Creating a PPC (pay-per-click) landing page is the key to converting your paid traffic. If you’re not familiar with these pages, they’re standalone web pages used in a paid ad campaign, such as Google AdWords or similar services. When a visitor clicks on a paid ad, they’re taken to the landing page.
Effective PPC landing pages are both an art and a science. If you’re shelling out the money for a paid ad campaign, it’s wise to make the most of each one. Tweaking your landing page can offer immediate and measurable results. This article explains why they’re important, as well as suggestions for fine-tuning your own landing page.
Why Is a Landing Page So Important?
PPC landing pages work well with paid ads because they offer you more control. For instance, imagine you’re a family law, criminal defense, and estate planning attorney in San Francisco. When a potential client Googles “family lawyer San Francisco,” your paid ad pops up.
While you could have the ad send clients to your homepage—and most people do—it’s far more effective to use a PPC landing page. Pointing to generic pages can actually drive up the cost per click.
In the example above, instead of sending the visitor scrolling through the homepage, looking for the service they need, you can create a specific family law landing page. This directs them to the exact service and contact information they searched for, so they’re far less likely to give up when scrolling through your homepage.
Furthermore, the messaging for the campaign and on your website may not be the same, nor may it have the same call to action. The best marketing and advertising are clear, targeted, and consistent: use PPC landing pages to accomplish that goal.
Creating a Compelling PPC Landing Page
Here’s how to create landing pages that will convert visitors:
- Use unique landing pages: By now, you know that one of the key benefits of PPC landing pages is that they allow more control. Use unique landing pages for every campaign you launch, whether that’s promoting a specific practice area, a flat-rate deal, an individual attorney, and more. This improves your conversion rate and will drive down the cost per click.
- Align your messaging: Your ad and landing page message should be consistent and deliver on whichever promises your ad made. If you’re advertising workers’ compensation assistance for construction workers in Florida, your landing page should only cover that topic.
- Keep it simple: There’s no need for paragraphs of text. A PPC landing page should be simple and get straight to the point. Your goal is to hook the visitor immediately, then direct them to the next step in the process.
- Write for your target audience: When you develop an ad campaign, you also decide upon your target audience. Whether the audience is highly specific (people over 60 with an estate worth more than $1,000,000, who want to avoid probate) or broad (people who need criminal defense services in Ohio), the copy you write needs to align with your audience. Again, keep it simple, aligned and engaging: they have a problem, and your firm delivers the solution.
- Use engaging images: Photos are worth a thousand words, and engaging images can make a big difference. Depending on your campaign’s purpose and message, choose images that will draw readers in and project the tone you’ve chosen. Typically, non-stock photos featuring humans have been shown to convert better.
- Don’t forget the social proof: Social proof includes reviews, testimonials, case studies, accreditations, videos and more. It helps establish trust when a visitor discovers your landing page. For instance, if you have a stellar testimonial about a client who won a multimillion-dollar personal injury settlement, include that on your personal injury landing page. Alternatively, recording introductory or explanatory videos can make clients feel comfortable reaching out to your firm. However, take care to keep the social proof, like the messaging, consistent. It’s also important to not go overboard: too much social proof can clutter the page just as much as paragraphs of text.
- Ensure the page loads quickly: PPC landing pages aren’t of much use if they don’t make a good first impression. Your landing page must load in under three seconds—and preferably under one. If it takes longer to load, you risk losing 40 percent of your visitors right off the bat.
- Test every element: Finally, make sure that your landing page elements all function properly. Links should be directed to the proper page, videos should play upon request and images should load properly. Test this at least once per month: it helps you increase conversions and ultimately, lower your ad costs.
PPC landing pages are a powerful way to control your traffic and improve conversion rates. Following these tips will ensure that you create effective and functional landing pages for any campaign you launch.
