This post provides in-depth knowledge about what PPC Landing Pages are, their purpose, some of the best Google ads landing pages example, and the best practices for designing a PPC landing page.
These latest guidelines have been provided here to help the viewer and guide them to design landing pages for Google Ads Landing Pages easily and efficiently. Everything has been explained, hoping to help the readers.
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Google Ads Landing Pages
An optimized PPC landing page for Google Ads Landing Pages is the most important factor that decides whether the visitors will respond well to the page or leave soon. The developers need to keep this in mind and design the page accordingly.
Here in this post, a comprehensive guide has been presented for the readers so they can get an insight into what a PPC landing page is or Google Site Landing Pages, certain examples, and what can be done to make amazing landing pages.
What is meant by a PPC landing page?
A PPC landing page is also known as an SEM landing page. It is a self-contained (complete in itself, independent) web page that the visitors are supposed to land on after clicking the pay-per-click ad on an advertising platform.
Every element on PPC landing pages concentrates on conversions and mutations; they are made to be laser-focused and free from any distractions. This is the reason why they can be powerful conversion funnel campaigns. With power and positive features, they come with the bad news that they can be challenging to implement and scale.
More than a successful PPC campaign is needed to have a well-optimized Google Ads campaign, as it is the only thing that will complete this task. The more complicated task of completing the campaign is to ensure that the landing page is available, on which the visitors are driven, where the conversions take place, and money is made.
But the rough fact is that some marketers who do not have such experience often miss out on the significance of the other important step of a successful PPC campaign. They often direct all of their PPC traffic to their home page or a poorly optimized (never-tested) landing page and consider that good enough. That is a huge mistake.
A PPC landing page is different from a home page. A PPC landing page displays precise details about a specific offer. It is believed to serve a specific goal, and everything available on it is designed in the same manner to fulfill the goal. It doesn’t include any general information or many external links, which prevents visitors from getting distracted and boosts the chances of conversion.
A PPC landing page should only be redirected when a visitor clicks on any paid ad, else not. It is unlike any other page, which opens just by clicking anywhere. Explaining it in a better manner means that a page specially designed for a PPC campaign isn’t usually indexed by search engines (because a no-index tag might be added to it) and can only be accessed by a PPC ad click and nothing else.
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The purpose of having a specific landing page for a PPC ad
It is always rational, logical, and practical to send the paid search traffic to a trustworthy, specific, dedicated, and optimized PPC landing page or Google Ads Landing Pages. This is because organic traffic is different from paid traffic.
When a visitor searches for a specific keyword, every attempt is made to help the website be shown organically by making the page title, meta description, or blog posts SEO-friendly. If site links match a search query best, Google picks them and shows them on the SERPs. The position the website will be ranked in depends on how well it has been optimized for search.
With a Google Ads campaign & Google Ads Landing Pages, it can be decided exactly where to divert the visitors. The paid traffic can be chosen to be linked with any website’s landing page. This, in turn, allows the developer to precisely and directly handle the needs, wants, and objections of a specific group of people.
People who use Google to search for something have something in particular in their minds, unlike those who visit the website by chance from a social media ad. Generally, they look for practical solutions to their particular problems.
They will change the website when they are still looking for what they are looking for on the generic page. Then this is conveyed to Google as an unsatisfactory experience on the landing page.
On the other hand, if any visitor is looking for something in particular, and on clicking an ad, they are directed to a very high-quality landing page where they find all the relevant solutions, this tells Google that the landing page’s experience proved to be satisfactory.
This happens due to the fulfillment of what had been promised in the ad rather than just redirecting the visitor to some random page. If the page fulfills what it promises, there is a high chance that it’ll convert, and that is what the goal is.
If we compare a homepage or other pages with a dedicated PPC landing page, we can say that other pages do not focus in a particular direction. Still, a dedicated PPC landing page focuses on a particular direction, fulfilling which they can be reviewed as high-quality landing pages. Moreover, it should be noted that a dedicated, killer landing page can help boost the Google Ads Quality Score.
Quality Score measures the relevance between the ad components (i.e., ads, keywords, landing pages) and the search query of a person seeing the ads. The more conversions there are from the landing page, the higher the Quality Score the ad gets, meaning better ad positions on SERPs and lower cost-per-click.
Reasons to use landing pages for Google Ads
The value of landing pages is game-changing. The reason they work with ads in such an amazing manner can be narrowed down to the difference between organic and paid traffic.
The website is mainly a source to attract organic traffic. In this case, Google chooses and serves up links on the site that is believed to be the best match for a given search query, and these Google-chosen links are brought up in the bottom half of the SERP.
This organic traffic is largely why a terrific website optimized for search is needed. One can choose where to direct visitors with paid advertising on Google Ads or Bing Ads.
It can be decided to link the paid traffic to the website’s homepage, for instance (and numerous marketers do), but there are better options for conversion.
The content on present the homepage, or even other site pages, often doesn’t match the premise of the ads in all cases and will only sometimes contain information or a call to action tailored to the initial ad campaign.
