Guide · Landing pages
What a first screen has to prove in five seconds
Outcome, audience and next step: a checklist for the area above the fold, with the leaks that most often keep visitors from going further.
Why the first screen carries so much weight
Visitors decide fast whether a page is worth their time. Nielsen Norman Group’s analysis of page visits found that users often leave web pages within 10 to 20 seconds, and that a page has to communicate its value proposition within about 10 seconds to earn a longer visit.[1] Their eyetracking work also shows where attention goes: in their most recent study, about 57% of page-viewing time was spent above the fold.[2]
That is why a five-second test is a useful habit: show the first screen to someone who has never seen it for five seconds, hide it, and ask what the product does, who it is for and what they would click. If they cannot answer all three, the first screen has a leak.
Prove the outcome, not the category
The most common first-screen leak is a headline that names what the product is instead of what it does for the visitor. “AI-powered analytics platform” is a category. “See which pages lose you signups, and why” is an outcome. The Leak library calls this Value proposition does not name the outcome, and treats it as critical because every visitor reads it.
| Names a category | Names the outcome |
|---|---|
| All-in-one scheduling software | Book client calls without the back-and-forth |
| Next-generation CRM | Know which deal to follow up on today |
| Conversion optimization platform | Find where your website is losing signups |
A good outcome headline is specific enough that the wrong visitor recognises it is not for them. That is a feature, not a cost: it is the cheapest qualification step a page can make.
Say who it is for
A visitor who cannot place themselves on the page keeps reading to find out, or leaves. One line under the headline is enough: “For SaaS teams who own a signup number”, “For Shopify stores doing their first paid campaigns”. Use the words your buyers use about themselves, not the segment name in your CRM. When the line is missing, Leakly reports The page never says who it is for.
Show one next step
The first screen needs a visible way forward, and it needs one that looks like the way forward. Two leaks hide here. The first is structural: no conversion action is visible without scrolling, often only on mobile, where the hero image pushes the button below the screen. The second is visual: several actions of equal weight — “Book a demo”, “Watch video”, “See pricing”, “Read the docs” — so none of them reads as the one to take (Competing actions dilute the conversion path).
| Label | What the visitor knows |
|---|---|
| Learn more | Nothing about what happens next |
| Get started | Something starts, but not what, or at what cost |
| Start free trial · 14 days, no card | The step, its length and the main risk removed |
The first-screen checklist
- The headline names the outcome, not the category.
- One line says who the product is for.
- The primary action is visible without scrolling, on desktop and on mobile.
- The primary action is the most visually prominent control on the screen.
- Its label says what happens next: “Start free trial”, not “Get started”.
- Nothing covers it: no cookie banner, chat widget or sticky bar on top of the button.
- Something reduces risk next to it: price, trial terms, or a credible proof point.
- The main content paints quickly. Google’s guidance is a Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less.[3]
Frequently asked questions
Does everything important have to be above the fold?
No. People scroll when the first screen gives them a reason to. The first screen has to prove the page is worth scrolling: what you get, who it is for and what to do next. Detail, proof and pricing can follow.
How long should a headline be?
Long enough to name a specific outcome and short enough to read at a glance; most strong headlines land between five and twelve words. Clarity matters more than length.
Should the first screen have a video?
Only if it does not push the primary action below the fold or delay the page. A video can support the value proposition; it cannot replace a headline that states it.
Sources
- 1.Nielsen Norman Group, How long do users stay on web pages? nngroup.com/articles/how-long-do-users-stay-on-web-pages
- 2.Nielsen Norman Group, Scrolling and attention. nngroup.com/articles/scrolling-and-attention
- 3.Google, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). web.dev/articles/lcp
Written by
Leakly Team
Editorial team at Leakly
The people who build Leakly’s audit rules. Every guide is checked against the Leak library before it is published, and every figure is linked to its source.
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