Fortunately, since the launch of Google 4.0, any issues can be addressed and your reputation with the search engine giant dramatically improved in a very short space of time.
So What Do We Mean by Landing Pages and Why Do They Help?
A landing page is targeted and specific. Used properly, they increase the relevance of the content to the audience, and so make your ads perform better – and at a lower cost – while increasing goal conversion rates. Below are some quick tips on how to achieve this in practice:
Match the Header of Your Landing Page to the Wording of the Paid Ads and Search Terms
It is especially helpful for use in paid advertising as the advert will be on a fairly narrow topic. That topic is what the people clicking the ad expect to see when they arrive at the destination page.
Include a Prominent Call to Action (CTA)
Keep the text on topic and concise, and provide a prominent call to action in plain sight – to maximise your chance of achieving the conversion goal.
Focus. Keep to One Topic Per Landing Page
Again, this comes down to relevance. Stay on the topic that cause the visitor to click your ad or link. Don’t interrupt that train of thought.
Use Simple Design
Concentrate on simple visuals that support the user journey towards to conversion goal. Use contrast and clever elements to emphasise the call to action or make it inevitable to find it. Don’t overuse images, particularly if they make the visitor concentrate on a part of the page that cannot produce a conversion.
Get the Message Across Quickly and Simply
Text should be focused entirely on a concise description of the product in line with keywords used and convey benefits to reinforce the visitor’s decision. Any imagery should convey the context of your product or service in use. Video can be a quick way to get information across and has been shown to improve conversion rates by up to 80% – but ensure the call to action is within sight.
Give all the Right Cues
Use trust marks, partner logos, verifiable awards and authentic testimonials to give the visitor confidence in supplying you with their valuable data. Social proof – your social media following and engagement, and feedback and evidence you’re real people are further ways to win your visitor’s trust.
Reduce Risk
Minimise any upfront cost to the visitor by making use of free trials and guarantees, to reduce any doubt they may have in their decision to convert. Previews of the product or service will also help to support that decision, if the visitor is unsure that the product is what they’re looking for over a rival offer.
Brush Up on Your Google Analytics and Adwords Reporting Skills
Methods change all the time and so does Google. Do some reading on the latest theories and ensure you are handing your budgets effectively so that well performing keywords aren’t restricted unnecessarily and outstripped by the more expensive and obvious options that aren’t necessarily a good ROI for you.
Make Use of Segmentation
Track traffic from their different sources so that you can analyse the behaviour of visitors who click thru from social media, email, display ads or organic search. Different audience types may respond differently to certain landing page or ad messaging.
Try Out Some A/B Testing
Don’t expect to get it perfect first time. You will gain better insights into what works for your prospective customers and what doesn’t as they make use of your keywords, ads and landing pages. Compare your results over time and work in different approaches run simultaneously against the older ones, to see if your insight is correct considering a complete switch.
Perfecting Your SEO Landing Page
These are just a few of the elements that make up a well-honed landing page and are a great starting point for a novice web designer. However, all of this takes time and experience to perfect. If you would like our SEO Web Design and Development Experts at Soap Media to cook up the perfect landing page recipe for your business conversion goals, get in touch for an initial chat. We’re happy to help.
