Do you have a Google Adwords campaign that is a total stinker? How about a great click rate on your ad, but the conversion on your site is less than stellar. Believe you me, we have all been there. This can be especially true if you have many different products that you are trying to promote in different ads, then when they get to the website they are too confused to stick around. It can really leave you pulling your hair out….
This is why I suggest trying out a landing page. If done correctly, it can not only maximize your conversion rate but also your budget. Rather than “clicking through” to your website, instead send them to a dynamic product/service specific landing page.
A landing page (also known as a “squeeze page” and others) is a web page that is best used to convert leads from media and online advertising, direct mail offers, promotion and other online and offline promotions. The reason why you would use a landing page rather than your website is because the landing page’s sole purpose is to sell or promote one product or service. For example, rather than featuring all of the services you offer at your toy company like your website would, your landing page will focus only on your strategy board games for teens.
Ok, now some quick tips about the set up of your landing page:
- It should be hosted at a different domain than your business (so instead of www.thetoybox.com/teenstrategygames, the landing page domain would be simply www.teenstrategygames.com)
- Since you are not confined to the design structure of your website, you have full freedom to create a new layout and design
- The copy is written to be much more compelling and sales oriented than your business site and blog in order to convert a prospect
- Offer at a minimum 1+ incentive(s) to drive conversion
- Your landing page will contain (sometimes numerous) opt-in boxes that support conversion
The most important part of the landing page is arguably the copy. When writing the copy for your landing page, keep your Google Adwords advertisement handy. Your landing page needs to be the natural progression from the prospect clicking on that ad to landing on your “landing page.” Remember, in this day and age, “bait and switch” techniques are old hat.
Make sure that your headline reflects the message on your ad. For example, if your Google ad says about “The Secret to Wrinkle Free Skin” then the headline on your landing page needs to be “Want to Learn the Secret to Wrinkle Free Skin in 7 Days?”
Make sure that you TONS, HEAPS and HUGE DOLLOPS of valuable information that builds your business’s (and your own) credibility. Make liberal use of quotes from famous clients, testimonials, video, graphs, press coverage, awards….basically anything that makes you “pop”! If you have a lot of this information to share, it could result in a long page – but not to worry. Even with longer pages, the effects can be astounding. But if you are just starting out, don’t worry. Short and powerfully worded landing pages can at times be just as effective!
Since your page is built around an offer there are two things you need: an attractive incentive and opt-in technology. Free evaluations, free consultations, Ebooks, ecourses and even reports can work wonders in terms of attracting consumers.
Now the second important part: the opt-in technology. For a short, one screen landing page, one opt-in box is sufficient. As a rule, for every screen length, you should add 1.5 opt-ins to the body copy of your landing page. This is a good measure as to how many times you should request this information. Don’t worry if it seems redundant. People scan the copy on landing pages, so many times they will not read every word you have written. With that in mind, you want to make sure you don’t miss one opportunity to generate a lead!
But nothing is full proof. You must keep a close eye on the effectiveness of your pages. A simple headline tweak, color change, or testimonial addition can swing the conversion rate either way. View your landing page as a “real time” experiment and make sure to install Google Analytics to the page to track the activity. Measure one week against the next, and tweak where needed. Also, note that there is no such thing as too many squeeze pages. If you have 100 products, you can make 100 squeeze pages. The goal is to be as targeted and completely aligned with the messages of your marketing plan.
Chris
I find the argument a compelling one for large scale brands with specific products to move in volume, as landing pages with a lot of content effectively act as dedicated microsites. However in selling services into a more niche market, what are your thoughts on taking valuable traffic away from your main website, thus possibly affecting search rankings. Would it be good to consider hosting dedicated landing pages on the company website for the duration of (or possibly beyond) any given campaign, rather than setting up new domains? thanks
Thanks for your comments David. To answer your question, I think that landing pages work best when they are tied to online advertising or a direct response initiative. If you have many different products and are sending traffic there to find one…it can be tricky. But if you are sending people to a landing page, or “mini site”, you can really reap the benefits of staying focused, losing bait and switch tactics and keeping the line of communication direct. Hope this helps!
Chris,
I think your tips certainly fall in line with the way many marketers run their PPC campaigns. However, the classic old “squeeze page” is going by the wayside, as Google looks more critically on “spammy” landing pages when computing quality scores. While the exact details are proprietary, there is strong evidence to suggest that having a standalone page with no navigation is one of the things that can result in a poor quality score, which means a lower ad rank and a higher CPC. I also think there are other considerations to take into account:
1. Regarding hosting at another domain, it often depends on the situation. For example, I have a client who only has one product. His whole website is essentially a microsite for this product. As for a large company with lots of name recognition, at least having their name as part of the domain would be a good use of the display URL real estate in the ad. For companies without that name recognition, using keywords in the URL is ideal, if they can find one that’s not “spammy” and fits in the space. In that case, a strong URL could help CTR, which in turn would help with quality score (which improves your ad position and lowers your CPC).
2. While you might use a different layout that is intended to guide the visitor through the information needed to make a purchase decision (or leave a sales lead, or make a donation), it is equally important to provide strong ties back to your company. Visual elements that reassure the visitor that they have arrived at their intended destination are important for credibility purposes.
3. I agree that the copy must be compelling and focused on your offer, rather than a general home page that gives an overview of your company. The advice to provide testimonials from other clients is so, so important. I would caution readers on using too many superlatives in talking about their own products, however. Visitors have highly-tuned hype radar, and will hit the back button in an instant if they think you’re blowing a bunch of hot air.
4. While it’s a good idea to make it as easy as possible for your visitor to make the decision you need them to make, having too many options (i.e. multiple offers) can confuse visitors. Making the decision too difficult can cause them to decide not to decide.
5. Your suggestion to write your landing pages and ads in concert is solid. Having your keywords in both places is critical. Here’s an innovative approach worth trying: start with the landing page. Write that FIRST and THEN write your ads using keywords from your landing page. You’re right in that you can’t have too many landing pages…and I would use more than just Google Analytics. Go ahead and test your landing pages using Google Website Optmizer right from the get-go. But don’t limit yourself to one landing page per product. Create as many as necessary for each product to address all your niche markets.
Chris, thanks for a thought-provoking article. I know this was a long comment. It just so happens I have been writing on this very subject on my own blog, so it is very top-of-mind for me. Thanks for your blog and the opportunity to comment.
Warmest regards,
Deb J. Jones
Hi Chris,
You have posted up some really useful information. I will certainly be returning to learn more. Thank you. Best Wishes from Lindsay Wakelin Photography, Essex.UK.
Cool! Thanks, Chris. Will certainly take your advice for the web page for my upcoming book about finding purpose, passion and power at work right now. S