---
title: Sales / landing page audit checklist
slug: sales-page-audit-checklist
summary: A step-by-step checklist for auditing a landing page, sales page or product page (digital or physical) — traffic and offer first, then message match, hero, problem, mechanism, proof, objections, offer/guarantee, buy box/CTA, mobile and post-click flow — each item linked to its evidence note.
domain: marketing
tags: [checklist, audit, cro, landing-page, sales-page, product-page, copywriting]
related: [landing-page-hook-test-optin-vs-revenue, checkout-button-copy-test, presell-funnel-paths-advertorial-vsl, psychological-triggers-in-copy, list-offer-copy-hierarchy, ad-landing-page-message-match, ads-get-clicks-no-conversions, funnel-stage-copy-triggers, product-page-buy-box, product-page-carousel-and-description, proof-and-believable-claims, guarantees-and-anxiety-reducing-offers, headline-hooks-and-copy-frameworks, web2app-paywall-best-practices]
sources: [yt:32uLdgfvuQ4, yt:7gjtI1rnds4, yt:HVNGcGEbQnc, yt:n_FCRqzLPpo, yt:e0KSL5YmGpM, yt:2HDkD7jSbzE, yt:0lhaBStALzk, yt:o-CR8lEEawU, yt:MH_fU3JOP3M, yt:XFEUUHZGiVg]
updated: 2026-10-24
---

# Sales / landing page audit checklist

Work top to bottom; stop and fix the first broken layer before polishing later ones. Marks: ✅ ok / ⚠️ weak / ❌ broken.

## TL;DR
- Audit **list → offer → copy**: traffic and offer problems can't be fixed with words[^1].
- Then check **message match** with the ad that sends the traffic and its awareness stage[^2][^3].
- Then walk the page as the buyer: *right place? → will it work for me? → can I justify it?*[^4]
- Finish with buy box/CTA mechanics, mobile, and what happens after the click.

## Details
**0. Traffic & offer** ([[list-offer-copy-hierarchy]])
- [ ] Who lands here (ad, audience, persona)? Is it one coherent group, or homepage-style mixed traffic?[^1]
- [ ] Does the offer address the buyer's main anxiety (time, risk, fit) — not just a discount?[^5]

**1. Message match** ([[ad-landing-page-message-match]])
- [ ] Hero repeats the hook/claim of the ad (verbatim is fine)[^6][^7].
- [ ] Page starts at the awareness stage the ad left them in, and moves them one stage[^3].
- [ ] One page per angle/persona, not one evergreen page for all ads[^2].
- [ ] Page format fits the platform: video page after YouTube ads, advertorial after native ads ([[presell-funnel-paths-advertorial-vsl]])[^33].

**2. Hero — "Am I in the right place?"** ([[funnel-stage-copy-triggers]], [[headline-hooks-and-copy-frameworks]])
- [ ] Names a specific category/audience; mirrors self-identity, doesn't imply they're wrong[^4][^8].
- [ ] Leads with the problem or desired outcome in the customer's words (VOC), not a vague 4–6-word slogan[^9].
- [ ] The offer (and for e-com, the buy box/CTA) is visible above the fold[^10][^11].
- [ ] Cold traffic: the hook is specific, not a broad benefit, and doesn't assume the reader already values your mechanism ([[landing-page-hook-test-optin-vs-revenue]])[^34].

**3. Problem & desire**
- [ ] Problem dimensionalised (cost, lived experience); blame removed ([[identity-and-desire-selling-angles]]).
- [ ] Would a scroller feel "I'm on the ground and need this hand"? If not, the page has a hook but no heart ([[ads-get-clicks-no-conversions]])[^12].

**4. Mechanism & plausibility**
- [ ] Named problem + solution mechanism; passes the 10-word test ([[name-the-unique-mechanism]])[^13].
- [ ] Big claims phrased plausibly (timeframe, ratio, "more than")[^14].
- [ ] Every vague adjective replaced with a specific number or concrete detail ([[proof-and-believable-claims]])[^15].

**5. Proof**
- [ ] Each claim has its proof (testimonial, demo, data) right next to it — PCPO, no orphan testimonial wall[^15].
- [ ] One big, relevant proof point leads; review widget lower down[^16].
- [ ] E-com: testimonial opens the buy box; stars link to reviews ([[product-page-buy-box]])[^17].

**6. Objections & trade-offs**
- [ ] Top three objections each killed in one plain sentence[^18].
- [ ] The honest catch stated once near the close ("result, but effort")[^19].
- [ ] FAQ accordion with real support questions, refund and delivery terms ([[product-page-carousel-and-description]])[^20].

