When you’re investing in PPC advertising, you’ll want to generate the highest number of quality leads for the lowest possible price per lead.
And when you’re driving paid traffic to a website, you need to maximize every opportunity for visitors to convert into leads.
Conversion rate optimization helps boost ad campaign performance by increasing pay-per-click conversion rates.
Better conversion rates…
Means that more of your ad viewers will take the action you desire (calling you, filling out a contact form, signing up for your email list).
And your ad dollars will generate more leads for a lower cost per lead.
WordStream defines conversion rate optimization (CRO) as, “the process of optimizing your sponsored search ads, landing pages, and overall website design to raise your conversion rate.”
Today, we’re going to look at the landing page and website design components to optimize conversions.
Because without a credible website that looks like a trustworthy business, you will be wasting money on PPC traffic that does not convert as well as it should.
How Your Website Can Increase Conversion Rates
You may be wondering.
Why is website design important for PPC campaigns?
When a visitor lands on your website, they will form a first impression about your business.
And research shows it takes just 50 milliseconds (or 1/20th of a second).
To inspire your visitor to action, your website needs to form a positive first impression.
Based on the colors, fonts, words and imagery used in your website design, your visitor will decide whether or not:
- You provide the type of service or product they are seeking
- You are qualified to deliver a solution to their problem
- They should call you, fill out a contact form, sign up for your email list, etc.
If your visitor’s first impression is negative, they will hit the back button and move on to someone else.
First, let’s look at your landing page.
Landing Page Tips to Increase Conversion Rates
Your landing is the first (and maybe the only) page visited by each person that clicks on your ad.
For some advertisers, this page will be a standalone web page designed specifically to generate leads.
For others the landing page may represent a specific product for sale on an e-commerce website or a category of vehicle listings, for instance, on an auto dealer website.
Every landing page should have a few essential ingredients.
Tip #1: Make Your Landing Page Relevant
Make sure your landing page design and content match the intent (and content) of your ad.
A highly focused landing page will help your visitor know they are in the right place after clicking through the ad.
It will also help your quality score with Google Ads.
Google states that “the more relevant your ads and landing pages are to the user, the more likely it is that you’ll see higher Quality Scores.”
Use images and wording that represents your audience and the things they are looking for.
Tip #2: Make it Easy to Contact You
Your phone number should be prominently displayed near the top and bottom of your landing page.
Your phone number should be clickable, so you can be instantly dialed from any mobile device.
Make sure the folks that answer your phone have a good understanding of the types of calls they may be getting from your ads, so there is no confusion when callers connect with a real person.
Include a large, prominent contact form that requests as little information as necessary.
In general, the fewer form fields you have, the higher your form conversion rates will be.
Tip #3: Use Emotion to Connect
Our gut reaction often drives our logical reaction.
And emotion plays a huge part in forming first impressions and inspiring action.
Use imagery and wording that inspires your visitor at an emotional level.
Examples of this would include a large headline that reads:
“A Memorable Experience Your Family Will Never Forget”
“Find Your Inspiration”
Images and video selection also help build an emotional connection with your visitor.
Help them to feel what you want them to feel.
Tip #4: Put Your Visitor at Ease
Remove your visitor’s fear if you want them to act.
What are they afraid of – you may ask?
They might wonder if your web forms are secure or if you’re going to sell their information.
Or they might wonder if they will even get a call back from anyone.
Or if the salesman will be pushy.
Show that your website is secure by including a padlock icon.
Remove risk by saying something like:
“Try it Free for 14 Days”
“Start Your Risk-Free Trial”
“Cancel Anytime”
“One of our friendly staff members will get in touch with you.”
People will act when they feel hopeful or confident that the company or product can meet their needs.
Without that confidence, they won’t.
Tip #5: Include a Clear Call to Action
Make it clear what you’d like the visitor to do.
If you want them to sign up for your email list, include a very simple form to capture their email address, along with an incentive or reason why they should provide their email.
If you want them to book an appointment, clearly state something like:
“Schedule Your Free Consultation”
“Get a Free Quote”
“Download the Ultimate Guide”
You can create a sense of urgency by using phrases like:
“Do Not Wait”
“For a Limited Time”
“Seats Are Filling Fast”
Use form submit buttons to reinforce your call to action.
