Many organizations use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) to drive potential customers to their web pages. And to no surprise, as a successful Google Ads campaign can boost web traffic significantly. But that is only one part of an effective pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaign.
The other part is the Google Ads landing page. A stand-alone web page prospective customers land on after clicking your paid ad. Standalone landing pages are distinct from your website’s home page or other generic web pages. They have a single focus – to convert leads, and can only be accessed through the ad link.
Whether you want customers to download an ebook, buy a product, or sign up for a free trial, every element of good landing pages supports that goal.
You’re spending time and money creating Google Ads to drive traffic to the landing webpage. It will be a waste if the page you are directing paid traffic to doesn’t boost conversions.
So, we’ll walk you through creating a high-converting Google Ads landing page. We will also discuss why you need a dedicated PPC landing page and how to improve its performance.
Related:
1. How to Write Google Ads Copy (Free Templates)
2. Are Google Ads Worth It in 2023?
3. Must-Know 7 Google Ads Best Practices
Why do you need to have a landing page for your google ads campaigns
Too many marketers link Google ads to their brand home pages, which is a poor use of paid advertising. The cost per click is too high for customers to simply browse your website.
Moreover, visitors leave if they can’t readily find what they want. That tells Google your page experience isn’t good, affecting your ad rank on Google search results pages and cost-per-click.
If your goal is to increase conversions, you must create and use landing pages for your Google Ads. When visitors click on your ads, they expect to find a solution to their specific problem immediately. With a Google Ads landing page, you can direct paid traffic to the content they need, increasing the chances of conversion.
A converting and relevant landing page also tells Google that your ad campaigns do what they say. As a result, your Google Ads Quality Score increases. The quality score measures how well your ads match your landing page.
Say your ad copy offers a free trial of your newest products but links to your brand’s homepage. The homepage will not deliver what the ad headline promised. You’ll end up paying for clicks that don’t lead to conversions.
Maintaining high-quality scores is a Google Ads best practice. It facilitates a better ad position, a lower cost per click, and results in more conversions.
Elevate your online presence with our free email course — Google Search Ads for Beginners. Gain valuable insights into crafting and launching powerful ad campaigns that elevate your business.
Google ads landing page best practices
Not all traffic to your PPC landing pages will end in conversions. That’s the sad reality. However, several landing page best practices can help you convert as much of that traffic as possible.
The two main culprits of low landing page conversion rates are ad relevance and landing page experience.
Ad relevance
The message of your landing page should match the PPC promise. The simplest way to ensure this is to use the same keywords on your ad and landing page. So, if your ad offers a free trial, highlight this on the landing page.
The Google ad below is for a free project management software solution.
Here’s the PPC landing page.
The ad’s value proposition is matched on the landing page with the copy ‘Free Forever’ and ‘No Credit Card.’
Every element of a high-converting landing page focuses on your conversion goal. If the goal is to download an ebook, don’t distract visitors with a video demo of another product. Your landing page headline and landing page copy should clearly state what you are offering.
Add high-quality images or videos, giving customers a clear picture of your product or service. Use bullet points and other design elements to make your copy easy to read and keep visitors engaged.
Finally, adopt the language your targeted audience uses. For example, if your customer base is primarily sneakerheads, incorporate the lingo.
Landing page experience
Landing page experience refers to the user experience of your PPC landing pages. The easier it is to navigate, the more likely leads will convert.
Conversely, your conversion rates will drop if your landing page has too much copy, loads slowly, or is complicated to navigate.
Below are the elements that contribute to the landing page experience.
Page load time: Slow-loading pages are detrimental to your page experience, especially where mobile users are concerned.
The bounce-back rate for mobile users increases to 32% after only three seconds. Optimize your landing pages with tools like Google’s Page Speed or Test My Site.
Mobile optimization: More people access the internet through their mobile devices than ever before. According to GlobalStats, 59.89% of all internet traffic comes from mobile phones.
Ensure your website layouts include adaptation for all screen sizes, like this example from GetResponse’s recent webinar.
The PPC landing page is formatted to fit smartphone screens. Everything potential customers need to convert – heading, tagline, and call-to-action are all above the digital fold.
Navigation: Make it easy for visitors to complete the conversion process by limiting or removing the menu bar and using a color-contrasting call-to-action button.
Lead capture form: Customers don’t like unnecessarily long or intrusive forms. You must strike the right balance between simplifying the lead capture form and collecting adequate customer data.
A multi-step form makes data collection less overwhelming for visitors and leads to 87% higher conversion rates. In the example above, customers enter data in four easy steps. Multi-step forms are effective because people are more likely to complete the form once they’ve committed to the first step.
Personalization: Customize your landing page to correspond with the design elements (colors, fonts, etc.) of your Google Ad. It reassures users that the link sent them to the right place.
Be sure to A/B test your landing page to find the headlines, layout, forms, or call-to-action that maximize conversion. For instance, you may find that customers prefer the traditional vertical contact form to a multi-step design. Also, don’t forget to track conversions. That way, you know the source of your leads and sales.
Optimizing your landing page is key to improving your Google Ad Quality Score. Users expect relevant content and a clean, attractive page design.
