There’s an essential element in every successful PPC campaign that sometimes flies under the radar: a finely tuned landing page, geared up to quickly captivate and engage visitors and turn clicks into sales and subscriptions.

Deliver on substance

A click on an ad is an expression of interest. It’s confirmation that your visitor is looking for more information. That means your landing page should deliver substance. It needs to build on the promise of your PPC ad and fill in all the gaps with detailed product or service information, plenty of visuals and compelling reasons to buy.

Think about all the information your buyer may need when making their decision – such as dimensions, shipping times, service inclusions or exclusions, materials and so on.

Build on your ad text

Your landing page should be very closely aligned with your PPC ad copy. Someone clicking on an advert for a garden table and chairs won’t expect to find a page that also talks about your garden lighting collection or paving slabs. Focus on creating landing pages that build on your ad text to ensure you’re meeting the visitor’s needs at the moment of their search.

Likewise, any pricing reflected on the ad should be reflected on the page – don’t push more expensive versions within the primary text. You could show similar products as suggestions for comparison further down the page, but don’t make the more expensive options the star of the show.

Use the top of the page strategically

The very top portion of your landing page is known as ‘above the fold’. This is the information your visitors sees before they have to scroll. This is your most valuable piece of digital real estate, so make sure it packs a punch. You’ll need a strong headline, your best offer and a clear call to action. If you’re running a limited time special deal, this should be conveyed in this space. Your aim is to encourage your visitor to purchase and convince them they need to act now while also making it as easy as possible for them to do so.

Have a compelling headline

A strong headline welcomes your visitor to the page and sets the stage for what follows. Use your most powerful and most creative text – but don’t expect to get it right first time. To land on the best headline possible, run A/B tests to uncover what truly resonates with your guests. With each test you learn a little bit more about what your visitors to react to, allowing you to further hone your headline.

Use high quality visuals

A good landing page is also visually attractive. While being mindful of page loading times, adding high-quality visuals which help to tell your story are a very worthwhile and hardworking addition. Again, you might not get the mix perfect the first time around and that’s fine. A/B testing can help you to deepen your understanding of your target audience and means you can ramp up your landing page performance in a measured way.

Don’t forget social proof

Social proof is a powerful element which is intrinsic to the best performing landing pages. Online shoppers look for peer reviews, endorsements and genuine feedback from other users to help them in their purchase decisions. Building social proof into your landing page directly helps with decision making. Consider showcasing reviews via a widget, enable product reviews or star ratings or share UGC you come across on social media.

If you’d like more expert guidance and a data-driven approach to crafting strong landing pages, we can help. Get in touch to find out more.