At AdOperator, we work directly with advertisers running performance campaigns across multiple verticals. Every day, we review thousands of high-intent traffic creatives, angles, and calls to action — from iGaming and e-commerce to apps, subscriptions, and betting operators.
That volume gives us a clear view of what happens after the click. And very often, the difference between a marketing funnel that drives results from paid traffic and one that doesn’t comes down to the first interaction after acquisition — especially onboarding.
That is why we decided to look deeper into onboarding as part of the funnel, not as a separate product or UX element. To ground this analysis, we are using a recent onboarding A/B testing report by Adapty as a practical reference. Adapty works closely with apps and product teams and focuses on improving onboarding performance through experimentation. Their report brings together practical experiments and patterns observed across multiple onboarding flows, formats, and user journeys.
In this article, we’ll translate those ideas into practical questions you can use as a testing checklist for optimizing post-click funnels — especially if you run multi-step landing flows or want to improve conversion without increasing traffic spend.
This breakdown will be most useful for:
— affiliate marketers,
— advertisers launching their first campaigns,
— teams entering new markets or verticals,
— and anyone looking to improve conversion without buying more traffic.
Our goal is to show how better-structured funnels and onboarding flows can unlock additional performance — starting right after the click.
Why Multi-Step Landing Pages Work for Paid Traffic?
Many advertisers perceive the landing page as a single screen whose only goal is to push users toward one action as fast as possible. In practice, this approach often creates hidden bottlenecks.
Single-page landings tend to overload users with information all at once. Value propositions, trust signals, feature explanations, and calls to action compete for attention — especially for cold or cross-market paid traffic. As a result, users either scroll without engaging or drop off before taking any meaningful step.
Multi-step landing pages approach this problem differently. Instead of asking for a full commitment upfront, they break the journey into smaller, more manageable actions. Each step has a clear purpose: set expectations, build context, reduce uncertainty, or guide the user forward.
For web and mobile paid traffic, multi-step flows create several opportunities to improve funnel performance:
1. Progressive value delivery. Instead of explaining everything at once, multi-step flows allow advertisers to introduce value gradually, matching the user’s level of intent.
2. Intent-based segmentation. Early steps can be used to identify user goals or preferences, making later messages more relevant.
3. Lower cognitive load. Short, focused screens help users stay oriented, unlike long pages that demand too much attention at once.
4. Clear micro-conversions. Each step acts as a small commitment, increasing the likelihood of continuation.
At the same time, multi-step funnels introduce their own challenges. Poorly structured steps, unclear transitions, or unnecessary questions can create friction and increase drop-offs. Without a clear goal for each screen, additional steps may break performance instead of improving it.
This is where onboarding principles become critical. When multi-step landing pages are designed with onboarding logic in mind, they stop being just “longer landings” and start functioning as guided conversion funnels — preparing users for the product experience that follows.
How Onboarding Impacts Paid Traffic Conversion and Activation?
In performance marketing, onboarding is often seen as a “product step”. But for conversion funnels, it is a core part of the post-click experience. If a creative is the promise, onboarding is the proof.
It is the first real interaction after the click — the point where users quickly decide: “Am I in the right place?” and “What should I do next?” If onboarding doesn’t answer those questions fast, users drop off before they ever reach the product’s core value.
From a funnel perspective, onboarding solves several critical tasks at once:
1. Confirms relevance. Users immediately see that the offer or benefit from the ad is actually available here.
2. Sets expectations. The flow makes it clear what happens next and how much effort it takes.
3. Explains immediate value. Instead of long descriptions, onboarding highlights the outcome users can get right now.
4. Drives activation. It guides users into the first meaningful action instead of leaving them to explore on their own.
A simple example from iGaming: imagine an ad that promises “100 free spins in under a minute”. In that case, users expect a fast, guided path. If onboarding adds extra steps, long explanations, or unclear transitions before the spins are unlocked, funnel conversion suffers — not because the paid traffic is low-quality, but because time-to-value is too slow.
This is why Adapty’s A/B testing approach is useful: it treats onboarding flow optimization as a set of testable levers — structure, messaging, trust signals, friction, and first-session handoff — rather than a one-time UX decision.
Even with strong traffic and well-performing creatives, a weak onboarding can become a conversion bottleneck. When onboarding is designed as part of the funnel — rather than as a standalone product flow — it protects the moment after the click and improves the overall conversion rate across the funnel.
Adapty’s Onboarding Flow Optimization Checklist for Marketing Funnels
Below, we have grouped Adapty’s most practical onboarding experiments into key stages of the onboarding flow. Each stage highlights the decisions teams face — and the variants worth testing based on funnel context and user intent. This isn’t a ranked list of “best” experiments; we have translated the report into stage-by-stage checklist questions that can improve post-click continuation and funnel conversion.
Stage 1. Entry and First Impression
The first screens determine whether users continue or leave. At this stage, clarity and relevance matter more than details.
— Is a welcome screen needed at this stage?
A simple welcome screen can help set expectations and reduce confusion, especially for new brands, new markets, or unfamiliar offers.
— Should onboarding lead with benefits or goals?
Benefit-first screens help users quickly understand what they’ll get. Goals-first screens can increase engagement when personalization is a core part of the experience.
— Is early social proof needed?
Displaying ratings, badges, or brief testimonials at the beginning can help reduce hesitation, especially in higher-risk or competitive categories.
Impact: These entry-point decisions influence onboarding start rate, first-step completion, and early exits.
