PPC Landing Page Optimization: The Key to Higher Ad ROI

Digital commerce brought a great deal of newfound knowledge to traditional merchants. Those who have managed decade-old brick-and-mortar shops might have had a hard time navigating the world of eCommerce, but it is all for the better. Concepts like website UI & UX, SEO, AI, etc., are all needed for business owners in order to thrive. In this blog post, we will delve into one of the most powerful gateways for brands to gain massive success: Pay-per-Click Landing Page Optimization. What is it, and how can you make it work for you? Keep reading to get all the tips.

What is a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Landing Page?

A PPC landing page could be the next tactic your brand needs to grow in a short amount of time.

To get a firm grasp of what a PPC landing page is, we have to trace back to the definition of PPC.

Pay-per-click refers to the advertising strategy used by marketers, where they pay a fee every time someone clicks on their ads. You might have heard of this concept under a different name, such as paid ad or display ad.

To get internet browsers to see one’s ad and visit their website, it needs to have a high-ranked spot on the search result page of popular platforms, among which good ol’ Google is the most widely used. Other outlets such as Bing, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are also commonplace to spot paid ads. No matter which platform it is plastered on, the goal of PPC ads is distinct: to send visitors who clicked on the ads to a dedicated landing page.

What Makes a PPC Landing Page?

Now comes the star of the show: the PPC landing page. Simply put, a PPC landing page is a standalone web page that is made for visitors to land on after clicking on a corresponding PPC ad. It is often designed to guide visitors toward one singular conversion goal, either to make a purchase or to sign up for an exclusive offer. The most obvious telltale sign of a PPC page is its simple layout with minimized distractions to help customers focus on one specific action.

If the PPC ad were a fully wrapped gift box, the landing page would be the actual content underneath the wrapping paper. In other words, the quality of the item inside ought to match the fancy-looking gift at first glance. That is why these two should be simultaneously designed to attain coherence across the board.

Differences Between a PPC and an Organic Landing Page

As merchants in the eCommerce sphere, a typical landing page is no stranger to you. That said, a full assessment of the most important aspects of an organic vs. a PPC landing page is a necessity to pinpoint the differences between these two. The table below will tell you all about them.

	PPC Landing Page	Organic Landing Page
Main Goal	Conversions from paid ads on different platforms	Attract, educate, and introduce SEO-focused content
Content	Highly-focused content that covers the main goal	Broader content that covers several aspects at once
User Intent	Users have one singular purpose upon clicking the ad, typically transactional	Users could have various purposes, not always transactional
Traffic Source	Driven by paid ads from Google, Bing, Meta, etc.	Driven by organic search engine results, blogs, emails, etc.
Layout & Design	Minimal without distractions to get visitors to convert instantly	Other links and page suggestions might be present
Target Audience	People of a certain group who actively search for a product or service	People of different groups that ranging from first-time to repeat customers
Cost	Pay-per-click, might cost between $0.50 and $4.00 with each click	No cost per click, but can include SEO and marketing expenses
Performance Metrics	Conversion rate, ROAS, quality score	Conversion rate, SEO rankings, and bounce rate

How Landing Page Optimization Influences PPC Campaigns

Click-to-Sale Conversion

Congratulations, a visitor has landed on your page from the latest PPC ad! Now, the possibility of them converting relies on the landing page itself. If it is visually pleasing, compelling, and able to deliver exactly what is advertised, it is a jackpot. Add a fast load speed and user-friendly form filling as well, and you will have a surefire chance of obtaining more converted customers from the same number of clicks. 

Instead of bookmarking your website and coming back later (or not) to check it out, a well-optimized landing page instills a sense of urgency in the customers, making them feel more inclined to make a purchase on the first visit. Thus, click-to-sale conversion is greatly improved.

Google Ranking Improvement

If your visitors have an enjoyable experience with your landing page, brand visibility and higher quality scores are in order, making your ad more efficient.

The biggest search engine in the world holds infinite power over eCommerce brands, and a PPC landing page is no exception when it comes to search result ranking. A well-designed PPC landing page has a direct impact on the quality score - the measurement to show how Google ranks your ad and determines your cost-per-click. This means if your landing page experience is favored by visitors, your ad will gain a better position, lower cost-per-click, and greater visibility. To have an efficient PPC ad campaign, perfecting every detail on your landing page is the key to unlocking the utmost potential.

Cost Efficiency

PPC marketing is not reserved for high-earning businesses only, since small to medium-sized brands are also welcome to try their hand at this lucrative strategy. However, the room for error is significantly less for smaller businesses, especially in regard to financial expense. If someone clicks on your ad but takes off right after without converting, that is a wasted prospect that can’t be taken back. With an optimized PPC landing page by your side, the bounce rate can be reduced, engagement and conversion are more guaranteed, and the overall ad ROI will improve.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) Maximization

Get your money’s worth with a high-quality landing page - the key to maximizing return on ad spend (ROAS).

