Your Ads Get Clicks But Your Site Doesn't Convert

Your ads are working. People are clicking.

But then... nothing. They land on your site and leave. No add-to-cart. No purchase. Just a bounce.

You check your ad creative. It's solid. You check your targeting. It's dialed in. You check your landing page and it looks... fine?

Here's what's happening: Your ad and your landing page aren't having the same conversation.

The Disconnect That's Costing You Sales

Someone clicks your ad about clearing acne. They land on your homepage. Generic hero. "Welcome to Beautiful Skin Co."

No mention of acne. No connection to why they clicked.

They bounced because they weren't sure they were in the right place.

Paddy from PM Digital Design calls it a lack of congruency... when your ad promise and your landing page don't connect. "Congruency is king," as he puts it. It's one of the more common (and fixable) reasons paid traffic doesn't convert.

*Congruency is king. Why matching your ads to your landing page experience is one of the highest-leverage optimizations you can make.*

The 3-Second Test

Load your landing page. Count to three.

Can a visitor tell:

• What you sell?

• Why they should buy from you?

• That they're in the right place for what they clicked?

A lot of pages fail this test. Especially when traffic comes from specific ads.

What Congruency Looks Like in Practice

When Your Ad Features a Testimonial About Results

Ad: Customer talking about clearing their adult acne

Landing page should show:

• Headline about clear skin (not generic "welcome")

• Reviews mentioning acne results

• Products tagged for acne-prone skin

The visitor clicked because of acne. Show them acne solutions immediately.

When Your Ad Leads With a Discount

Ad: "20% off first order"

Landing page should show:

• The discount code, front and center

• Price comparisons showing the savings

• Urgency ("Offer ends Sunday")

They clicked for the deal. Make the deal impossible to miss.

When Your Ad Features an Influencer

Ad: Creator recommending your product

Landing page should show:

• That influencer's photo

• Their product picks

• "As seen on [their channel]"

They trust the influencer. Extend that trust to your page.

When Your Ad Targets a Specific Problem

Ad: "Finally, jeans that fit athletic thighs"

Landing page should show:

• Athletic fit products front and center

• Size guide for athletic builds

• Reviews from customers with similar body types

They have a specific problem. Show them you solve it.

How to Fix This (Without Rebuilding Your Site)

You don't need a new website. You need experiences... landing page variations that show different content based on where traffic comes from.

Step 1: Pick Your Top 3 Ad Campaigns by Spend

Start with the ads you're spending the most on. That's where the disconnect costs you the most.

Step 2: Write Down What Each Ad Promises

The hook. The visual. The offer. The problem it addresses. Be specific.

Step 3: Create a Landing Page Variation That Matches

For each ad, create an experience that continues the same conversation. Same language. Same visuals. Same promise.

Step 4: Connect Them With UTM Parameters

Traffic from Ad A sees Experience A. Traffic from Ad B sees Experience B.

Experience and personalization tools (including Intelligems) let you trigger different content based on UTM parameters.

Measure Profit, Not Just Conversion Rate

A matched experience might not always boost conversion rate. But it often:
Increases order value (they trust you faster)
Reduces returns (expectations match reality)
Improves customer lifetime value (better first experience)

Track profit per visitor, not just conversion. That's the real metric.

Start With One

Don't try to fix every ad at once.

Pick your highest-spend campaign. Create one matched experience. See if profit per visitor goes up.

If it works, expand. If it doesn't, you learned something valuable.

Quick Checklist Before Your Next Campaign

• Does my landing page headline connect to my ad hook?

• Can someone tell in 3 seconds they're in the right place?

• Are the reviews relevant to my ad's angle?

• Is the offer visible immediately?

• Does the experience continue the conversation the ad started?

Check these boxes, and your clicks will start turning into customers.

The bottom line: Your ads are doing their job. Make sure your landing page is doing its job too. When they're congruent, conversions follow.