Ever spent ages tweaking your website’s copy, layout or CTAs… only to see zero improvement in conversions?

Here’s the thing:

Some conversion issues aren’t caused by weak design or dodgy buttons.

(No, making your button green because it means "go" will not make more people click it)

They’re caused by a fundamental mismatch between who’s visiting your website… and what your website is offering.

It’s a problem that actually has a name, coined by the Conversion Rate Experts:
​The Keitai Denwa Problem.

Let me explain.

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The story of the Keitai Denwa Problem

Back in 2003, a phone rental company launched a site for Japanese travellers. They optimised for the keyword kaigai keitai (meaning “phone rental”).

But once analytics were installed, they realised something wild...

90% of visitors were coming from a different keyword: keitai denwa (which just means “cell phone”).

In other words, they weren’t attracting travellers looking to rent phones.

They were attracting everyone in Japan looking to buy a regular mobile phone.

Which would’ve been fine… if they were selling mobile phones. But they weren't. So everyone bounced.

The lesson?

You can’t optimise your site until you understand who’s showing up and what they want.

Otherwise, you’re tweaking the wrong things for the wrong people.

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3 steps to avoid the Keitai Denwa trap

Step 1 - Figure out who’s actually landing on your site

Most people skip this part because they think they already know. But the data may tell a different story.

Start here:

• Use your website analytics (like Umami, Fathom, GA) to see where traffic is coming from (look at referral sources and entry pages)
• Use Google Search Console to see what keywords and searches people are finding your site with (note this is different from Google Analytics)
• If you get enough traffic, use on-page surveys or thank-you page questions like:
  ​“Where did you first hear about us?”

This helps you spot mismatches early and understand which visitors are even worth optimising for.

Step 2: Understand what they expected to find

Once you know where they came from, dig into what they hoped to see (and what’s letting them down).

Ask these questions (either via surveys, customers or get someone to pretend):

• “What persuaded you to buy/contact us?” → reveals your actual value proposition
• “What almost stopped you?” → uncovers hidden friction
• “What was your biggest frustration in finding a product/service like this?” → shows you where to stand out

The answers tell you if you’ve got a messaging mismatch, an offer problem, or if you’re just not meeting people where they’re at.

If you have no one to ask, you'll have to revert to the research route. Get online and tap into social media and forums to see what people are saying.

Step 3: Realign (or redirect) your traffic and messaging

Once you know the truth about your audience, you’ve got two options:

1. Fix your messaging so it clearly speaks to the people who are actually visiting
2. Fix your traffic sources so you attract the people your site is already built for

(There’s also option 3: create something new for the people who are showing up unexpectedly, but only if it makes business sense.)

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Final thought

CRO doesn’t work in a vacuum.

If your traffic and messaging are out of sync, all the optimising in the world won’t save you. But if you fix the mismatch? That’s when things start to click.

Your visitors feel seen.

Your site makes sense.

And conversions go up, not because you hacked the design, but because you finally understood the audience.

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I’ll be diving into analytics more during my free event on Wednesday 25th of June, where we’ll go through diagnosing problems like this in more detail.

You’ll get:

• A simple framework for using analytics
• Time to look into your analytics or set them up with me there to support you
• A chance to ask questions and get feedback

Come along if you want to finally make your website convert the way it should.

​Book your place here​

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