**7. Offer, guarantee, close** ([[guarantees-and-anxiety-reducing-offers]])
- [ ] Guarantee text + USP/trust icons directly under the CTA[^21].
- [ ] Value perception visible: review count, gift with purchase, launch/acquisition offer, badges[^22].
- [ ] If options are shown: three, with the recommended one in the middle[^23].
- [ ] Urgency is real (actual deadline/countdown), not fake.

**8. CTA & buy box mechanics**
- [ ] CTA above the fold on mobile and desktop; ≥80% width on mobile; colour used nowhere else; hover state[^11][^24].
- [ ] CTA text matches destination ("Check out now" only if it skips the cart)[^25].
- [ ] No exits on paid LPs (no nav); every CTA returns to the buy section; buy box on the page rather than a redirect to a PDP[^26][^27].
- [ ] Checkout button uses the buyer's verb ("Check out" beat "Submit my order" 37.5% vs 28%) ([[checkout-button-copy-test]])[^35].
- [ ] For big asks, offer a smaller first step ("See what's inside", a free training) ([[psychological-triggers-in-copy]])[^36].
- [ ] Carousel: ≥8 looks incl. in-use shots, fast loading, zoom, short demo video (physical products)[^28].

**9. Fluency & mobile**
- [ ] Read aloud — every stumble is friction; short sentences, familiar words[^29].
- [ ] Scannable: headlines + bullets carry the argument[^30].

**10. After the click**
- [ ] Pop-up / email / SMS carry the same angle and promo as the page[^31].
- [ ] Confirmation page and first emails feel like a small ritual, not dead ends ([[identity-and-desire-selling-angles]]).
- [ ] Decide copy debates with A/B tests and revenue, not opinions[^32]. Measure revenue per visitor or per lead, not opt-in rate alone: the top opt-in hook can sell nothing[^34].

## Disagreements / caveats
- The checklist merges copywriters (Joanna Wiebe, Alex Cattoni, Stefan Georgi), an e-com operator (Ezra Firestone, 2023), a DTC brand marketer (Sofi, Dose) and an ad strategist (Ben Bennett). Proof volume is the main tension — see [[proof-and-believable-claims]].
- For web2app/subscription checkouts use [[web2app-paywall-best-practices]] alongside this list.

## See also
- [[ai-landing-pages-with-claude-code]] — rebuilding a page quickly once the audit is done

[^1]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 14:14 — Joanna Wiebe
[^2]: yt:HVNGcGEbQnc @ 01:33 — Sofi (Dose)
[^3]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 18:47 — Joanna Wiebe
[^4]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 00:00 — Joanna Wiebe
[^5]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 15:46 — Joanna Wiebe
[^6]: yt:2HDkD7jSbzE @ 14:02 — Will (guest) and Dara Denney
[^7]: yt:e0KSL5YmGpM @ 19:58 — Ben Bennett
[^8]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 01:56 — Joanna Wiebe
[^9]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 01:13 — Joanna Wiebe
[^10]: yt:HVNGcGEbQnc @ 10:17 — Sofi (Dose)
[^11]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 14:32 — Ezra Firestone
[^12]: yt:e0KSL5YmGpM @ 12:09 — Ben Bennett
[^13]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 05:37 — Joanna Wiebe
[^14]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 07:10 — Joanna Wiebe
[^15]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 23:01 — Joanna Wiebe
[^16]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 12:55 — Joanna Wiebe
[^17]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 03:54 — Ezra Firestone
[^18]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 08:04 — Joanna Wiebe
[^19]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 11:31 — Joanna Wiebe
[^20]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 26:46 — Ezra Firestone
[^21]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 16:57 — Ezra Firestone
[^22]: yt:HVNGcGEbQnc @ 18:52 — Sofi (Dose)
[^23]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 10:20 — Joanna Wiebe
[^24]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 15:25 — Ezra Firestone
[^25]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 13:45 — Ezra Firestone
[^26]: yt:2HDkD7jSbzE @ 19:34 — Will (guest on Dara Denney)
[^27]: yt:HVNGcGEbQnc @ 22:48 — Sofi (Dose)
[^28]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 02:20 — Ezra Firestone
[^29]: yt:7gjtI1rnds4 @ 04:06 — Joanna Wiebe
[^30]: yt:n_FCRqzLPpo @ 20:12 — Ezra Firestone
[^31]: yt:HVNGcGEbQnc @ 14:41 — Sofi (Dose)
[^32]: yt:32uLdgfvuQ4 @ 24:35 — Joanna Wiebe
[^33]: yt:MH_fU3JOP3M @ 15:50 — Stefan Georgi
[^34]: yt:0lhaBStALzk @ 06:24 — Alex Cattoni
[^35]: yt:o-CR8lEEawU @ 01:38 — Stefan Georgi
[^36]: yt:XFEUUHZGiVg @ 14:44 — Alex Cattoni