Did you know that your landing page may be more important than your paid-search ad? As a follow-up to Part 1 of my paid search overhaul for the new year, I’d like to focus a bit on what happens after the click.

Let’s say you’ve written a compelling ad that shows on Google after a searcher searches on one of your keywords. The searcher was intrigued by your AdWords ad. The searcher navigates his or her mouse to the ad and clicks giving you the satisfaction of another click-through. But, the searcher is led to www.yourwebsite.com – your homepage. Bye-bye searcher – no conversion.

Almost more important than a focused keyword list or good ad copy is what the searcher’s experience is after The Click. You have mere seconds to keep the searcher interested in what you have to offer. To kick off the new year, I took the time to make sure my landing pages were still relevant and providing the searcher with the next step in their searching experience.

1. One Landing Page Per Ad Group: I once again went through my campaigns and made sure that I had broken my keywords down into the smallest groups possible. I want to be able to pair up a small group of keywords with one or two very focused ad. I will then make sure I have a landing page designed for each ad group.
2. Consider the Buying Process?: When I’m looking at grouping keywords, I make it a point to separate out keywords that tell me the searcher is in a different point in the buying process. For instance, if I was selling plasma televisions, I would treat the keyword “plasma tv” differently than I would “52-inch Pioneer plasma tv”. The keyword, “plasma tv” would indicate to me that the searcher is looking for research information – perhaps comparing the difference between plasma and LCD. On the other hand, the keyword “52-inch Pioneer plasma tv” would tell me that the searcher has moved along the buying process and knows they’re buying plasma – now it’s a matter of brand and size. I should have a landing page prepared for each of these keywords because the searcher will be looking for different information.
3. First Impression: Your prospect has landed on the page to which you’ve directed them from your ad – what should they see. I try to keep it simple. I want to give them a visual impression as well as a text impression that matches that of the ad by which they were intrigued. For instance, let’s say you’re selling Ireland vacations. The searcher has searched for information regarding Ireland trips and sees your ad promising an Ireland vacation package with an itinerary. Your landing page should include a picture showing off Ireland’s beauty as well as a snapshot of the itinerary. The searcher’s experience has now been carried over from the ad. You’ve probably snagged two more seconds of attention so now…
4. Utilize a Call to Action: You’ve nailed it with the ad and your landing page is just what the searcher wanted to see – now you need to make sure you don’t leave the new prospect searching for the next step. At this point, searchers are asking you to hold their hand through the rest of the process. You’ve proven you’re legit and given the searcher what they wanted to see. Now, tell them what to do. A strong call to action such as “See Pricing Options”, “Get Detailed Quote”, or “Contact Us” gives the user a pathway. Don’t hide these options – make them plenty visible so the searcher does not have to think about it. Typically, the minute I have to start to think about what’s next – I’m hitting the back button and heading back to my SERP.
5. The Dreaded Form: I may be in the minority on this, but I don’t think testing a form on your landing page is the end of the world. I typically use forms for lead generation – giving the prospect a chance to fill out a form and have a company representative follow-up with them to provide more information. There is a school of thought that says when the searcher sees an attempt to gather their info, they’re gone. In some cases, I agree. Landing pages designed for searchers using keywords that indicate their doing research should not contain a form. Give them the answers to their research first. I keep a subset of keywords in a couple ad groups where I know the searcher is looking for our company and our technology – such as our branded terms or long-tailed keywords containing a product name. When they come to the page, I give them many options on how to proceed including a form in the lower right corner. I tested the form in many locations on the page and this location has proven to lend the highest lead quality coupled with a low bounce rate. Conversely, the top left (the highest viewed part of the page) offered many low-quality leads and a much higher bounce rate. These results aren’t earth shattering in any way, but did prove where the form worked best. If you want to test a form, set up a couple landing pages with the form in different locations and track the results. You may be surprised by what you find.
6. Start Tracking!: If you’re not already tracking what users do after they click on your ads, you’re missing valuable market research. Check out Search Marketing’s Alter Ego to learn about what you can find out through your analytics.

If you haven’t gathered, I put more stock in what happens after the click than I do in what happens on the SERP. You’ll get your clicks on the SERP, but conversions happen on the landing page. Here are some good articles I’ve bookmarked over the last month on managing PPC campaigns:

• Google AdWords regionalised ad text experiment
• 7 Rules for Landing Page Optimization
• Understanding IP Targeting for PPC Campaigns
• SMBs, Paid Search And Self-Service
• SEO or PPC | Which one is better for small businesses?
• PPC Managers – Tons of resources for SEO, PPC and Affiliate Networking

If there are other resources that you think are valuable (including your own content), be sure to let me know and I’ll add it to the list.

Updates From Readers:

• Landing Page Optimization Archives on grokdotcom