Running a pay per click (PPC) ad campaign is important, but if your landing pages are lacking you won’t get many conversions. Great ads will get you clicks, but effective landing page design is the key to getting those clicks to convert.
If your PPC ad conversions are lacking, or you just want to do better, try focusing on improving your landing page design in addition to optimizing your ads. A good place to start is by optimizing the following elements.
- Tailor your landing pages
The number one design tip for effective PPC landing pages is to make sure your pages match your ads. You don’t want to use a generic landing page for all of your ads. When people click on your ad, they’ll expect the subsequent landing page to offer them exactly what your ad promised. Your landing pages need to “welcome” your visitors either directly or by making it clear that users are going to get what they came to get.
For instance, say you’re targeting branded searches with your PPC ads. You may have heard that branded searches convert best, but that’s not always true when there’s a disconnect between the ad and the landing page. When you run branded ads, it’s important to have landing pages that are identically branded. This means if you have an umbrella company with multiple brands, you need landing pages designed specifically for each brand.
You can host all of your landing pages on your umbrella site, but if you run an ad for Brand A, then the target landing page should be visually designed to reflect Brand A, including the proper logo, colors, and any other aesthetics.
- Limit your pop-ups
If you’re using a pop-up on a paid ad landing page, limit it to one per page. For example, if you have an entry pop-up, don’t use an exit pop-up. Choose one or the other, and don’t have multiple pop-ups of the same type.
Some people say that pop-ups aren’t appropriate on a landing page for PPC ads, but there are others who say they get plenty of signups this way. Which group should you follow? That depends. If you’ve never tried pop-ups on your PPC landing pages it’s worth at least testing. However, your success rate will depend heavily on all the details specific to your ad campaign.
To test your results, add a pop-up element to your split testing campaign. See if it works, and if not, ditch the idea. If you find it works well, keep it and optimize it further.
As long as you’re not using modal windows or pop-ups that open in a new window/tab, a graphic overlay pop-up appearing on the same page should be okay as long as your content is specific to your ad. PPC ad networks do allow these types of pop-ups.
- One focused call-to-action (CTA)
It’s critical to have just one CTA on your landing pages so your visitors don’t get confused about what they’re supposed to do on your page. Different CTAs can also distract users and take them away from converting. For example, if your goal is to get a sale, but you have a CTA that asks visitors to sign up for your email list, they might sign up and browse away from the page.
It’s okay to repeat the same CTA throughout the page where you feel it makes sense. In fact, that’s actually smart because sometimes people scroll through long sales copy and you want your CTA to be visible no matter where they scroll.
- Eliminate the main menu
PPC ads are an important part of your digital marketing strategy, but it’s easy to make small mistakes that diminish conversions. Having a main menu at the top of your landing pages is one of those simple mistakes.
When you provide visitors with options to navigate away from your page, some of them will do just that and you’ll lose those conversions. Eliminating the main menu on your PPC landing pages ensures your visitors’ attention remains on your content. Some people will still bounce, but you don’t want to encourage them to bounce.
Success comes from great ads and a great landing page design
When you’re running a PPC ad campaign, you want as many conversions as possible. While great ad copy and alluring headlines will get you clicks, it’s up to your landing page design to get conversions. Both elements are equally important, so don’t neglect optimizing your landing page design. Great ads and great landing page design are the recipe for getting PPC conversions.