How to improve website conversion: design review of four startups

Executive overview

Getting traffic to your website is not enough — the design must guide visitors through a clear sequence of steps toward a single goal. Most startup homepages lose users by competing for attention, burying the product demo, or adding friction before the user reaches the "aha moment."

The review applies a two-question test to each site: does this convince me I want to sign up, and does the signup process talk me out of it?

Reduce to one call to action, map your funnel step by step, and cut every step that sits between the visitor and the moment they experience real value.

The conversion funnel explained

• A conversion funnel is the ordered set of steps from landing on a site to completing the target action (email signup, purchase, demo booking).
• The target action is not always a purchase — it is whatever the company most wants users to do.
• Every extra step, click, or form field is a potential drop-off point.
• Mapping the funnel on a whiteboard reveals which steps are unnecessary; cutting them compresses the path to the aha moment.

Rivet — multiplayer game infrastructure

• Multiple competing CTAs (Click to Start, Sign Up, Open Rivet, star the repo) create a paradox of choice.
• Clicking each CTA leads to a different destination: a demo game, a community registration, and a beta email form.
• A visitor cannot determine the intended next step or even who the product is for.
• Fix: reduce to one CTA, clarify the target audience (developers vs. players), and unify the signup flow.

Decoherence — AI video generator

• Headline above the fold ("Create what can't be filmed") is too abstract; the clearer description ("AI video generator, bring any idea to life") sits below the fold.
• Move the concrete description up; abstract taglines slow comprehension.
• Repeating the same CTA ("Start free trial") at multiple scroll depths increases conversion — visitors who need more convincing will see it when they are ready.
• Google login removes password friction and meaningfully increases signup rates.
• No credit card required, stated explicitly on the page, removes a major psychological barrier.
• After login, the in-product onboarding is unclear: a red box reads as an error state, and a welcome video is not obviously a guide.
• Missing: social proof or named users to establish credibility.

Solve Intelligence — AI patent writing

• Single-sentence headline is clear; the product demo video raises more questions than it answers.
• Target audience (patent attorneys vs. independent inventors) is not stated on the homepage — only surfaced after clicking through to the demo request form.
• Scaled-down product screenshots with small text are hard to parse; zoom in on the key action being shown and use text overlays.
• High-stakes context (expensive patent filings, risk of rejection) demands strong social proof: approved patent count, named customers, or independent validation.
• Only conversion path is a contact form — a live interactive demo would remove the commitment barrier.
• Most visitors will not reach the form; clarity at the top of the funnel must improve first.

InEvent — event management platform

• Embedding the email input directly in the page (rather than behind a button that opens a form) is the right pattern and measurably increases conversion.
• Social proof is prominent and specific: 1.1 million events created.
• A sticky CTA button ("Book a meeting") persists as users scroll — effective.
• Headline ("Go Beyond Live Events") is ambiguous: unclear whether the product manages in-person events, virtual events, or both.
• Feature carousel with 10 tabs means most content is never seen; flatten important features directly down the page instead.
• Tabs and sliders hide content — nine out of ten visitors will not reach tab 10.
• Fix the headline to be concrete: "Event management software for live events and webinars" is more scannable and self-qualifying.

Key conversion principles

• One primary CTA per page. Multiple CTAs split attention and reduce the likelihood of any action being taken.
• Aha moment first. Identify the step where users experience real value and cut every step before it that is not essential.
• Measure funnel drop-off. Analytics from one step to the next reveal the highest-impact cuts.
• Social proof proportional to stakes. The higher the cost or risk of the product, the more trust signals are required before conversion.
• Reduce signup friction. OAuth login (Google, Facebook) removes password creation and increases signup rates.
• Address objections inline. "No credit card required" on the CTA button eliminates a common hesitation at the moment of decision.
• Show outputs before inputs. Lead with compelling results; let users see the value before explaining how it works.