The page’s headline promised to stop ‘buddy punching’. AI analysis of the calls showed buyers never used the phrase. For this US workforce-management client, rewriting the page in their words took conversion from 2.3% to 5.3%.
Ziggy Paid Media Team · Landing page CRO · Google Ads Search · Source: recorded sales calls & CRM
We weren’t happy with the conversion rate on a key landing page. It carried the most paid search spend in the account, and it wasn’t pulling its weight. Its headline was “Stop Buddy Punching and Get Payroll Right”. The form had eight required fields, including phone, and the page had no named proof and very little on the hardware itself.
We had opinions about all of that. What we didn’t have was evidence of how buyers actually talk. So instead of guessing at better headlines, we went and listened.
THE DIAGNOSIS
Stop guessing, go and listen
Sales calls are recorded, which is a gold mine most teams never open. We ran an AI voice-of-customer analysis over 573 calls, covering 218 leads from this page that went on to become sales opportunities. We weren’t looking for themes in the abstract. We were looking for the exact words buyers used, and what they asked for first. Five things stood out:
- 01The offers made on calls weren’t on the landing page. Reps were putting offers to buyers over the phone that led to strong win rates, yet none of them appeared on the page.
- 02Buyers say “clock”, not “time tracking system”. The language is device-first. The page was talking about software.
- 03Everyone asks the price, and nobody objects once they hear it. Pricing was top of mind on nearly every call.
- 04“Buddy punching” is not buyer language. The real worry is being able to prove who was on site if there is ever a dispute. The industry word, “time theft”, is accurate but too negative to put in front of a prospect.
- 05“Works offline” is a deal-breaker when it’s missing, and the page undersold it.
| WHAT THE PAGE SAID | WHAT BUYERS SAID | |
|---|---|---|
| Stop buddy punching | → | Prove who was on site |
| Time tracking system | → | Clock |
| Offline, in a footnote | → | Works offline, up front |
Language gaps surfaced by the call analysis.
THE HYPOTHESIS
Speak like the buyer, and show what wins deals
If the page speaks in the words buyers already use, and carries the offers that win deals on calls, more of the right people should convert. Separately, a mobile experience built around the form should convert better on phones.
The trade-off is that clearer, more specific copy can screen out some of the curious. We were comfortable with that, as long as lead quality held.
THE CHANGE
Two separate tests
We rewrote the copy line by line, keeping every replacement within 10% of the original length so the layout wouldn’t shift. The headline moved from “stop buddy punching” to proving who was there. “Clock” language throughout, offline promoted from footnote to headline benefit, and the offers from sales calls brought onto the page. Fewer form fields, with AI enriching the information we no longer ask for.
A new mobile layout, with the form brought above the fold on phones. Run as a second, isolated change so its effect could be read on its own.
THE RESULT
Conversion rate more than doubled
Together, the two tests took the page’s conversion rate from 2.3% to 5.3%: a 130% lift. The mobile test had its own big impact on phones, on top of the messaging lift on desktop.
Test 1 · desktop
Test 2 · mobile
all traffic
| TEST | CVR BEFORE | CVR AFTER | LIFT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Messaging and form (desktop) | 2.7% | 8.6% | +219% |
| 2. Mobile layout, form above the fold (mobile) | 1.9% | 4.8% | +153% |
| Both together (all traffic) | 2.3% | 5.3% | +130% |
Look for what buyers say that your page doesn’t — and what your page says that buyers never do.
THE GUARDRAIL
Conversion only counts if the leads are good
A higher conversion rate only matters if the leads are good, so we track every lead through to opportunity, not just the form fill.
The words buyers use when they are about to spend money are more reliable than anything a workshop or a copy brainstorm will produce. AI makes it practical to read hundreds of calls rather than the three you remember.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING NEXT
- → Lead quality. Whether the lift holds through to opportunities and wins.
- → Segments. The same analysis split by company size and industry.
- → More offers. Bringing further call offers onto the page.
- → Sales alignment. Reps and the page using the same language.
Methodology. 573 recorded sales calls, 218 of them from leads on this page that became opportunities, analysed with an AI voice-of-customer tool. Conversion rates come from Google Ads Search landing page data matched to CRM conversions, comparing the period before any change with the period after each change. The client is anonymised; percentages and ratios are unaltered.
Want the same analysis run on your own sales calls? Talk to us about a voice-of-customer sprint: we’ll find the words and offers your buyers already use, and put them on the page.
