklist, run Google PageSpeed Insights and the free five-second test on 5sec.io. The first screen is the hard part: you know the offer, a stranger does not.

What is the most important check on a landing page?

Message match and the first screen. If the headline does not repeat the ad’s promise, or a stranger cannot say what you offer in five seconds, the rest of the page gets fewer readers.

How often should I audit a landing page?

Before you raise the ad budget, after every redesign or new campaign, and when the conversion rate drops. Run it again after each fix and compare the number of “no” answers.