If you have decided to create a Google AdWords campaign for your small business, then you have taken the first step toward obtaining affordable, and effective, online exposure for your company. If you haven't already, consider hiring a Google Partner (like Distinct Web Design) to help you make the most out of your campaign and your marketing dollars.
And let us offer you a tip: While it might be tempting to spend all your time creating the perfect ad (Definitely a worthwhile pursuit), you will also want to spend some time creating a landing page that converts for your AdWords campaign. That landing page that will encourage visitors to move from possibly interested to definitely engaging with your business. Here are a few tips for crafting an effective landing page.
Make sure your landing page matches your AdWords campaign.
Imagine this: A potential customer searches for “handcrafted diamond jewelry, Lafayette, IN,” and comes across your Adwords ad promoting your custom made jewelry. They click on the link, and find…your About Us page. What do you think their response will be? We are guessing (actually, we know) that they will likely click right back to their search results and look for another business to patronize
If you want your AdWords campaign to be effective, your landing pages have to match your ads. What does that mean? Consider adding these elements to your page to make it unmistakably part of your AdWords campaign:
- Include the search terms that led people to click on your ad in the title of your landing page.
- Include those same search terms throughout your landing page's content.
- Match images from your landing page to the search terms on your Google AdWords ad.
Create a crystal clear call to action to back up your AdWords campaign.
Your AdWords campaign is the teaser that attracts people to your business, but it is your landing page that convinces them to engage with you (preferably by completing a purchase). If you want your landing page to work with your AdWords campaign, it has to deliver a clear, and related, call to action (CTA).
For example, that landing page about your handmade diamond jewelry should clearly call visitors to do something like “Explore our collection,” “Arrange a free jewelry consultation,” or “Sign up for our holiday gift guide.” Any CTA you include should be specific and active. For example, avoid “Find out more” in favor of “Explore our collection,” and “More information can be found here” with “Find the perfect diamond ring in our gift guide.”
Keep your AdWords campaign landing page short and focused.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand words is probably worth a lost sale when it comes to landing pages for your AdWords campaign. The key is to quickly deliver the information visitors are looking for in order to earn their engagement with your business. This means that you need to keep your landing page short and to the point. How do you achieve this goal? Here are a few ideas:
Avoid excessive links.
Too many links may confuse your visitors and even get them off track exploring other parts of your website instead of converting the way you want them to.
Focus content on the topic of your ad, and nothing else.
If your ad is about handmade diamond jewelry, avoid discussing your birthstone jewelry or other offerings on your AdWords campaign landing page.
Develop a powerful title.
A few active, powerful words can quickly tell visitors what they need to know about the page–and encourage them to keep reading.
Emphasize the call to action.
By making your CTA visible (i.e. by using different colors, large buttons, etc.), you draw visitors' attention to the action you want them to take.
Use incredible images.
One image of your stunning jewelry might be enough to have visitors reaching for the “Buy Now” button. Three paragraphs of describing the same product just won't be the same, so use powerful imagery to make your point without using a lot of words.
Include third party validation on your AdWords campaign landing page.
People want to know they can trust your business before they commit personal information and money to you. Give them what they want with third-party validation. Whether this be security badges, positive reviews, or a list of customers who already trust you and do business with you, this validation can be the nudge visitors need to convert.
If you need help setting up your AdWords campaign, or creating the effective landing page to go with it, reach out to us here at Distinct Web Design. We are experts at AdWords and pretty good at web design too. We can help you combine great web design with an expert AdWords campaign in order to develop a combination that attracts, and converts, customers.