Many advertisers ultimately discover that paid traffic redirected to generic web pages (like a website homepage) needs to convert better and can drive up cost-per-click.
This is primarily because visitors often need help finding what they particularly searched for on the generic page and generally rebound more quickly (giving Google a signal that the landing page experience could have been better).
On the contrary, if visitors click through from an ad to a highly appropriate landing page, they’re met with information that strengthens the promise of the ad, and they encounter just a single call to action or the very next step to take. A smoother path to conversion can be ensured by simplifying the options available.
What are the core elements of a killer Google Ads landing pages?
All types of landing pages whether Google Ads Landing Pages or Bing Ads Landing Page demand similar elements, which should be present on these pages. For instance:
- Unique selling points or USP
- Exhilarating offer
- Catchy Visuals (images, graphics, videos, etc.)
- A powerful and attractive call to action
- Social validation and proof such as reviews, ratings, and testimonials (help in gaining trust because people believe people like them)
- Some urgency, for instance, a countdown timer (this makes the visitor curious about what’s next and so they choose to click on the link)
Regardless of the subject, all the components mentioned are extremely important. If any of them is missed, the landing page might not be able to get the expected response from the visitors.
Moreover, everything depends on the final goal. A page for sales can be much more extended than a page for lead capture. An upsell landing page will have a distinct design focus, and a squeeze page will have something different.
Once all the rules have been mastered, they can be blended and broken too. These elements form the base and, once mastered, can be blended into better versions of themselves.
A killer Google Ads landing page must also contain the above-mentioned components, along with the following ones:
Good ad-landing page message match
This means that if you are trying to sell something specific, stick to that rather than sending the paid traffic to a page featuring something completely different. The PPC landing page shall be apt and accurate regarding what has been promised.
There can be several reasons, but everything can be narrowed down to the fact that redirecting visitors to something irrelevant might end up annoying them, and hence there shall be no purchase made either on the page or from the email. If this needs to be clarified or believable, one might take a self example of the fact that we do not like it when we are redirected to pages that are not concerned with what we are looking for.
When an on-target message match is created, it assures the paid traffic that they’ve made it to the correct spot and that the content provided to them (and the brand) is credible and reliable.
The most suited approach is to keep the ad headline (nearly) the replica of the landing page headline. It can be noted that whenever the offer is changed, or there’s any copy on the landing page, the PPC ad should be checked to ensure they are congruent.
Fast loading speed
With a higher user-experience history, Google usually keeps those pages as a priority, so the page’s loading speed should be fast. The search engine highlights that site speed greatly impacts the Ad Rank.
Internet users are highly impatient, so much so that if the website fails to load in about 3 seconds, 45% of the users shall exit or switch pages. In the case of mobile pages, this percentage goes even higher, to about 95%, and the time varies from 1 second to 3 seconds.
Keeping this in mind, it shall be noted that the page should load in 2 seconds or less; only then will Google review the page as good, or else the users will exit the page.
To know how fast the page loads, one can throw the URL of the landing page into any of the following sites:
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- GTmetrix.com
- Pingdom Website Speed Test
One important thing to be kept in mind and considered is that the speed tests that are run by using the above-mentioned sites will depend on the wifi connection, screen size, and computer type.
The lead pages have many built-in solutions that keep the pages loading at speeds of industrial parameters (for instance, loading CSS and JavaScript in the header, which is part of what makes Leadpages perfect for marketing over other more generic tools). And there are also a few quick tips that can be used to improve the landing page’s loading time without needing a developer.
The loading speed of the home page must also be optimized. Visitors might also check the home page, so if its load time is slower than the landing page, they may leave the page immediately.
Best practices of PPC landing page design
Now, we shall talk about some PPC landing page design best practices. By applying them, there will be visible and amazing results in the paid campaign.
Single landing page for a single ad
It is always advisable to create a single landing page for one ad. Doing this makes it evident how every ad affects the landing page. When there are multiple ads for a single landing page like Google Ads Landing Pages, it is extremely difficult to determine which page brings conversions and which does not.
Optimize the PPC landing page copy
As has already been mentioned, SEM campaigns target a ready-to-buy audience, those who have a transactional goal and require some directions to a dependable solution to the problem. PPC audiences often look at the copy and quickly move from one ad to another until they can find what they are looking for. They need to come to the landing page to read the content of the Google Ads Landing Pages.
That is why a message match between the ad and its landing page is a must. Moreover, the PPC landing page copy should be precise and straightforward. The following can be considered:
- Use bulleted lists instead of long paragraphs.
- Highlight the key points with block quotes, images of quotes, or by blending them with subheaders.
- Active voice must be used instead of passive voice.
- Use copy and imagery that is solution-oriented and not feature-centric.
- Keep the form short and on point. If an email address fulfills the purpose, wait to ask them to fill out 5 other form fields.
- Always have a clear CTA above the fold. This acts as a reminder of why visitors are on the landing page and reinforces the action that is wanted from the visitors.
Another thing that the PPC landing page requires is social validation, like reviews and testimonials. Only saying, “This product is amazing. I love it,” won’t work. That’s not reliable. Someone must explain the product’s advantages and how it makes their life more comfortable and sound.
