Welcome to the Surfside PPC Landing Pages tutorial, which will cover everything you need to know about landing pages.
Experienced marketers know that selling products and services on the internet can be a difficult task. Everyone loves to buy things, but no-one likes to be sold to, so you need the right approach to get people to buy what you are selling.
Once a visitor arrives at your website from an advertisement or search result you need to convince them that what you are selling is something they actually want. Well-optimized landing pages let you do this in a seamless fashion that persuades the visitor that what you are selling is something that will solve a problem for them.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is a page on your site that is specifically designed as an entry point for a visitor coming from a particular traffic source or search results page. Generally, you will have an action that you want the visitor to perform, whether it is buying a product or service or supplying their email address as an exchange for getting something for free.
By creating specific pages for your products and/or services, you are able to optimize that page for people that are seeking something specific. You also have the option of doing more A-B testing to optimize a landing page than you are usually able to do on the main page of your website.
What is a Landing Page Video
Why Are Landing Pages Important?
If you don’t use well-optimized landing pages, then the work that you did optimizing your ad campaign may not drive conversions or a positive return on your investment. Landing pages are important because visitors will see your landing page and it should convince them to interact with your business and purchase your products or services.
Getting the visitor to your site is only a small part of the job of converting them to a lead. You also need to convince them to take action once they get there.
Why Should I Optimize Landing Pages?
To get the best value for money from an advertising campaign you will probably have experimented with a variety of ad copy and media to see what gives you the best results. Landing pages allow you to do the same thing with the page that the visitor sees once your ad gets them to your website.
What Are Some Landing Page Best Practices?
There are generally two approaches to designing landing pages. Landing pages can be designed with simplicity in mind so that the visitor gets what they want in exchange for what you want with the minimum impediment.
Alternatively, you can have a more involved landing page that takes the visitor through all the reasons that they may want to take action on your offer. Either way, both types should end with a clear call to action that leaves the visitor with no doubt as to what they have to do to get what you are offering them.
Landing Pages Best Practices Video
What Type of Landing Page Should I Create?
The first approach mentioned above is a good method to convert visitors who come to your website with a clear idea of what you are offering, why it is something they want, and what they need to do to get it.
The second approach mentioned above is designed for visitors who are coming cold to your site and need to be warmed up to the idea that you have something that they need.
The only way to know which Landing Page will drive the most conversions for your business is to test and optimize. Even testing 2 different landing pages can drive incremental results.
What is a Call To Action on a Landing Page?
Your call-to-action is the action you want the visitor to take. For example, a call-to-action may be for the user to subscribe, sign up, contact you, add to cart, shop for a product, search for more information, and more.
The call-to-action page element should stand out in a way that lets the visitor know that it is the thing they interact with to get what they want. Whether it is a link, button, or form it should be visibly important.
How Do I Make My Call-To-Action Stand Out?
Whichever approach you are taking you should tease the visitor towards the call to action element on your landing page without boring them or scaring them off. The page headline, sub-heading, body text, and media should all smoothly answer any questions that the visitor might have while moving their attention towards your call-to-action page element.
Most advertisers and marketers will make sure that the call-to-action is a button with a color that pops on your website. A great landing page will lead visitors towards that button without distracting visitors with other elements on the page.
Optimize Above The Fold
The ‘Above the fold’ portion of your page is what your visitors see on the page before scrolling down. Users should not have to scroll down to understand the message your landing page is trying to convey.
The space above the fold that the visitor can see without scrolling has the highest value and you should make good use of it to convince them to read further down the page. Scrolling the page is an action the visitor needs to have a reason to take, and if you fail to convince them that you have something of value for them then you may lose them before they take that action.
When Should You Use Landing Pages?
A landing page is something that you should use if you need to filter your incoming visitors in order to show them customized information. If the visitor needs some more convincing that what you are offering them is a solution that fills their needs then a well-optimized landing page gives you the space to do that.
Do Landing Pages Work?
Landing pages not only work, but they are also a vital part of your advertising and marketing campaigns. Large and small companies utilize landing pages to increase their conversion rates and lower their cost per conversion. Landing pages are a great way to help convert a visitor into a customer or lead.
You also need to ensure that your landing pages are optimized to deliver the best results, which requires A-B testing different parts of the page to see what works and what doesn’t. If you put in the work then your landing pages should help give you the best return on your advertising budget and SEO efforts, so start using them today and enjoy the results.
What If My Landing Pages Are Not Converting?
First of all, landing pages will only give you value if the product or service you are selling is of a decent quality. In addition, you will have trouble selling overpriced products and services that are not clearly offering additional benefits vs. alternative options. Lastly, you need to make sure that your landing pages clearly convey a message and an offer that encourage your website visitors to take the next step.
In Summary
Your landing pages have a major impact on your website conversion rate and your paid advertising campaigns. Even when it comes to SEO, you should focus on increasing your conversion rate and page engagement statistics. Hopefully, the landing page tips above are helpful when you are creating, testing, and managing your landing pages. Please leave any questions you have in the comments section.
