Does your copy carpet match your design drapes?

Full disclosure– I work for a company that competes directly with the company that posted the landing page I'm reviewing in this post.

That said, you don't have to be a seasoned copywriter to see the disconnect on this landing page.

The design
The design is distinctively lighthearted, playing off the robot concept in the copy. Bright, upbeat colors and some pseudo-retro imagery go a long way to establishing a fun, friendly tone. I mean, who doesn't want to push a bright blue robot's red renew tummy button?

The copywriting
However, if you start reading the body copy under "Request a Quote," which can be read without a microscope here, you'll quickly discover an extremely dry, serious, technical tone. I find this truly unfortunate, since style aside, they seem to be saying the right things from a messaging perspective.

Why does it matter?
Fun, quirky design coupled with humorless, technical copy? The disconnect between the feel of the design and the tone of the copy creates dissonance. Dissonance breaks the user's attention and can lead them to spend more time trying to figure out why the happy dance-inducing landing page they were looking at reads as dour as a puritan minister giving a eulogy.

More importantly, anyone who's spent much time in marketing knows that every bump and slow down along the way to a conversion is a barrier that decreases a user's chance of taking the action you want them to.

Making sure the tone of your copy matches the personality of your design can be the difference between a marginal page and a good page or between a good page and a great page.

What can we learn from this?
Make sure to give every creative element the attention it deserves. Spending all your time and attention on one while largely ignoring the other will show. It's no different than showing up to a party in a suit coat and sweat pants.

Make sure the personalities of all the elements match. It doesn't matter how well designed a piece is or how well written the copy is if they don't match. The confusion your users experience will hurt conversions every time.