The term ROAS is used to measure the profit you receive for every dollar spent on advertising, so it is the best-case scenario that you are able to keep it high and steady. With an optimized PPC landing page, one can achieve beyond just conversion. Higher average order value, lower customer acquisition cost, and boosted customer retention are all benefits of PPC landing page optimization. In short, a well-rounded landing page makes shoppers want to convert more, which boosts revenue while the ad spend stays the same, and as a result, enhances ROAS.

8 Key Components of a Well-Optimized PPC Landing Page

Relevant Ad and Page Content

Keep it consistent across your ad and landing page content to not only increase conversion but to build a trustworthy reputation at the same time.

Top-notch ad and landing page content will be in vain if they convey two completely different messages. Visitors will not only feel confused but also borderline cheated. Their decision? Click off your website without coming back. That is why one of the first key components to make a well-optimized landing page is message matching. Here are some practices for your consideration:

• Keyword alignment: use identical or synonymous keywords and sub-keywords in both the ad and the page. Incorporate them in the headlines, subheadings, as well as the body text.

• Offer consistency: whatever offer and promotion is seen on the ad has to also be presented on the page, and refrain from false advertising.

• Visual continuity: use the same font, color scheme, image style, and the like on both the ad and the page to create a smooth experience with no hiccups.

Compelling Headlines and Subheadings

Apart from keeping the headlines and subheadings coherent across the ad and landing page, they have to draw visitors’ attention in an instant as well. There is a slew of content in every corner of the internet these days, so your ads have to stand out from the crowd, and brainstorming an engaging title will do just the thing. 

Popular brands are masters at this strategy, since their ads contain all the right elements: power words (i.e., save, unlock, transform), highlighted key features and benefits, readability, and a reasonable length. One important thing to note is to utilize simple words to achieve clarity instead of going ham on technical lingo - a simple practice to stay appealing to a wider range of audiences.

Eye-catching Visual Media

Not only do you want users to visit our landing page, but it is equally important to get them to stay and explore via the use of eye-catching visual media as well.

People scroll on social media with incredible speed these days, so your ads will have a high chance of getting lost in their so-called ‘doomscrolling’ session if visual media is not properly implemented. Everything from professional photos, GIFs, videos, and slideshows to illustrations is excellent for creating an impression with your customers. 

But not any form of media, as they have to match the message or offer in the ad and encourage them to follow the link. An irrelevant photo can backfire big time, especially when it is deemed as unprofessional and confusing to the average shopper. A foolproof rough guide is to showcase your products in their best angles, alongside positive customer testimonials that make visitors feel more compelled to click on your ad to explore more.

Highlighted Value Proposition

What do you have in store for the visitors? What exactly makes them want to click on your ad and not the other 100? That’s the power of a straightforward value proposition. For instance, a PPC ad with a cryptic headline like ‘Click here for a surprise’ with no supporting image and body text is the recipe for disaster - an unclear post that links look highly suspicious. That is why if you just launched a new product line, reiterate its benefits; if an exclusive discount just got rolled out for the holiday, make it super transparent at first sight. The better you convey your value proposition, the more irresistible your PPC ad will be.

Mobile Responsiveness

Visitors can come across your ads on different devices, so it’s a vital mistake of mobile responsiveness is neglected.

Website optimization only for desktop is a dangerously outdated method, since the majority of online shopping is carried out on mobile devices now more than ever. Building a vertical version of your PPC landing page for mobiles seems like a lot of work, but most page builders have already integrated this feature into their editors. Of course, copying pixel to pixel is not a good call either, so how to attain mobile responsiveness? 

A good rule of thumb is, well, to cater to the thumb. This means thumb-friendly designs like reasonable button sizes, minimal scrolling, auto-filled forms, and so on should be taken into account when it comes to mobile optimization. The load speed is also a huge factor that affects one’s shopping experience, so make sure to optimize any image and video to eliminate any speed delay.

Strong and Clear CTAs

It goes without saying that a successful sales funnel always contains strong CTAs - the MVP in leading shoppers to exactly where they need to head to. Use simple yet persuasive language, such as ‘Shop Now’, ‘Sign Up’, ‘Join Us’, ‘Download Here’, etc., to express your message in the most natural way. A practical rule is to place these CTAs above the fold to instantly capture visitors’ attention, with several strategically scattered buttons throughout the page as they scroll.

Simplified and Auto-filled Forms

Every form needs to be taken into consideration of its length and language to make sure visitors feel more apt to fill it in instead of skipping.

