Optimize PPC Advertising by Using a Landing Page That Actually Converts

I talk to a lot of clients who want search ads.  They know that it's people looking for their product or service.  But many times they fail to understand that the ad itself, is only half of the equation to why someone will seek further information.

It's incredibly effective to design a custom landing page with information and an offer tailored to the verbiage in the paid search ad. While landing pages serve a number of other purposes, I've seen that when customized, they outperform any traffic hitting normal websites. 

Here, we’ll look at the many benefits to creating a solid landing page for PPC, and what elements go in to creating a winning page.

At the end of the day the only digital marketing metric that really matters is Click-Through-Rate.  Everything that you do in marketing should be geared towards improving this numbers.  It's a metric that will improve every other number on the board.  

Designing a custom landing page for your pay per click ads is proven to increase conversion rates on ads. Your ad copy should be for a specific product or offer. When a reader clicks on the link, they want to learn more about that certain thing, not be taken to a page that’s more generally about your business.  So why drive them elsewhere if they know that's what they want to learn more about.  That's the power of a good landing page.

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 that you’re getting more bang for your marketing buck along the way.

And when your product or service is competing in a space with other players, you need to be maximizing every dollar you have.  More clicks equal more conversions.

There is yet another bonus to creating an effective landing page for PPC ads. When you achieve higher conversion rates and keep visitors on your site for longer, Google takes notice.

They assume that the content on your website must be highly relevant to searchers, and so in turn improve your standing on their site. They reward good ads with better placement and show them more frequently.

Also with a higher AdWords Quality Score your costs in turn decrease.  But that could benefit any other traffic you are sending elsewhere.

Visitors to a landing page are coming there because of the offer you made or product you cited in your PPC ad. Your landing page should contain just one call to action, and it should be directly related to the offer or product from the ad.

Let’s say, for example, that you own a lawn care company. Your PPC ad touts your same-day service. People clicking that ad are probably not interested in the work you do in lawn care. They likely have a need and are interested in learning more about  your business.

Your landing page should have a call to action that drives them directly to your online booking system so that they can get on your calendar ASAP.  In addition make sure that your page is mobile friendly.  With local search your most likely going to see almost 50% of your traffic from a mobile source.  Simplify your information, but make it easy for someone to reach out.

Because visitors are coming to your page with one express purpose in mind, they don’t need a whole lot of information to convert. Instead, a simple headline; one big, bold, relevant image; and a clear description of the details of the product or service you’re offering will do.

A solid landing page can help your PPC ads perform better, rank better, and generate more revenue for your business. By keeping your messaging narrow and targeted, you speak directly to the immediate needs of your prospects. And by building a simple, visually engaging page, you guarantee that you’ll catch their eye and hold their interest.