You may have heard that landing page design can make or break your conversions. But, what exactly does this mean, and what PPC landing page components really matter? Give us a few minutes, and we’ll walk you through how landing pages work, why you need to use them, and what sets high-performing landing pages apart from their counterparts.
What Are Landing Pages?
Have you ever clicked on a link and discovered that the page you land on doesn’t really relate to the link or the information you expected to find is buried on the page? This is exactly the experience 44 percent of B2B businesses create by sending visitors to the homepage, according to TrueList. Landing pages eliminate this problem. They’re hyper-focused pages designed for a specific purpose.
Types of Landing Pages
Paid advertising landing pages are the topic of this article, but there are many different types of landing pages. A few additional examples include:
- Squeeze Page: Used to gather the visitor’s email address, often as part of gated content.
- Splash Page: Often used to share information or ads rather than for lead generation. It appears when visitors are on their way to the content they want to see.
- Lead Capture Page: Works like a squeeze page but collects more information.
- Click-Through Landing Page: A soft opening that shares information to prime someone to buy. When users hit the call-to-action (CTA) on a click-through page, they’re usually taken to a sales page.
- Unsubscribe Landing Page: Allows the user to unsubscribe from emails.
- 404 Landing Page: Serves as a placeholder when the page someone intended to visit does not exist.
Benefits of PPC Landing Pages
It’s well worth the effort to master the art of landing page creation. High-performing landing pages lead to:
- Better User Experience: When the user’s journey is consistent, and they find what they need quickly, their experience is better.
- Higher Conversion Rate: Well-designed landing pages boost conversion rates by 40 percent, according to TrueList.
- Greater Quality Score: Your ad and landing page quality score increases when user experience improves.
- Lower PPC Campaign Expenses: Cost-per-click (CPC) usually reduces when your ad quality score climbs.
- Stronger ROI: Because your PPC campaign performs better and CPC reduces your ROI increases.
7 Conversion-Boosting PPC Landing Page Components
The average landing page conversion rate is 9.7 percent, according to HubSpot. High-converting landing pages usually convert 10 percent or more of visitors, though this can vary by industry. Landing pages that include the following seven components tend to outperform their peers and meet this benchmark, so it’s essential to include them when you build yours.
1. Strong and Relevant Headlines
Try to follow the same conventions for PPC landing pages that you should for other landing pages, but with a few adaptations.
- Optimize: Include the search term in your headlines if you’re running search ads. This creates consistency for the user and can boost your ad quality score.
- Use Power Words: Words like “success” and “effortlessly” to evoke an emotional response in the reader.
- Be Brief: H1 headers should be 60 characters or less. H2 and subordinate headers don’t have length requirements, but short and punchy usually work best.
- Be Solution-Oriented: Focus on your solution rather than the product, service, or features.
2. Clear and Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)
The call-to-action button on a PPC landing page will typically be part of a lead generation form. To increase CTA button clicks:
- Be Descriptive and Use Verbs: For instance, “Get Your Free Quote” is better than “Submit Form.”
- Create Consistency: Reinforce or build on the heading and any promises made in your ad copy.
- Keep it Short: Five words or less is a good rule of thumb.
- Use Contrasting Colors: Your CTA should draw eyes to it and stand out from everything else on the page.
3. Relevant and High-Quality Visual Content
Images, gifs, videos, and other visual content are often overlooked as essential PPC landing page components. However, more than a third of marketers agree they positively impact landing page conversion rates, per HubSpot research. Various studies show anywhere from a 20 to 80 percent uptick in conversions when video or images are used.
There are a few tricks to making visual content work for you, though.
- Be Selective: Only choose visual assets that add to the experience.
- Keep it Light: Large image files and video code can slow down a page, which reduces conversions.
- Save Some White Space: Leaving blank space between elements can help define important sections and improve perceived quality and value. Resist the urge to load a page up with images.
- Go Unique: Stock photos and generic visual content have little impact on conversions because people perceive them as inauthentic.
4. Trust Signals
Very few people will take you at your word, especially if they’re paying on the spot or asking them for personal information. A strong landing page includes elements that tell the reader your business can be trusted. That way, they stay on the page and continue through your funnel rather than leaving to research your business and potentially never returning. This can happen even if your business has a stellar reputation, as visitors are influenced by environmental cues, too. Anything from a barking dog to the end of a workday can permanently end a journey.
- Testimonials and Reviews: Nearly three-quarters of people say that reviews and testimonials from customers are more credible than a brand’s perspective of its products or services, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. Almost half say they trust reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family.
- Certificates: Licenses and certificates from external authorities can be used to demonstrate expertise and knowledge.
- Awards: Third-party recognition for things customers care most about, such as support and quality, especially from notable organizations, can give your business more credibility.
- Affiliations: Include logos of professional organizations to which your company belongs to demonstrate industry expertise and ties to the community.
5. Benefits and Value Proposition
Businesses often want to focus on a product’s features, but what customers care about is how the brand solves their problems. For instance, Apple doesn’t just say the iPhone has Action Mode. It uses the phrase “Shaky shots, stable video.” You understand precisely how it helps you in four words. Identify benefits that support your main value proposition or primary heading and sprinkle them throughout your landing page.
It’s also worth noting that discussing what your brand is known for not doing can be just as powerful. Addressing buyer fears on landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80 percent, according to HubSpot. Each person will come to your landing page with different objections, so refer to your buyer personas to ensure these are addressed, too.
6. Simplified Navigation and Layout
Your landing page has one goal: encourage the visitor to take the action you want them to take. Yet, 84 percent of landing pages have navigation bars that allow the visitor to leave and become sidetracked, according to TrueList. Many use every available inch of screen to make their case as well. Unfortunately, these types of cluttered designs damage the flow and reduce clicks.
Landing page forms should be as clean as possible, too. Each question asked reduces the likelihood that someone will complete the form, so only ask for information you absolutely require.
While these aspects are important for all visitors, those using mobile devices are especially sensitive to cluttered and disjointed layouts. Keep your landing page as simple and clean as possible to minimize bounces and maximize conversions.
7. Fast Load Speeds
A one-second delay in loading reduces conversion by seven percent, according to TrueList. Try to get your load times to three seconds or less. This can be achieved through clean coding, keeping plugins to a minimum, using newer image types with smaller file sizes, and other speed optimization techniques.
Get Help Evaluating and Improving Your PPC Landing Pages
Even if you know the essential landing page components, implementing best practices can be challenging. Moreover, ongoing landing page optimization is required to ensure you get the best results possible. If you need help with your PPC landing pages or any component of PPC management, let us connect you with an experienced PPC agency. Request a complimentary consultation.
