A Prettier Website Won’t Save You, But Fixing This CRO Mistake Will.

Welcome back to the 117th edition of Nord Media

CRO shouldn’t be treated like a design exercise, only focusing on refining layouts, adjusting CTAs, or swapping out hero images. 

Those changes MAY help, but they don’t address the deeper issues that stop users from converting.

Brands tend to focus on the visible surface: 

• How the page looks

• Whether the copy sounds right

• If the branding feels consistent

However, real conversions come from addressing the underlying friction (the invisible blockers that disrupt the customer journey.)

These issues don’t show up in a design file.

They show up in user behavior, where people pause, bounce, get confused, or abandon entirely.

If you’re only optimizing for appearance, you’ll miss the insights that actually move the needle.

Today, we’re breaking down:

• The conversion problems your design team can’t see.

• How to find the hidden blockers using real user data.

• And how to rebuild landing pages based on behavior, not just brand guidelines.

Let’s dive in:

Design teams focus on aesthetics, hierarchy, and brand consistency.

That’s their job, but even the most visually polished pages can underperform because users don’t just need clarity. They need certainty.

Here are common issues that don’t show up in a Figma file or creative review:

• Decision paralysis: Too many options, product variations, or navigation choices leave users unsure of what to click next.

• Buried information: Important details like shipping costs, guarantees, or size guides are too low on the page or missing entirely.

• False clarity: Copy sounds confident but fails to answer the real questions users have (“Is this for me?” “Will it work for my needs?”).

• Inconsistent flow: Visual hierarchy clashes with natural decision-making. Users scroll past CTAs because they’re placed too early or too late.

• Lack of social proof where it matters: Testimonials or reviews exist, but they’re not placed near high-friction moments like pricing or checkout.

• Trust gaps: Missing trust signals like security icons, return policy links, or brand credibility indicators subtly erode confidence.

Be wary of these blockers. They won’t show up in Google Analytics or trigger alerts.

Find the Friction You Can’t See in a Dashboard

You can’t fix what you don’t understand.

Analytics tools can tell you where people drop off, but they can’t tell you why.

Here’s how to find the blockers that traditional CRO misses:

• Session recordings: Watch real users navigate your site. See where they hesitate, rage-click, or abandon.

• On-site surveys: Ask one simple question: “What’s stopping you from buying today?” The answers will surface objections your team never considered.

• Post-purchase surveys: Learn what convinced buyers to purchase. Then make that message more visible across the page.

• Live user testing: Give users a task, then observe how they complete it. Listen for confusion, hesitation, or unclear steps.

• Exit intent polls: When someone’s about to bounce, ask what they were looking for and didn’t find.

• Scroll and click heatmaps: Identify which elements are being ignored entirely, and which ones people focus on most.
  

These tools will show you where your assumptions are wrong.

Build for Behavior, Not Just Brand

Once you know what’s getting in the way, the fix isn’t just a prettier layout.

It’s a page that aligns with how people actually think, decide, and buy.

Here’s how to rebuild with user behavior at the center:

• Reorder content based on decision flow: Lead with the info users are looking for first, don’t bury it beneath branding fluff.

• Use copy to answer objections in real time: Surface common questions or doubts right next to the product, pricing, or CTA.

• Reduce choice overload: If users freeze when faced with too many options, simplify the decision. Highlight your best seller or use filters to guide them.

• Make trust signals impossible to miss: Badges, reviews, policies, and guarantees should be positioned where doubt tends to creep in.

• Add clarity, not cleverness: Replace brand-heavy language with language that mirrors how users actually describe their needs.

• Design for scannability: Use visual hierarchy, spacing, and bolding to make the page easier to navigate, especially on mobile.

• Test what matters: Prioritize changes tied to real user confusion, not internal preferences or opinions.

Great branding helps, but it only works when the experience matches what users actually need to feel confident and take action.

Final Thoughts

CRO requires removing the friction your users actually experience, the stuff no internal review or design guideline can catch.

If your landing pages look great but aren’t converting, it’s probably not a design problem.

It’s a user understanding problem.

When you start with real behavior, everything else gets easier.

You waste less time testing what doesn’t matter.

You uncover what’s blocking conversions.

And you build pages that feel intuitive from the first click to the final purchase.

Want to learn more? Connect with me on social 👇
LinkedIn • Instagram • Twitter 

Thank you for reading! I appreciate you.

Sincerely,
Kody

Disclaimer: Special thanks to surefoot and Superfiliate for sponsoring today’s newsletter.