If there is anything we all have in common, that would be the frustration while filling in online forms that never seem to end. You already took a bet with a PPC landing page that contains a mandatory form, so the best course of action is to make it as concise as possible. Whether it is an email collection form, a member login form, or other forms that require visitors to manually punch in their information, auto-fill features will be your best friend. Keep in mind that the shorter the path to conversion is, the more customers will be willing to go all the way.

Fast Load Speed

Give your visitors a complete experience and guide them to conversion through a lightning-fast load speed.

We have mentioned the role of page speed in multiple blog posts, which goes to show the influence of this component in building the most optimized eCommerce store. For a PPC landing page? The importance is tenfold. A curious shopper might have clicked on your ad because their interest was piqued, so it should not take more than a few seconds for your page to load, or else the dreaded bounce rate will go up. To obtain a faster load speed that makes it easier for visitors to discover your products, optimize media, shorten content, leverage lazy loading, and use performance-centric hosting to keep the load speed as smooth as possible.

3 Crucial Mistakes to Avoid When Building a PPC Landing Page

While the traffic influx might be skyrocketing, it is crucial to track the conversion rate to constantly improve your landing page’s performance.

Displaying a Cluttered Page Layout

We have emphasized the importance of designing a clear-cut, minimal page layout that allows visitors to absorb the information and ultimately, make the decision to convert in a short amount of time. However, sellers can expose themselves to displaying a messy landing page by trying to cram too much information on one page. An excessive use of product images, CTA buttons, page links, popups, etc., is all detrimental to the conversion rate that you aim for. Apart from losing a lead or sale, your potential customers are also more prone to lose trust in your brand, which will hurt your reputation in the long run.

The solution is simple: less is more. Only include the elements that work towards your main goal, make use of white space, and use short but powerful language in your CTAs.

Relying on One PPC Landing Page

Being able to produce a well-balanced PPC landing page for your campaign is superb, but be careful not to fall into the trap of relying on one landing page to take care of your conversion rate optimization. Having consistent traffic is every merchant’s dream, so don’t waste it by sending it all to one PPC landing page, regardless of the goal, content, and target visitors. In the worst-case scenario, this mistake can affect your quality score, the reason for a lower ad rank.

Since this mistake can cost you a fortune, be sure to take extra care of your PPC landing pages with different purposes, matching content with their corresponding ads, and take advantage of A/B testing to craft the best versions of each landing page.

More from GemPages: Top 14 Shopify A/B Testing Apps To Boost Your Sales Performance

Not Tracking Conversion

Every marketing tactic needs a close evaluation to keep it in the best shape throughout the whole campaign duration. Should any error arise, an appropriate resolution will be in order.

For pay-per-click marketing, it is all about conversion. Without a proper tracking tool, there is no way for you to stay aware of which part of the campaign is working and vice versa. Several problems can emerge as a result of this mistake, such as wasted ad expense, no data-driven decisions, and a tarnished brand reputation.

No matter the size of your business, it is incredibly easy to set up a tracking system, whether through Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, or a third-party app. Depending on the settings, every aspect of your PPC ads can be assessed, from the primary goal, like transactions, to more minute actions like form completion and link clicks.

Why Choose GemPages for Building PPC Landing Pages

Can you build a landing page from scratch? Yes. Would a trustworthy page builder make the process easier and faster? Absolutely. For a costly advertising campaign like PPC, you don’t want to risk making a subpar landing page after pouring efforts into pushing your ads on top of the search result pages. An all-encompassing ad and landing page duo is totally achievable with GemPages - an experienced landing page builder made specifically for Shopify stores.

Well, why should you choose our app among an ocean of other page builders? Let’s walk you through our highlighted features:

• A code-free drag-and-drop editor

• 200+ customizable templates

• Mobile-prioritized design mode

• Built-in CRO components

• Fast setup => faster launch => better ROI

A prominent case where a brand has found its footing by using GemPages as its landing page builder.

We talked the talk, and we can walk the walk, too. A prominent example of our work is Bazan Coffee - a Vietnamese coffee brand that sells only the best beans the country has to offer. From a basic landing page with little to nothing to write home about, the company has made use of GemPages’ comprehensive editor to completely revamp the look. A shake-up in color, visual elements, CTA placement, and other engaging sections has helped Bazan Coffee optimize its page to showcase its brand identity. Want to do the same? Head over to GemPages to start transforming your landing page and watch your brand grow.

The Bottom Line

A digital storefront asks for utmost attention to every page, and the landing page stands at the very top. For pay-per-click advertising, it is even more significant to refine the landing page to the T, as every click counts. If you are unsure where to start, let GemPages take care of the essentials and churn out the most ideal PPC landing page that speaks to your brand. 

FAQ about PPC Landing Page Optimization