Retention and Bounce Rate
Whatever your Landing Page is - the first thing it needs to do assure the visitor that they haven’t made a mistake when clicking the Advert. That sounds easy, but the web is full of people who second guess themselves. Here’s a quick checklist.
- Security - Is your site on https and SSL certified? If they aren’t then some browsers will never even reach your landing page, put off by their browsers warning messages
- Load speed - Does the page take too long to load? Especially on Mobile Devices, a slow load speed might mean those valuable visitors. The latest reports say that even 8 seconds can be too long.
- Does the Ad Copy match the Page Copy? A visitor is looking for confirmation that the Ad they clicked matches the page they landed on. Where possible the Ad Text should be repeated within the page and visible as soon as the page loads, the Display URL in the Advert should be part of the real URL and any images should reinforce the messages from the Advert.
Measuring Success
With almost every website, it’s as much about the quality of the visitor, as the quantity. Those visitors are on your website to do something, and whether it is to fill out a contact form, click on a telephone number or check-out with a product in their basket, that needs to be recorded. Those conversions are how we can measure a website’s success. If your landing page has nothing for the visitor to do, no telephone numbers, contact forms or ‘Buy Now’ call-to-actions, then it could be the wrong landing page.If the advert was for a specific Product or Brand - land them on the page that lets them start their purchase with a single click. If the advert was for a Local Service, make sure there is a customised Contact Form, local Phone Number or similar for them to make a quick query that you can turn into a lead.
Don't Just Send Them to the Home Page
Your Home Page is often your best page, showcasing your company in words, pictures, and useful links. While it will would reassure a visitor that you are a reputable and established business, it may be too general to relate directly to the Ad Copy and too many clicks away from a conversion action.
You shouldn’t expect visitors to navigate your website perfectly first-time. It would be like leaving a family at the gates of a theme park without a map and not telling them where the rollercoaster is. Smaller, more focused landing pages with the correct SEO related to your adverts are better for visitor engagement and satisfaction. They will come back to your home page later, to find out what other goods and services you offer.
So yes, if you want to get the most out of your paid search budget, pick your landing pages to match your Adverts and make sure they have simple, quick actions that turn your visitors into customers.
For more information on how to optimise your landing pages for Paid Search, get in touch with the AdPilot team today.