It is important for people to have some live examples and real-life reviews so that they are able to build their trust. For instance, The Institute of Makeup Artistry uses multiple types of social proof on its PPC landing page.
Let us have a look at the important components from top to bottom:
- Reviews and ratings by a real customer from a famous and widely used website (help in gaining trust)
- Showing off a well-known organization on the company logo that verified and appreciated the work (help in maintaining the trust gained)
- Building trust by sharing information about partnerships with well-known organizations
- Exhibiting works that have been done by the course author
- Extensive and detailed testimonials by the people who have benefited from the product
If this seems less, even student portfolios can be put on display. Visitors can click on the portfolios to see more works by any particular student. All the mentioned elements, be it trust or variety, help in building a business with a firm base and trust as its core element.
Use and apply directional cues
Arrows, lines, eye gaze, gesturing, pointing, or white space are all directional cues. Directional cues are very important to draw the visitor’s attention to a specific thing on a PPC landing page. They might seem small, but they are very powerful enough to influence the visitor to act on them.
An example of a directional cue can be using an arrow for any button. It can be leveled up by using effects to make the button more eye-catching.
White space can also be used to draw people’s attention to a specific area. The use of substantial white space around the headline, subheadline, CTA button, and image can simplify the page and boost the overall understanding of the offer.
Develop comparison landing pages
Creating a comparison page can help you deal with the everyday tiredness of attention on the competitor’s page. The idea behind this is that the comparison landing page shall draw an honest and detailed comparison between the page and its competitor.
This method is not new; neither is it a secret formula or anything. Companies have been using this technique for years to improve their landing pages.
Reason for this method to work
Comparison shopping is a massive problem for every company owner, whether online or offline.
It’s a habit of everybody to do comparison shopping. It can be made easier for potential customers.
If a certain firm makes the comparison page, the customers are not only helped by it in the search process but also are attracted towards that firm and think it is trustworthy. And as it is known to all, transparency is the key to a successful business.
Moreover, the firm can benefit from the competitor’s name and gain more conversions. All that needs to be done is to make a comparison page and describe why the product is better than the competitor.
If you have a newly launched product and are unsure of its worth, you must make a comparison page to beat the competition.
If you think your product is better than your competitor’s, make a comparison page and highlight the positives.
For doing the above-mentioned, the following tips can be used:
- Maintain the anonymity of the competitor by not using their logo. Use the brand name only.
- Do not pull back from mentioning the competitor’s name at once. Hesitation might spoil your work.
- Proofs are essential to attract legit visitors. Use reviews and testimonials as proof of your work.
- Make and use comparison tables to show prices and other benefits.
- Use these important keywords in the Google Ads campaigns: [competitor product name], [competitor product] reviews, [competitor product] alternatives, [your product] vs [competitor product], similar to [competitor product]. These keywords help in engaging more audiences.
- Remember to run an ad campaign by creating Google Ads Landing Pages on the brand keywords; else, the competitor can take advantage by using the same strategy against you.
Use images of authentic and real people
It is proven that using images of real human faces positively impacts the viewers and builds trust. This is likely because we are hardwired from birth to identify people and have a heightened level of empathy for “individuals like us.”
Using photos of real people with smiles is compelling. Smiles are lovely and almost always appealing.
It should be kept in mind that you cannot just use any smiling people on your page. You need to find the photos that support delivering your message and matching your target audience, then test until you know which images fetch better results.
Create a PPC landing page with one-click sign-up
To make the visitors not return without saying yes, you need to make the offer as easily accessible as possible. Work as per the requirement, i.e., if the name is not required, remove that field and keep the email. Do not add extra elements. More subscribers will only be interested in the easy and simple form.
If you want to incorporate a two-step opt-in in the PPC landing page, check out other landing page templates or Google Ads Landing Pages or create the form with some powerful pop-up builder. This will attract more audiences and will increase the reach.
A Thank You page is a must
This is an already known fact that the significance of having a dedicated Thank You page or a Confirmation page after visitors opt in for a bonus on the site or make a purchase on an online store is huge.
In the context of SEM, a Thank You landing page is just as significant as a PPC landing page or Google Ads Landing Pages.
Let’s look at it in this manner
Whenever you make a purchase, fill out any form, or visit any landing page, you always expect the page to give you an ending stating that the work you were doing has been successfully completed. If there is no such ending, you feel you need clarification.
The potential customers are the same as you. They also expect they’ll be redirected to an ending page that thanks them and not to a page that has disturbance or ends abruptly.
For upselling visitors, a Thank You page is a must. You can give them a gift or a promo on that page for their next purchase. This helps in engaging more trust from the visitor’s side.
Conclusion
We’ve discussed everything one needs to know about creating Google Ads Landing Pages, maintaining them, and gaining audiences.
To make better use, follow the tips and stick to traditional methods to create Google Ads Landing Pages. These methods have been verified and tested and hence will help you create some of the most killer landing page ads of all time. With this hope, here’s an end to this post. Hoping the readers will make full use of all the tactics mentioned here.
