5 second landing page test

Your landing page is losing leads in the first 5 seconds, and it's not because of what you think.

Most people try to cram every benefit above the fold. They obsess over button colors, social proof, and feature lists.

But after reviewing hundreds of landing pages, I've noticed something weird:

Visitors make their "stay or go" decision before they read any of that. They're making a snap judgment based on instant recognition, not careful evaluation.

So I developed a simple test that reveals exactly what's happening in those first seconds:

1. Find someone who roughly matches your target audience

2. Pull up your landing page

3. Let them look at it for exactly 5 seconds

4. Close the tab

5. Ask these three questions:

   1. "What do you think this is for?" (If they can't answer in one clear sentence, your headline isn't hitting)

   2. "Who did you think this was for?" (If they say "everyone" or "not sure," your targeting is too broad)

   3. "What made you feel like this wasn't for you?" (This reveals your actual conversion blockers)

The fixes are usually simple:

• Unclear purpose = Make your headline stupid simple

• Unsure audience = Add a specific person/role before your headline

• Felt excluded = Remove any industry jargon from the first viewport

I've seen conversion rates double just from fixing what comes up in these three questions.

Those first 5 seconds aren't about understanding — they're about recognition.

Your visitor needs to instantly think "this is exactly what I've been looking for."

Til next time, Blake

Did we land the plane in 2 mins or less? I think so.

If you liked this, reply to this email and lemme know what you want to learn more about. I’ll probably end up writing it for you!

If you didn’t like the email, then it was written by some guy named Greg.

— Blake

P.S. Got room at Pagetear right now for a couple hungry founders / marketing leaders who really need copy for landing pages, emails, ads, video scripts, etc