Stage 2. Value Framing and Narrative
Once users move past the first screen, onboarding needs to clearly explain why the product or offer is worth their time.
At this stage, users are still deciding whether to continue. Clear value framing and a simple narrative help them understand what they’ll get — without overloading them with details.
— Should messaging start pain-first or benefit-first?
Pain-first framing highlights the problem the user wants to solve and can create urgency. Benefit-first framing works better when the outcome is clear and motivating on its own.
— Are we communicating value as a concrete outcome?
Outcome-driven messaging (“In 30 days, you’ll…”) helps users visualize results and understand what success looks like, instead of relying on generic benefits or feature descriptions.
— Would a “Before → After” narrative make the value clearer?
Showing the contrast between the user’s current state and the expected outcome can increase emotional engagement and make the promise feel more tangible.
— Should multiple benefits be stacked on one screen or introduced gradually?
A compact value stack (3–5 key benefits on one screen) is often easier to scan than spreading benefits across multiple steps, especially in mobile paid traffic.
Impact: Value framing decisions at this stage affect onboarding completion, perceived value, and fall-off between steps.
Stage 3. Trust and Reassurance
At this stage, users may like the offer — but still hesitate. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and build trust without slowing the flow.
— Is social proof needed early or closer to the end of onboarding?
Early social proof (screen 1–2) can reduce anxiety for cold traffic. Late social proof can work better as a final nudge for undecided users.
— What type of social proof fits the funnel: emotional testimonials or stats?
Emotional quotes build relatability (“This helped me…”). Numbers and ratings reduce skepticism (“rate 4.8 from 120K users”). Different audiences respond differently — it is worth testing both.
— Should the proof come from experts or peers?
Expert validation can add authority (strong for premium or regulated-feeling categories). Peer stories can feel more authentic and relatable, especially for mass-market offers.
— Should testimonials be visual (faces/avatars) or text-only?
Visual testimonials often feel more credible and help users connect faster than plain text.
Impact: Trust decisions influence onboarding completion, users hesitating to continue, and activation — especially for cold traffic, new brands, and higher-risk categories.
Stage 4. Flow Control and Friction
Once users understand the value and trust the offer, the next challenge is momentum. At this stage, even small friction points can slow users down or cause drop-offs.
The goal here is not to remove all friction, but to control it — making progress feel easy, clear, and intentional.
— Should users move forward automatically after making a selection?
Auto-advance flows can make onboarding feel faster and more fluid. Manual “Next” buttons give users a stronger sense of control and reduce mis-taps. Both are worth testing, depending on how complex each step is.
— Is the primary CTA always visible?
Sticky CTAs reduce scrolling effort and help users move forward without searching for the next action, especially on mobile screens.
— Should users be allowed to skip certain steps?
A visible “Skip” option can reduce friction for impatient users, but may limit personalization. This trade-off is especially relevant in longer onboarding flows.
— Are progress indicators helping users move forward?
Progress bars, step counters, or minimal progress dots can reduce perceived effort and make multi-step onboarding feel shorter.
— Do transitions reinforce a sense of personalization?
Light micro-loading states (for example, “Preparing your plan…”) can increase perceived value by signaling that the system is adapting to the user’s input.
Impact: Flow and friction decisions shape onboarding speed, perceived effort, and drop-offs across multiple steps — especially in longer, multi-screen funnels.
Stage 5. First Action and Handoff
The final step of onboarding is not completion — it is activation. At this stage, users need clear direction and a fast path to their first meaningful action.
Here we combine Adapty’s recommendations on first-time experience preparation and first-session handoff, focusing on activation. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and make it obvious what to do next, so users don’t stall after onboarding ends.
— Do users clearly see what happens next after onboarding?
A short transition screen (“Your plan is ready”, “You are all set”) helps close the onboarding loop and prepares users for the next step.
— Is the first action obvious and prioritized?
Highlighting one core action (instead of multiple options) reduces choice overload and increases the likelihood of activation.
— Are users guided through their first task or dropped into the product?
A lightweight guided flow or simple prompts can help users complete their first action with confidence, especially in less intuitive products.
— Do users get a quick win early on?
Unlocking something immediately (a starter pack, first routine, bonus, or result) reinforces progress and makes the experience feel rewarding.
— Are expectations set for what happens after the first session?
Explaining what users will see next or what happens in the next 24 hours (reminders, updates, next steps) helps build continuity and trust.
Impact: First-action and handoff decisions directly affect activation rate, time-to-value, and short-term retention.
Final Thoughts: Improving Marketing Funnel Performance Without Increasing Paid Traffic
Effective marketing funnel optimization doesn’t always start with new creatives or higher budgets. In many cases, the biggest gains come from improving what happens once users enter the funnel. From our experience across multiple verticals, onboarding is one of the few levers that consistently affects funnel conversion regardless of traffic source.
Multi-step landing pages and onboarding flows give advertisers more control over how users understand an offer, experience its value, and reach their first meaningful action. When designed intentionally and tested systematically, these stages can unlock conversion growth without increasing traffic spend.
The ideas outlined above aren’t universal rules. They are decisions worth revisiting and testing at each stage of the onboarding flow, based on funnel context, traffic source, and user intent. Even small changes in structure, messaging, trust cues, or handoff can have a measurable impact on activation and early retention.
From a network perspective, this is where performance marketing and product thinking meet. Strong paid traffic creates opportunity — but well-structured onboarding is what turns that opportunity into results.
