Uncover where high-intent users are lost and what it’s costing you

Across industries, digital teams are hitting an invisible ceiling. Businesses that rely on their websites to make money are finding it harder to sustain growth. The cost of attracting new visitors keeps rising, but returns aren’t keeping pace. In almost every case, it comes down to the same underlying issue:

Scale is determined by traffic, but performance relies on persuasion. The most successful business websites have become finely tuned machines for attracting visitors. But once users land on the site, they fail to progress through the journeys that create real value.

• Spend on advertising increases

• Conversion rates remain flat or decrease

• Growth comes at the expense of profitability

In short, high-value traffic is being poured into a funnel that leaks. It’s not because the traffic is wrong; it’s because the website wasn’t built for human users.

What we see across optimisation programmes

Poor performance rarely comes from a single, obvious problem. Most websites suffer from a multitude of flaws that combine to prevent users from taking action. While specifics vary by journey, our team consistently find the same underlying patterns:

• Weak motivation with no emotional impact

• Journeys that ask the user to do too much

• Absence of social context

• No framing for key choices and decisions

To fix these recurring challenges, you need to understand how customers make decisions in the real world. They’re busy, distracted, and make quick judgements based on what’s right in front of them. With that in mind, optimisation becomes a step- by-step process of removing small frustrations and adding the signals that build trust and confidence.

Our team have helped hundreds of businesses diagnose and resolve these issues, so that their websites continue to perform as traffic scales.

Most websites fall short because they don’t answer the most important question in a user’s mind: why choose this option over any other?

Instead of presenting a compelling value proposition, they rely on generic claims that do little to differentiate or build confidence. This leaves users uncertain and more likely to delay or abandon their decision altogether.

The challenge is even greater in sectors like insurance, where products are complex and intangible, making it harder to communicate meaningful value in a way that resonates.

Example: Ageas

Providing rich imagery and differentiation earned £2.6 million in additional policy purchases.

What changed

Fresh content was added to the main landing page for users referred from price comparison websites. A subheading highlighted Ageas’ unique value proposition: a commitment to user- friendly, dependable cover. This was supported by illustrative statistics, such as a 99.7% claim success rate, and concrete examples, such as the insurer’s 24/7 claims service.

Commercial implication

Strong motivation is what turns passive interest into action. If users don’t see a clear, compelling reason to act, even well-designed experiences will underperform. High conversion rates depend on making the value of taking action immediate, relevant, and difficult to ignore.

In digital journeys, “friction” is anything that slows a user down or makes it harder for them to complete their goal. This could be something physical, like needing to scroll too far to find a button, or something more subtle, like not being sure what to do next.

When friction builds up, users hesitate or leave altogether. Even small interruptions at key moments can have a disproportionate impact on performance. On the other hand, when journeys are simple, intuitive, and aligned with user intent, people are far more likely to act.

Across 100s of otherwise high-performing websites, we consistently identify avoidable friction:

• Redundant steps

• Poor sequencing

• Unclear progression

Even when intent is high, these issues disrupt momentum and lead to drop-off.

Example: KFH

The tests our team have run for KFH consistently showed that reducing friction, whether by improving visibility, simplifying access, or guiding users more clearly, unlocked significant gains in performance.

What changed

Introducing a sticky “Arrange a valuation” CTA on mobile meant users no longer had to scroll to find the primary action. By removing that small but important barrier, valuation requests increased by +28%. This example shows how even minor usability improvements can have a major impact when applied to high-intent actions.

In another case, adding property carousels made it easier for users to discover relevant listings without leaving the page. This reduced the effort required to continue browsing, leading to a +10.1% increase in property viewing requests.

Elsewhere, we tested introducing banners on key pages to guide users to relevant next steps. On buyer search results pages, this resulted in over 19% more contact requests.

Commercial implication

The commercial implications of reducing friction are clear. Successful changes lead to substantial uplifts in high-value actions.

In some cases, this means that a small intervention unlocks a disproportionate gain that immediately lifts the website’s overall performance.

Social signals, like reviews, ratings, and testimonials, help people make decisions by showing what others have experienced. But their real power comes from context. When social proof aligns with what a user is currently thinking about (e.g., a specific product or question), it becomes easier to relate to, more tangible, and more persuasive.

Example: Sharps

Showing wardrobe-specific reviews on wardrobe pages and quality- focused reviews on generic pages made the experience feel more relevant and persuasive, increasing design visit requests.

What changed

The experience shifted from generic, one-size-fits- all Trustpilot reviews to carefully curated, page- specific social proof.

Instead of broad brand reassurance, users were shown reviews that directly reflected the product or solution they were exploring. This made the content more specific, more relatable, and more aligned with user intent, turning social proof from a passive trust signal into an active decision-making aid.

Commercial implication

This relatively simple shift in how social proof was presented delivered a meaningful business outcome. The test generated an estimated £2.75 million in annualised added revenue, while also improving conversion behaviour earlier in the funnel.

Crucially, it showed that optimising for relevance, not just presence, of social signals can unlock significant value at scale, especially on high-traffic, lower-intent pages where small behavioural shifts translate into large commercial gains.

Choice architecture is how options are presented so people can make confident decisions with less effort. The goal isn’t to force a decision, but to make the most helpful option easier to see and act on.

Online, users often compare similar options and try to reduce risk. Clear defaults and well-structured choices provide a shortcut, helping them move forward with confidence.

Example: RSPCA

Donating involves multiple decisions, how much to give, and whether to make a one-off or regular contribution. Without guidance, many users hesitate or abandon the process. By reframing how donation amounts were presented, we simplified decision-making and guided users towards higher-value choices.

What changed

We didn’t redesign the journey; we restructured the options. Higher “anchor” values were introduced to shift perception, making mid-tier donations feel like the most reasonable choice.

Commercial implication

How choices are presented can significantly influence behaviour. By clearly structuring options and using anchors effectively, we made decision- making easier, increasing both conversion and value without adding friction.

The best websites do more than look good. They help people make decisions, build trust quickly, and turn valuable traffic into tangible action.

Not only can this unlock the growth held back by rising advertising costs, but it also changes the role your website plays within your business. A high-converting site helps you understand what customers value, sharpen your positioning, and test demand for new products and services before investing too heavily.

Instead of relying on more traffic or bigger campaigns, better-performing websites get more value from the traffic they already have. That’s how your business can break through the invisible ceiling holding competitors back and become the stand-out in your industry.