“Request a Call”
“Download the Report”
“Schedule a Demo”
“Register for Free”
Tip #6: Get Rid of The Menu
For standalone landing pages with a clear call to action, the menu only creates a distraction.
If vistors get drawn into other pages on your website, they may end up leaving your site without contacting you.
Hide the menu, and there is only one choice to make.
Proceed (with your call to action) or hit the back button.
Overall Website Design Tips to Increase Conversion Rates
There are several essential website design elements that should be in place throughout your website.
Some of these elements should be included on your landing page, while others have more to do with the overall look and feel of your web design.
Your overall web design is important, because (although the menu may be hidden on the landing page) interested visitors may do more research by visiting other pages of your website.
Tip #7: Include Testimonials & Reviews
Display relevant and verifiable reviews and testimonials about your company.
These can be in the form of written quotes, hand-written notes (scanned in), video testimonials, reviews from review sites or social media.
Even one testimonial can create help create confidence in your company.
Use them to increase PPC conversion rates.
Tip #8: Add Third-party Credibility
Third-party validation can be displayed using several different methods.
If you are part of any trade organizations, show their logos on your website
Show logos of your prominent clients (with permission of course).
You may also choose to show logos of brands or companies you represent.
For instance, if you are an orthodontist, you might display the Invisalign logo.
Even credit card logos can be helpful to add credibility, as they are the tools of a functioning business.
Tip #9: Show the Real Company
Showing the real company can work well on landing pages and definitely should be a part of the overall website design.
If you have a service business with trucks or vans, show photos of those.
Show photos of the real people that work in your company.
Better yet, include their names and job titles to better connect with site visitors.
List your physical address and hours of operation.
Show photos of your office.
Tip #10: Create a Professional Web Design
Because your website creates such a lasting impression, make sure the looks and content fit the purpose of your business and industry.
Some websites get too carried away with fancy designs and graphics, while others are too plain and look amateurish.
The goal of any web design project should be…
To create a visually appealing website that showcases your goods or services in a pleasant and easy to follow format that also inspires action.
Make sure your website is free from spelling errors, broken links, etc.
Check out some of the best websites in your industry for inspiration. Then try to make yours looks as good or better.
Tip #11: Use Powerful Words in Your Copy
Powerful words inspire action.
Use words like the following throughout your copy, especially when designing landing pages to increase PPC conversion rates.
Here are a few power words:
- Sensational
- Memorable
- Instantly
- Devastating
- Discover
- New
- Exclusive
- Today
- Best
- Free
- Guarantee
- Profit
- Challenge
If you want more power words that convert, check out this big list from Buffer.
Tip#12: Keep Your Website Updated
A website is kind of like a house.
It needs to be maintained to continue performing well.
If you quit updating your website, the paint will begin peeling and it will look unkempt and outdated.
And then – no one will want to come visit.
An active website with current and relevant content shows your audience that you’re still in business and inspires confidence in your company.
If your website has an outdated design, incorrect information and images or is non-mobile friendly, it will hurt your business.
Keep it fresh with new content and an updated look.
A great way to do this is to include a portfolio of projects or case studies or to maintain a blog with news or customer stories.
If you are working on ways to increase conversions for your PPC campaigns, regular website updates should be part of your modus operandi.
More Ideas to Increase PPC Conversion Rates
Make sure your website is fast loading to keep visitors engaged.
To learn more, look at what works by reading CRO case studies and blogs.
Consider using a landing page builder like LeadPages or Instapage.
Install an analytics tool like Hotjar to provide heatmap info to visualize website visitor behavior.
Use A/B testing to test different variations of landing pages.
Increasing the conversion rates for your PPC campaigns involves a lot of moving parts, and sometimes it requires a lot of testing and experimentation.
But the results are worth it.
If you need help with planning or optimizing your PPC campaigns – contact us.
About Russell Frazier
Russell Frazier is a Digital Marketing Specialist & Founder of Visigility, a web design & marketing agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He’s been called a digital business engineer, taking a “whole company” view of the client’s business when planning growth. Russell’s team has worked with hundreds of website owners in the development and marketing of goods and services through proven online strategies that increase website traffic and grow revenue. When he’s not building business or writing, he can be found trail running around Tulsa or teaching one of his many teenagers how to drive. Contact Russell through his website, www.visigility.com or on LinkedIn.