Landing Page Optimization & Best Practises

After clicking the ad, the page we send to customers, commonly referred to as a landing page, can significantly impact our advertising effectiveness and budget.  By following a few landing page best practices, we’ll see our ad bid prices drop, users spend more time on our site, and hopefully, more overall sales or leads generated.

Why landing page optimization is important?

Landing page experience refers to the quality of a customer’s knowledge while on the website. The easier it is for customers to find their way to shopping, the more likely customer to complete their purchase.

Here’s how landing page optimizations can affect ad performance and overall budget:

• Decreased Bounce Rate

The better tailored the landing page is to a specific audience, the less likely they will be to click away or bounce immediately. If we drive traffic to a general landing page instead of a more relevant one, we’ll pay more for clicks and receive fewer conversions.

• Improved Ad Position

Google notices when people find the landing page more relevant than others. The longer people stay on the page or website after clicking the ad, the more likely the ad will show in a higher position and ultimately gain more traffic.

• Improved Quality Score

Landing page relevance plays a large part in how Google Ads calculates quality scores. The more relevant the landing page is to the chosen keywords, the higher the quality score will be.

• Increased Links & Authority

The more relevant and exciting content the landing page provides, the more probable people will share it with others, increasing the web traffic without paying for clicks.

Best Practices for Landing Page Optimization

At Google, we’re focused on providing the best possible results to users.

Customers want a landing page that is:

• Relevant

The web page they click on should be helpful and applicable to what they’re looking for. If not, they’re more likely to leave the website for a more relevant one.

• Trustworthy

If the landing page is poorly designed or lacks product or service explanations, this may signal to users that the brand or website may not be completely honest or credible.

• Easy

A landing page should be simple, including the mobile experience on devices.

• Reliable

The landing page must be consistent and accessible, no matter the platform. Issues such as a slow page load time can make people impatient, often causing them to click away prematurely.

Make the Landing Page More Relevant

We have to make our landing pages more relevant:

• Send users a relevant landing page.

Instead of sending users to a generic home page, we can direct them to a tailored home page, so they don’t have to click around to find the content they’re looking for.

• Use the same call to action.

A call to action is what we’d like users to do. “Buy,” “Act now,” and “Sign up” are all extreme and simple calls to action. Use the exact wording on the landing page as we do in our ads.

• Ensure that every element on the page supports the ultimate goal.

For example, if our goal is to sell black dresses on our website, our landing page should not suggest that users view men’s shoes or baby clothes. Stay focused on keeping users engaged and on the path to conversion.

• Use the same value proposition on the landing page.

This also ties into the trustworthiness of the website. If we’re offering free delivery in our ad, our landing page should also highlight free delivery.

Make the Landing Page Reliable

We have to make our landing pages more relevant:

• Make the landing page load as quickly as possible.

The page load time plays a significant role in ensuring a good user experience. If a page takes too long to load, users will often get frustrated and leave the page, indicating to Google that the page isn’t the best option.

• Provide a consistent experience.

Customers expect to find the same brand experience on all the landing pages, whether on a tablet, desktop, or mobile device. Ensure we’re either using a mobile version of a mobile ad landing page or that the website has a responsive design, where the page will automatically adjust to the screen size.

• Keep the landing page consistent with the brand.

Users expect a seamless experience, and delivering a landing page that does not align with brand standards indicates an unreliable business.

• Use a natural-sounding copy that is welcoming and encouraging.

The landing page is the equivalent of a face-to-face salesperson. Customers should feel welcomed and encouraged to buy the products.

Summary

Any page on your website can be used as a landing page. While the ad campaign landing pages should be the focus of the optimizations, we should aim to optimize the core web pages for a better user experience. Consistently check and minimize the bounce rate, improve the quality score, and increase conversions.