Pay Per Click Reference

When pay per click (PPC) advertisers want to improve their conversion rate, they need to concentrate on their landing pages for the most part. At this point, the pay per click ad has done its job and delivered a user to your website. Now it is the job of your landing page and website to turn the user click into a conversion.

Why Should I Improve My Conversion Rate?

Conversions are the whole reason why people get started in pay per click advertising. If you are not interested in selling more widgets, gaining more subscribers or getting more conversions then you are likely wasting your money. Here are some more reasons why you should improve your conversion rate.

• Save Money: Since you are paying per click, you will reduce your cost per conversion and get a better return on your investment if you can turn more of those clicks into conversions.
• Quality Score: Conversions are not included in Google's quality score algorithm, but anything you can do improve your landing page will help your quality score.

Tip #1: Your landing page should best describe your product/service

• After a visitor clicks on the pay per click ad, the advertiser only has a few seconds to give the visitor what they want.
  Description: The landing page should offer visitors the best detailed information about the product/service you are offering with your pay per click ad. This likely means the home page of your website should not be your landing page unless your entire website is concentrated on on your product/service. Do not use generic landing pages.
• Reason: Users clicked on your pay per click ad because they were interested enough to find out more about your product/service. Give visitors what they want as soon as you can because they will not spend a lot of time looking. You only have a few seconds of their attention.

Tip #2: Give the visitor a clear next step

• Description: The next step should create a conversion or work towards it. If your pay per click ad is advertising blue widgets then your landing page should allow the user to add a blue widget to their shopping cart which will lead to a conversion. This next step should be the most prominent part on your landing page.
• Reason: After a visitor clicks on the pay per click ad, the advertiser only has a few seconds to give the visitor what they want. Help visitors to find and understand what the next step is and how to take it.

Tip #3: Reduce the number of steps to gain a conversion

• Description: Even if you provide visitors will an obvious next step, you can discourage conversions by making them take too many steps. What often happens is a website will require more information from the visitor than is absolutely necessary. This will result in long forms the visitor has to complete. Keep it simple.
• Reason: Same reason as before. If you require too much time, effort or information from a visitor you will lose your conversion.

Tip #4: Reassure your visitors and potential customers

• Description: Consider your product/service and potential customers, then find out what would be most reassuring to your visitors. If you sell a product online, then reassure customers you offer secure payment processing. If you offer a local service, then reassure customers your company is reputable and has a track record of good customer service. If you need ideas, consider the reasons why your current customers do business with you.
• Reason: If a visitor arrives at your website by clicking on your pay per click ad, it is very likely they are a first-time customer. This means they are not familiar with your website, company and product/service. Reassure the visitor you offer a trustworthy option.

Tip #5: Consider removing the navigation menu from landing page

• Description: If your website offers many different product/services then a navigation menu on your landing page can inadvertently distract visitors from the conversion on your landing page. Carefully decide if your navigation menu supports the product/service advertised in your pay per click ads. You do not have to get rid of all navigation avenues. It is a good idea to at least give the visitor an option to go to your home page so they can orient themselves.
• Reason: The website navigation on the landing page can serve as an exit from your conversion. If the navigation does not support your conversion efforts, consider removing it. Warning: For Google AdWords, this method could negatively affect your quality score or result in the deactivation of your pay per click ad.

Tip #6: Do not dilute your landing page with items not related

• Description: Pay per click advertisers will often use an existing page of their website as their landing page and their page template will include advertisements or banner ads. Site tools are also overkill for a landing page and there are several other things that fall into this category. Keep your landing page concentrated on the purpose of your pay per click ads.
• Reason: You do not have much time to convince a visitor. Do not waste valuable real estate on your landing page advertising items that are not related to your product/service or support your conversion.

Tip #7: Large images are good

• Description: A picture is worth a thousand words and nothing communicates like an image. When a visitor is searching for a product/service, a large image can serve as confirmation the visitor has found what they are looking for when they hit your landing page. Large images also offer detail not easily communicated.
• Reason: Internet users do not like to read or take the time to read when they are searching for something. Circumvent this hurdle by including a large image and tell the visitor more about your product/service without writing a word.

Tip #8: Make it possible to get the conversion later

• Description: No matter how optimized and informative your landing page is there are variables you can not control which determine whether you will gain a conversion. So you need a "Plan B" to try to get a conversion later. You can offer a newsletter subscribe feature to allow visitors to be contacted later. You can send offers and coupons to your subscribers to nudge them towards your conversion.
• Reason: Get more out of your cost per click by gaining valuable information about your potential customers and/or capturing a way to contact them later. Leave yourself an opportunity to gain a conversion later.

Tip #9: Include the price of your product/service in your ad copy

• Description: Visitors may only be interested in finding out the price of your product/service because their decision is mostly based on cost. If your price is not good enough, then you save the money lost on a click that would not have resulted in a conversion. If your price is good enough, then you will gain a click and conversion.
• Reason: Some products/services are very competitive commodities so price ends up determining whether a potential customer becomes a customer. If they can learn the cost of your item before they hit your landing page you can save money and improve your conversion rate.

Next Step

• Increase Your Impressions