Some marketers choose to send prospects who click through to their paid search results on their website’s homepage. While this will certainly take them to a page with relevant information about your company, it is not the most effective option when dealing with search marketing.
It’s far more effective to design a custom landing page with information and an offer tailored to the action in paid search advertising than to send people to a generic page. While landing pages serve many other purposes, one of my favorite techniques is to create one for PPC ads. Here, we’ll look at the many benefits of building a solid landing page for PPC, and what elements are involved in building a winning page.
increase conversion rate
Designing a custom landing page is the key to increasing the conversion rate on ads. Your ad copy must be for a specific product or offer. When a reader clicks on the link, they want to know more about that certain thing, not a page that’s about your business in general.
When visitors are redirected to your homepage, it is now up to them to find relevant information from the information they see on the ad. Even if you have a great website, it’s easy for them to get frustrated and impatient, wanting them to have the right information in the first place. This increases their chances of leaving the search and coming back to the SERPs.
However, a custom landing page that addresses the message directly from the ad presents the reader with everything they want to know. It is highly likely to generate an immediate positive response from the audience.
keep cost per click low
A landing page with a high conversion rate also works to keep your cost per click low. When more people convert, you’re generating more revenue from the ad campaign, which means you’re getting more profits for your marketing.
Earn a High Ad Quality Score
There is another bonus to building an effective landing page for PPC ads. Google notices when you get higher conversion rates and keep visitors to your site longer. They anticipate that the content of your website should be highly relevant to searchers, and therefore in turn improve your position on their site. They reward good ads with better placements and show them more often.
How do you make a great landing page?
So now that you understand all the importance of a solid landing page, let’s talk about how to build one. (And if you want to take a look what No To do this when building a landing page, check out this post.)
Focus on One Call to Action
Visitors to the landing page are coming there because of the offer you made or the product you quoted in your PPC ad. Your landing page should have only one call to action, and it should be directly related to the offer or product of the ad.
For example, let’s say you own a plumbing company. Your PPC ad is promoting your same day service. The people who clicked on that ad probably aren’t interested in the job you do to install an eco-friendly plumbing system as part of a home renovation. They are likely to have an emergency situation and need immediate help. Your landing page should have a call to action that takes them directly to your online booking system so they can get it on your calendar ASAP.
Keep the page clean and simple
Since visitors are coming there with a clear purpose in mind, they don’t need a lot of information to convert. Instead, a simple title; a large, bold, relevant image; and a clear description of the product or service you are offering.
Going back to the plumbing example, start with a headline that says something like “Same day plumbing services, 365 days a year.” The image should be a hero image—a plumber of you in front of your truck, holding a bold pose saying, “I’m ready to solve all your plumbing problems!”
Then the description of the service should include what you’re offering (a plumber licensed for same-day service) and what consumers expect (there’s a flat-rate fee for your service).
If you’re looking for inspiration for designing your own landing page, check out these examples, gathered together by Instapage.
A solid landing page can help your PPC ads perform better, rank better, and generate more revenue for your business. By keeping your message narrow and targeted, you speak directly to the immediate needs of your potential customers. And by creating a simple, visually appealing page, you guarantee that you’ll catch their eye and keep their interest.
If you liked this post, check out our Small Business Guide to Finding Paid.
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