How to build an effective landing page for your Google Ads

When running Google Ads, landing pages play a big part in turning clicks into customers.

When a user clicks your ad, they expect to land on a page that's relevant and reflects what they saw in the ad. If they don't find what they are after immediately, they're more likely to leave.

The Google Ads Quality Score is a Google metric that rates the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords and landing pages. It’s a key component that heavily effects the performance of your campaigns, including Ad Rank and Cost Per Click (CPC).

If you want to increase your overall Quality Score and the performance of your ads it is critical to build powerful and effective landing pages.

Key elements to focus on when building powerful landing pages

User Friendly Design

Make sure to use effective design elements (fonts, colours and layout) to guide the user's attention to key information.

Avoid clutter of too many elements and ensure the page looks clean and easy to follow for a first time reader. Use white space and different font weights to add emphasis to certain areas.

Clear and Compelling Headline

Ensure the headline matches the ad copy and user intent. This will certainly reassure visitors they're in the right place and create a context for the rest of the page.

Communicate the value proposition or primary offer immediately.

Strong Value Proposition

Clearly outline the benefits of your services, offer or product. Highlight your points of difference and what sets you apart (eg: features, pricing or guarantee).

Concise and Persuasive text

Use short paragraphs, bullet points and subheadings to help you focus on the benefits, not just the features.

Strong Call-to-Action

Place the call-to-action prominently above the fold.

Use clear and motivating phrases, e.g., “Get Started,” “Download Now,” or “Claim Your Free Trial.”

Consider using multiple calls-to-action, especially if the page is long but ensure they feel natural and relevant.

Make phone numbers clickable and prominent. Also add inquiry forms to help capture the leads and out of office hours enquiries.

Enquiry Forms

Ask only for essential information to reduce friction and place the forms where they are easy to find but not intrusive.

Trust Signals

Add social proof by including testimonials, reviews, case studies or logos of reputable clients.

If applicable, third party Certifications and Security Badges can also help to build trust. They provide an independent certification with contact information and links to privacy policies or terms.

Engaging Visuals

Always only use high-quality, relevant images or videos that reinforce the message. As the old saying goes “a picture can say a thousand words” and they often do. Best to avoid cliched or generic stock images that could look out of place.

Minimal Distractions

Ensure the user has only one single clear action to take (eg: sign up, purchase, book now, ..). Remove unnecessary navigation links or external links that might lead users away.

Fast Loading Speed

Google is looking for great user experiences and slow pages can lead to poor ad rankings and therefore higher costs.

Mobile responsiveness

Ensure your landing page is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on all devices.

Reduces Bounce Rates

Visitors will leave a page immediately if they land on a poorly designed or irrelevant page. This will waste your ad budget and decrease your Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).

Optimisation for SEO

It doesn't hurt to include relevant keywords in your content, meta titles and descriptions.

Analytics and Conversion Tracking

As always in marketing, analysing data is key to success. Set up goal conversion tracking to measure the page's effectiveness.

You can use tools like Google Analytics and heat maps to understand user behavior.

A/B Testing

To improve the effectiveness of your landing pages on an ongoing basis you can regularly test variations of headlines, call to actions, designs and layouts to see what works best.

Conclusion

In summary, an effective landing page is essential for maximising the success of your Google Ads campaigns. By improving conversions, enhancing the user experience and optimising costs through better Quality Scores, your campaigns will not only perform better but also deliver a higher Return on Investment (ROI).

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and like to talk to one of our experts.