Your ad quality score and conversion rate will improve by following landing page optimization best practices. Furthermore, customers are likely to share your landing page, increasing web traffic without you paying for clicks.
Read more: Google’s official tips for improving landing page conversions
How to create a Google ad landing page in five steps
So far, we’ve covered what Google Ads landing pages are, learned why they are essential, and discussed how to optimize them for conversion. Now, let’s look at the five steps to creating one.
Step 1. Choose your landing page builder
Creating a Google Ads landing page is simple with landing builders like the GetResponse Free Landing Page Builder. Many free and paid webpage-building tools help you create your landing page without any coding knowledge.
Top landing page builders offer all-in-one solutions that include a built-in editor, domain registration, and web hosting. Other features to look out for are
- Templates
- Free stock photos
- Mobile device optimization
- SEO optimization
- A/B testing
- Integration with analytical and marketing tools
When choosing the right landing page builder, you need to consider the objectives of your Google Ads strategy. While SEO optimization is beneficial, it’s not super critical because the source of web traffic is the paid ad.
If your landing page primarily captures customer data, you can skip platforms that specialize in ecommerce websites. If you want an engaging landing page for lead generation, look for tools that have or enable dynamic and interactive elements like quizzes.
A fundamental feature your webpage builder must have is marketing integration. After all, that is the point of a Google Ads landing page. It needs to help you capture leads that you can then nurture and convert.
Related: Best Landing Page Builders in 2023
Step 2. Choose a landing page template
Many popular website-creating tools include templates, making it easy to add content and publish your page quickly. Templates give you a design starting point, allowing you to customize your page to match your brand guidelines or Google Ads design.
The GetRespose website builder gives you tons of templates to work with. Our templates are also spread across different industries.
When choosing your template, keep in mind your conversion goals. For instance, a lead generation landing page may require detailed product information to convert leads. Therefore a text-based template may be a suitable option.
On the other hand, an image-based template would work better for click-through landing pages, where the conversion happens in the next step.
Whatever template you choose, ensure you don’t lose sight of the CTA in the page design. An A/B split test will show you how effective your template is at conversions. Don’t forget to make your template mobile-friendly, too.
Step 3. Add your content
After picking the landing page template, it’s time to add content. Any template you choose should include the following:
- Headings
- Landing page copy stating the product’s unique value proposition
- Image or video showing the product or demonstrating its use
- CTA telling leads what to do
- Contact or lead capture form
You may add other elements like testimonials and corporate logos as social proof of the value of your product or service. If your Google Ad is a limited-time offer, adding a countdown timer will create a sense of urgency.
Keep your brand voice in mind as you choose which text and images to add. A consistent experience of your brand from the Google Ad to the landing page helps build a positive brand image and increases customer trust.
When working on your copy, also make sure to use the same phrases you’ve used in your Google ad campaign. This will help your audience stay assured that they’ve landed in the right place.
Step 4. Choose your domain name and host
Domain names are vital for websites. A memorable domain name is key to a powerful online presence, adding visibility and credibility to your business. When people search for your brand online, they tend to use your business name. Therefore, most organizations use their brand name as the domain name.
Domain names are equally important for landing pages. They can affect the click-through rate (CTR) of your Google Ad. If your landing page domain name matches a specific keyword for a given search query, it is more likely to have a higher CTR.
Most website builders offer free domain names associated with their platforms. For example, a free URL for a clothing brand would read brandedtees.wordpress.com. Many page-building tools charge a fee to customize the domain name to brandedtees.com.
For a consistent brand experience, your landing page URL may include your website’s primary domain – brandedtees.com/labor-day-sales, with ‘Labor Day Sales’ being the title of your landing page. This URL structure uses subfolder site architecture which is simple to set up.
Step 5. Preview and publish
Before you hit the publish button, you should preview your landing to see what it will look like when it goes live. Does the page contain all the information you want to show? Are there broken links? What does the mobile version look like?
In addition, you want to make sure the marketing software integration feature works and you’re receiving customer contact information. Don’t forget to add the page title and meta description.
If you forget or want to change something, you can always edit the page after it has gone live.
We only covered five steps to help you start creating Google Ads landing pages. You can read a more detailed guide to creating landing pages on our blog or watch the following video below:
In conclusion
Many advertisers use pay-per-click platforms like Google Ads as an efficient way to increase web traffic. And while PPC ad campaigns result in high web traffic, it doesn’t always translate to high conversion rates. That’s because marketers make mistakes like linking brand homepages to their Google Ads campaigns.
People who click on Google Ads have a specific goal in mind. Directing them to your homepage isn’t helpful and increases your cost per acquisition. Some leads may search your website for the information they need; many will leave if it’s not readily available. That’s why you need a dedicated PPC landing page. It offers focused browsing that your homepage doesn’t.
This article covered why you need a Google Ads landing page, how to create one, and the best practices to make it effective. We hope you use this guide to create a highly relevant landing page and start seeing more sales
Pro tip: Remember that you can get up to $500 in free Google Ads credit when you spend your first $500 with Google Ads. Google will automatically match any amount you spend on ads for the first 30 days, up to $500 (or currency equivalent).