Developing ads for your PPC strategy is not just a matter of throwing together a headline and description in the hopes that a customer will click on one of your ads. Well, it could be, but this strategy will not result in your meeting your campaign objectives of click-throughs and conversions. Your ads should be designed to entice the searcher, but be wary that if you create ads that are too inviting, you can rack up your click-through rate quickly without converting any visitors at all. The bottom line is that you do not want to entice uninterested searchers to your Web site, as you would be wasting your online advertising budget.
To avoid this issue, make sure that your ads relate specifically to the keywords they are associated with and make sure your message is clear. When a true potential customer views one of your ads, you want that person to say, “Wow, that’s exactly what I am looking for.” This ensures that your clickthroughs are more targeted.
In addition to developing targeted ads for your campaigns, you also want to be sure that when searchers click on your ad, the page they are directed to provides them with information about what you are promoting. Too often, businesses simply point click-throughs to their Web site’s home page, which requires the potential customer to navigate further through the Web site to find more information about the company, services, and products. This often results in wasted clicks and fewer conversions.
Instead, try pointing Web surfers to landing pages that are tailored to specific advertisements. You have to remember that people are not going to initiate contact or sign up for your mailing list or even buy simply by clicking on your ads—they want information. That’s why you would never simply point a new customer to your online order form. However, if you develop a landing page that communicates the features and benefits of your services or products and
provides the visitor with a clear “Order Now” call to action, you can increase the likelihood that the visitor will convert to a customer.
When developing landing pages for your PPC strategy, you should design various pages and test their effectiveness. The key thing to remember is that if someone is searching for “New York Pretzels,” you do not want your landing page to say something unrelated, but rather to include a call to action that says “Click here for New York Pretzels.” You want to make sure that you provide the viewer with the information that she or he is looking for. In addition, make sure that you do not overwhelm visitors with navigation options that would distract them from understanding the message you are trying to communicate. Clear communication of your value proposition is the key.