The Power of a Landing Page
A landing page is a powerful tool because it is the designated page your user “lands” on after clicking on your ad. Landing pages have one goal—to generate a conversion or lead. A conversion is a commitment from a user, like filling out a form with their information or purchasing a product.
If you haven’t designed an AdWords campaign yet, I suggest reading our previous blog post to learn more about that before continuing to landing page creation. A successful AdWords campaign isn’t complete without the follow-through of a relevant landing page.
The 7 Keys of Landing
Our team of AdWords specialists has developed a list of 7 key phrases to remember when building a premium landing page.
L – Look-alike copy for ad and landing page.
A – Avoid clutter.
N – No navigation buttons.
D – Device optimization.
I – Information requested is minimal.
N – Note the value.
G – Give one choice to click.
But what does it all mean? Let’s break these down one by one.
Look-alike Copy for Ad and Landing Page
Your copy is the message you’re sending. You’ve done the work to research keywords for your campaign, and you’ve made sure to use those keywords in your ads. Now, what words do you want your user to see after they click the ad and arrive on the landing page? You’ve got it. The exact keywords again. Why? Because they’ve searched for what they need and you’ve cleverly provided a link directly to it. All they have to do is click a button, and you’ve solved their problem. It’s right within their reach. They’re about to cross over into conversion territory.
Avoid Clutter
It’s no secret that clutter can be distracting. Whether it’s clutter in your home, on your desk, or your landing page, it takes your mind off of the task at hand—even if just for a moment. It’s imperative to keep the clutter away from your landing page so users don’t lose sight of that conversion button. Clutter, in this scenario, could be several things such as loud color schemes, too much text, or too many images. Keep it simple. Your user is just about to commit to your company. Why give them an excuse to veer away?
No Navigation Buttons
Usually, a navigation bar sits somewhere visible on the page. These buttons allow the user to quickly move to other pages of the site. But when it comes to a landing page, you don’t want the user to move anywhere. As with clutter, navigation buttons can be distracting. If your user takes a moment to navigate over to your blog page to do some reading, they may never make it back to the landing page for that conversion.
Device Optimization
Studies prove that users are less likely to buy from a site with poor mobile optimization. And why wouldn’t they be? Although many of us work daily on a laptop or desktop computer, we shop differently. We do it from our couches, on the bus, and while waiting in the school drop-off line. Your landing page should be accessible to all devices, especially mobile ones. Today, our mobile devices are a true extension of us. Think about the user experience and make sure the landing page looks great, no matter what technology is being used.
Information Requested is Minimal
Some landing pages ask users to fill out a form, giving some of their basic information. This becomes the company’s lead. From there, the company can contact this person and try to close a deal, which means a conversion. It’s important to keep the form information to a minimum. If users are asked to give too much information, they may change their minds mid-form and bail. Remember, your landing page’s only goal is to keep them interested and turn their interest into a conversion. So, just ask for what you need to contact them and leave it at that.
Note the Value
In the marketing world, a value proposition (prop) is a clear message that communicates the primary value you provide to your customers. It’s made up of three parts—a solution to a customer’s problem, specific benefits you offer, and the strengths that set you apart from your competitors. On a landing page, your value prop should be front and center. It’s what’s going to keep the reader there or entice them to click your call-to-action button. We’ll go over the CTA in the next section. In an AdWords campaign, every landing page should have a clear value prop that is unique to that product or service.
Give One Choice to Click
When your user lands on your landing page, you want them to have one clear choice—to click the call to action button. The CTA is usually some copy, along with a button, that calls people to take some sort of action. It could also be a form to fill out, a number to call, or an email to contact. They’ll often say things like, “Learn more,” or, “Free Ebook,” or, “Buy now”. The CTA should be a contrasting color to the background. It should reiterate the value, and it should be very easy to find. It should also be the only choice.
In previous sections, we delved into the idea of not cluttering a landing page, as well as avoiding navigation buttons. This is the third part of that idea—Give them every reason to click your CTA. It’s the landing page’s one job. It should be the main event on that page. Too many click choices give users a reason to squirrel away. So keep it simple, with one clear choice.
A Vital Step
In short, don’t skimp on the landing page. Without it, your AdWords campaign isn’t complete. It can single-handedly make or break your campaign—a campaign that you’re paying for. Make sure the landing page holds that user focus and gets that conversion. If you’d like guidance on setting up a campaign and landing page, call Find8 at (765) 588-6067. We love brainstorming our way to a successful campaign.