There’s no such thing as free access. Whichever direction you’re taking it in, you’re always spending time, money or resources on your digital marketing campaign. When it comes to PPC, there’s a much more intimate and immediate sense of your expenses. It’s right there in the name after all, “pay per click,” and since you are paying, you may want to keep a few best practices in mind when you’re developing your PPC landing page.
1. Focus on Your Personas
It’s tempting to cast a broad net. You want to maximize your conversions, so writing for the broadest audience may seem like a great idea. It’s not. Focus campaigns for customers who feel that their specific needs are addressed. You’re more likely to reach the people who you’re addressing directly. Determine your personas. Develop a voice that speaks to them and stick with it.
2. Keep Your Landing Pages Relevant
Sometimes you stumble on a high-ranking keyword that’s almost – but not quite – what you have to offer. In the hopes of pulling in more business, you bid on the keyword and then hit your users with the goods. And boom. You just left the user feeling tricked and pulled in a crowd of irritated visitors. Make sure that your landing pages are relevant to the keywords you’re using. You establish trust with your market by delivering on what you promise.
3. Diversify Your Landing Pages
Take any top-ranking keyword and analyze the PPC ads. You might notice a trend. A lot of PPC landing pages stick to similar content templates that start to look alike. If you want to stand out, make sure to mix it up with what the competition is doing. Furthermore, don’t stop at little tweaks on the same landing page. Launch and test separate, distinct ads.
4. Don’t Stop Testing
While we’re on the subject of testing, keep in mind that there’s never enough. Industry leaders are always adjusting their strategies while keeping a close eye on what works. Everything from layout to color scheme to your choice of adjectives to the layout of your copy can have a quantifiable effect on your conversions. There are plenty of tools at your disposal to monitor and test what’s working. Make sure to use them.
5. Keep it Simple
If you’re paying attention to growing trends in web design and advertising, there’s one word that should jump to the forefront – minimalism. You don’t have to go full-on post-modern with your PPC landing pages, but the most effective design and copy element is simplicity. Users gravitate towards messages that are clear, pages that are easy to navigate, and imagery that’s focused. Stay away from clutter, wordiness, or any other extra elements that can confuse or distract your end user.
In a nutshell, successful PPC landing pages are simple, focused and relevant. The campaign should be diverse and your efforts should be tested. If you can keep that much in mind, you’re well on the way to leaving a mark on the web.