Conversion is about decisions, not persuasion
Conversion is often framed as persuasion.
Better copy. Stronger CTAs. More urgency.
That’s a narrow view.
In reality, conversion happens when people understand what’s in front of them, trust the structure, and feel confident about the next step.
No tricks. No pressure. No manipulation.
My approach to conversion focuses on clarity, hierarchy and decision-making — not tactics added at the end of a page.
01
Conversion startsbefore the button
Most websites don’t fail at the CTA.
They fail long before that.
Users hesitate when they don’t understand:
What the page is about
Who it’s for
What problem it solves
What action makes sense next
When those questions aren’t resolved early, persuasion doesn’t help.
It adds friction.
This is why conversion is tightly connected to structure and UX, not isolated copy tweaks.
A page that requires interpretation already lost momentum.
02
Clarity reduces friction
Every interface asks users to make decisions.
The more effort those decisions require, the lower the chance of movement.
Good conversion design reduces interpretation cost:
Clear hierarchy instead of equal visual weight
Obvious primary actions instead of multiple competing CTAs
copy that explains instead of teases
URL logic
This is not about being minimal.
It’s about making the path obvious.
That’s why clarity beats creativity when results matter — a principle explored deeper in Clarity beats creativity: why most websites fail.
03
Conversion doesn’tlive without structure
Conversion decisions don’t exist in isolation.
Structure affects:
How users scan content
How search engines interpret relevance
How trust is built over time
When structure is weak, conversion relies on persuasion.
When structure is clear, conversion becomes a consequence.
This is also where SEO and conversion overlap: both depend on how well information is organized and intent is resolved — not on surface-level tactics.
04
How I think aboutconversion in practice
I don’t start by asking:
“How do we convince users?”
I start by asking:
What decision should this page support?
What information must exist before that decision feels safe?
What action should feel natural, not forced?
Copy, design and CTAs come after those answers.
Conversion improves when fewer things compete for attention and fewer explanations are required.
If this perspective resonates, the idea is explored further in Conversion happens before persuasion.
If a website looks good but doesn’t move people forward, the problem is rarely persuasion.
It’s usually structure.
If you’re working on a site where conversion feels forced or inconsistent, the issue is likely not copy — it’s the decisions underneath it.
