How to Design a PPC Landing Page For Conversions

So, you’re here because you’re either running PPC campaigns, or looking to do so. And you’re wanting to nail the basics, right? Great. You’re in the right place. Hello!

Here at Talking Stick Digital, our team of PPC experts don’t just stop at the core fundamentals of a best-practice PPC account set up within the platform, we go the full nine-yards. Past your (extremely important) conversion tracking, campaign set up, keyword strategy, is the all-important landing page design: something so many overlook, and with no good reason. So, let’s begin. 

What is PPC?

It’s always good to get the basics out of the way first. 

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a type of digital marketing model, best characterised for its auction-style functionality. Here, media buyers set up campaigns to elicit visitors to websites or social platforms, for example, in which the brand only pays-per-click. The clue is in the name, we hear you say. Pretty much. 

Depending on the industry your brand sits within, a cost-per-click (aka, the fee you will pay as a media buyer or brand, per click to your site) can vary vastly. There are multiple other factors, including campaign type and seasonality: for example, for an eCommerce brand, November and Black Friday are pretty much as expensive as you can get, but if you’re an insurance company, you’re pretty consistently looking at some of the most expensive cost-per-clicks in the digital marketing industry.

PPC is a popular digital marketing method for its precision targeting, fantastic measurability and speed of results. If you’re interested in a free-audit or finding out more of our PPC services here at Talking Stick Digital, get in touch here. There is no one size fits all approach to PPC, and the strategy can be (and is, for many of our clients) extremely effective for use within marketing strategies for small businesses and large enterprises or global brands alike. 

What Is A PPC Landing Page, And Why Is It Different To Any Other Landing Page?

Great question. In the digital marketing industry, to define a landing page, we’re describing a webpage, either standalone or as part of your main, indexable site, that has been created for a specific purpose (more often than not, as a final destination for a marketing campaign, paid or otherwise). A key distinction is that unlike a website’s homepage, a landing page has a specific goal in mind. A conversion, to be precise.  

A PPC landing page (and as such, PPC landing page design techniques) may slightly differ to your more standard marketing-specific landing page due to its different end-goal. This end goal will vary depending on your sector or industry, brand and campaign objective, but one thing is standard across the board when it comes to PPC landing page design: they all need to hit the mark when it comes to conveying a key message. 

Let’s face it, when you’re paying for every click, every click counts, and as a result, the landing page in question needs to be laser-focused on converting your visitor as much as possible. 

Core Fundamentals For A Successful PPC Landing Page

When it comes to designing a successful PPC landing page, it’s important to keep your end goal in mind, whatever the conversion. Whether you’re looking to drive leads, sell products, or drive sign ups, there are a few fundamentals that are necessary across the board. 

Think clean design, above the fold, and cut down on any unnecessary noise. If you think you can do without it, or if it might be a distraction… you’re most probably right.

Keep The Essentials Above The Fold

Attention spans are shorter than ever, with The Independent reporting that this is largely to do with our digital content, so more-and-more potential clients scroll and research using their mobile rather than a desktop, so the bottom line is: you really don’t have long to convince a user, and it’s important that you remember this. When designing a PPC-specific landing page, remember to keep your all-important information (and your call-to-action functionality), above the fold.

Above the fold essentially refers to the space on your landing page that is immediately visible to the user, before their first scroll. Typically, user time here (and attention span) sits between three and five seconds, so it’s paramount to make the most of this time (and web space!)

Remember Your USPs

A good landing page is all about its ability to persuade. Why is your product or service more attractive than your competitors? Do you have decades of experience, a superior offer, or valuable accreditations that your competitors may not possess? Make sure to shout about it!

Don’t just list what you’re offering, show your potential clientele. From trusted testimonials from existing clients to real-world applications showing just how your product or service will solve a client’s problem or help them with a pain-point, this is your time to shine. 

Still unsure how to quantify your product? Think “97% of users would recommend”, “join thousands and sign up today”, “save £500 on your monthly expenses”. 

Keep Your Eyes On The Conversion Prize

Get rid of any and all distractions. If this landing page design is created specifically for PPC, don’t get greedy. It can be tempting to implement a newsletter sign-up pop up, but exercise caution here. If we’re looking for a primary conversion (like a sale or lead form), the last thing you want to do is potentially put-off the user from completing this all-important action. 

Aside from this, remember to shorten your forms; remove any unnecessary fields to reduce any barriers to conversion, and remove your navigation bar, and don’t forget your mobile-first users. 

At the risk of repeating ourselves, you only want your user to have two options: convert, or leave. Take everything else off of the table.

Evaluate the Data

We’ve spoken about this before, but it bares repeating: you should never follow a set-and-forget approach. 

Designing a landing page is an ongoing process and should be driven by the data once it is set live. Metrics such as: 

• Time on site
• Engagement rate
• Conversion rates

Consider implementing heat-mapping tools like Hotjar to capture session recordings and see exactly how users are engaging with your PPC landing page.

Don’t Forget The Technicalities

And last, but not least: don’t forget your technical basics.Design is important, but a slow PPC landing page (or a faulty one) is a conversion killer. Speed is essential here, and a strong message is too, so don’t put your quality score (and precious ad budget) at risk. Make sure to carry out all the necessary checks using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console, as well as your in-platform checks on your chosen platform such as Google Ads, too.