Look, I didn’t get into web development thinking, “Wow, can’t wait to build lead machines!” But here I am. After years of working with marketing teams, startups, clients who want “more leads ASAP,” I kinda had to figure it out.
And guess what? Developing for lead gen ain’t the same as building a pretty portfolio site. Not even close.
You can have the cleanest layout, fastest pages, fancy animation—doesn’t matter one bit if no one’s filling out your form or clicking your CTA. That’s the harsh truth.
So, here’s my brain dump. Stuff that’s worked. Stuff I’ve messed up. Hopefully it helps.
First—Know Where the Lead Is Supposed to Come From
I used to jump into the code first. You know, wireframes, components, the whole dance. But now? I always start by asking: what’s the actual goal here?
Form? Demo booking? Email signup? Call request?
Without that clear, you end up designing for… vibes. Which is cool for art school, not for converting users.
Speed’s Not Just a Bonus—It’s Make-or-Break
People bounce if your site takes more than like 2.3 seconds (or whatever the latest stat is). Doesn’t even matter what your offer is—if it don’t load, it’s game over.
Some quick hacks I use:
-
Tiny images. WebP when I can.
-
Lazy load everything below the fold. No excuses.
-
Cut the JavaScript bloat. You don’t need five carousels. Promise.
-
Cloudflare CDN helps. A lot.
Also, no one tells you this, but third-party embeds can slow you down bad. Watch those analytics scripts, chat widgets, etc.
Forms. So Simple. So Easy to Screw Up.
This part used to stress me out. Forms should be simple, right? Just boxes and a button. Nah. It’s like… the most fragile piece of the funnel.
Keep it short. Really short.
I mean, do you actually need their phone number? Probably not.
I’ve had conversion rates double just by removing one field. That’s not exaggeration either.
Also, inline validation? Must-have. Nobody wants to submit a form and get slapped with five red errors after the fact. That’s rage-quit territory.
And for the love of UX: mobile forms. Bigger inputs. Tap-friendly buttons. Autofill enabled. I once tested a form where you had to zoom in just to type—disaster.
Landing Pages > Homepages
Hot take maybe, but most homepages are garbage for leads. Too much going on. Too many directions.
I build specific landing pages for anything that matters. Ads, email campaigns, promos—each one gets its own focused page.
What works:
-
Kill the nav bar. Yup, just axe it.
-
Headline that matches whatever ad/email brought them there.
-
One. Single. CTA.
-
Minimal distractions. You want a button click, not a blog reader.
Split test stuff too. I use VWO or whatever my client prefers. A/B testing isn’t just for marketing folks—devs gotta understand what works and why.
Sticky Stuff & Exit Popups = Gold (If You Don’t Overdo It)
So I used to hate popups. Still kinda do. But when you use ‘em right, they convert.
Sticky CTA bars? Awesome on mobile.
Exit-intent popups? Caught so many users just as they were about to bounce.
Timers or scroll triggers? Subtle and effective when done with restraint.
But timing is everything. If it pops up in the first three seconds, you’re just being rude.
Hook Up Your Forms to Something Useful
You’d be surprised how many sites I’ve audited where the form just… goes nowhere.
Make sure your form talks to:
-
HubSpot
-
Mailchimp
-
Salesforce
-
Whatever you’re using
If it’s custom, use webhooks. I’ve built setups that shoot data to Slack, send emails, and dump into Airtable at the same time.
Oh, and I usually hide some UTM fields. Just so the marketing folks know where leads came from. Helps big time with ad spend attribution.
Trust. It’s Not Just a Vibe
Ever not fill out a form because it felt… sketchy? Same.
Stuff I add near CTAs:
-
Lock icon (even if the page is HTTPS—it’s a visual thing)
-
“We never share your info.” Works more than you’d think
-
Customer logos or testimonials, even just one
-
Star ratings if it makes sense
You don’t need a whole page of social proof. Just one or two signals to say, “Hey, we’re legit.”
Analytics = Fixes Waiting to Happen
Tracking everything makes you a better dev. I’m not kidding.
Set up GA4. Add Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity. Watch where people rage-click, scroll too fast, or bounce.
You’ll find issues you never would’ve guessed. One time I had a CTA just barely below the fold on mobile. Users never saw it. Moved it up 50px—boom, 23% lift.
Every lead flow should also have:
-
Click tracking
-
Scroll depth tracking
-
Form start + completion tracking
If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing.
Mobile Comes First (Because Everyone’s On Their Phone)
You think people are filling out your form on desktop at 2pm? Nah, they’re doing it in a Lyft on the way to lunch.
So make sure:
-
The CTA isn’t buried
-
Form doesn’t scroll forever
-
Load time is stupid fast
-
No annoying popups covering half the screen
I design mobile-first now. Not just responsive. Actual mobile-first. It’s just how people browse today.
Bonus: Don’t Waste Your Thank-You Page
Most folks forget this part. It matters.
Thank-you page = chance to:
-
Confirm their form worked (don’t leave them guessing)
-
Offer a freebie, next step, or resource
-
Track the conversion (yes, that’s where your pixel fires)
Sometimes I even use the thank-you screen to schedule a follow-up call. Or link to a case study. That extra value? Builds trust instantly.
Wrapping It Up (Finally)
If your site looks great but doesn’t capture leads, it’s a fancy ghost town.
Every decision—every div, every delay, every click path—it all adds up to either one thing: a lead or no lead.
So don’t just develop websites. Develop outcomes. Build with the goal in mind from the first line of code. Also, you can know more about Using White Space to Grab People’s Attention in startups here.