A landing page will make or break your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad campaign. With this page, you have the opportunity to give your audience what they want and entice them to take action that is favorable to your business. If you present this page the wrong way or fall short of satisfying your audience, however, you will miss your shot to convert high-quality leads into sales — driving your cost per click (CPC) higher.

But, What Exactly is a Landing Page?

A landing page is a page a visitor arrives at on your website after clicking on a Google text ad, display ad, or any other PPC ad. Often, inexperienced marketers direct users to the website’s homepage. That can be a big mistake, as a landing page must not only contain valuable business information, but it should also match what your ad says or promises. For instance, if your ad talks about office furniture, your landing page must be your website’s product page that lists down your available office furniture rather than a homepage that talks about the company and other types of furniture products.

Now, before you build your landing page for your PPC ads, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is your goal?

Once users click your ad and are directed to your landing page, what would you want them to do? Would you want them to buy something? Fill out a form? Sign up for a free trial?  The first step to creating high-converting landing pages is to determine your goal. Everything you will do next — from content and web design to CTA buttons and widgets — should be in line with the goal you have set.

2. Who are your competitors?

Check out how your competitors do their PPC ads and their landing pages. If they do something that works, you may want to do the same or improve their strategy to build your competitive advantage.

3. Who is your audience?

The better you understand your target market, the more you can cater to their wants and needs through the landing page you will build. Get to know your audience; their demographics, buying behaviors, and interests.

4. How did visitors get to your landing page?

Ideally, you want a landing page tailored to each of your ad groups, but that can be expensive. So, create one custom landing page per campaign instead. With that technique, it is crucial to know where your users come from, as a different message might be suitable for visitors who arrived at your landing page coming from Google than those who were from Twitter or Facebook ads.

Once you have answered these questions, you’re one step closer to creating awesome, persuasive landing pages. To prep you further, here are some of the qualities of a high-converting landing page that you should adopt:

• Clear and Concise Copy

A landing page should offer all the necessary information in as concise and clear a copy as possible. For one, use similar keywords from your PPC ad text. The connection must be apparent because the continuity reassures visitors that they’re on the right path.

Also, don’t bore the visitors by talking too much about your company or products. Remember, they are on your landing page for one thing only — to know what the offer is and how it can improve their lives. So, focus on providing essential details that will interest your audience and persuade them to take action, whether it’s to schedule a consultation, add an item to a cart, or download a free e-book.

• Engaging Call-to-Action

Since your goal is for users to take action, your landing page must have a call-to-action (CTA). You can put it in your headline or button text at the end of the copy. Have your CTA in big bold text, so your visitors won’t miss them. But more importantly, place CTAs that are engaging to make your audience click fast. For example, replace boring phrases like “see pricing” with “sign up for a free trial.”

• Eye-Catching Headlines

Before they get to see a call-to-action, a visitor will see a headline.  It is vital that your headline is eye-catching in such a way that it confirms the offer you’ve posted in your ad. Also, place a subheading that contains a one-line summary of your landing page copy or the value proposition of your offer.

• Relevant, Quality Images

High-quality images can make your page more attractive and easier to digest, improving the overall user experience. Consider adding visual cues to help the visitors to know what they should do next.

• Seamless Page Flow

Your goal is to make it as easy as possible for users to convert from mere visitors to engaging customers. Once they arrive at your landing page, their next step, as mentioned, should be obvious. If it’s a form submission, place an eye-catching form on the page. If it’s appointment scheduling, make a button that is visible and easy to click.

• Limited Exit Points

To make it even easier for visitors to convert, you must provide a short distance between points A and B. Limit exit points, such as pop-ups and hyperlinks that may entice users to leave your page. We understand that hyperlinks are often used to cite authority sources or sites. But, in this case, in which links may serve as points of departure from your sales funnel, you should use them sparingly.

• Flawless Design
  

Another thing that makes a landing page concise, clear, and easy to follow is its flawless page design. Navigation should be seamless, and nothing should come between the visitor and the conversion. If it’s possible, your visitors should convert in one click. Great web design and information architecture come into play here.

• Mobile-Friendly

Having a landing page that functions and appears well in any screen size can double your conversions. The number of mobile device users across the globe has recently increased to over five billion, after all.

The last step to creating high-converting landing pages is to test them. Track how your pages perform and, then, tweak elements that need improvement. As with any other PPC strategies, landing page creation isn’t something that you can “set it and forget it.” The digital arena is a fast-paced world, always changing to improve the experience of the users. Make sure your landing pages are up-to-date with the latest digital trends and search algorithms.

Want to learn more about creating awesome PPC landing pages? Call us today. We’re here to help.