The Demo Site

Landing pages are those pages that potential site visitors reach when they click your PPC (or other)advertisement. These pages are usually not connected to your web site in any way. They are not linked through the site map, nor are they linked through the body of your web site. And to ensurethat they’re fully disconnected from all other methods of discovery, landing pages should also not be spidered .

It sounds like a disaster in the making right? It would seem that it would be. But the truth is, these landing pages are designed for two things: first, a landing page is designed specifically to reach a goal conversion when someone clicks your link; second, landing pages are designed as a way for you to keep track of how well your PPC ads draw not just qualified traffic, but converting traffic. If the goal of SEO is to draw more qualified traffic that converts more often than organic traffic, landing pages are your way to monitor whether or not that’s happening. A landing page also gives you an opportunity to create a relationship with a new site visitor who has clicked your link for one specific purpose. You meet that person’s needs, and then you can funnel the user into the remainder of your site to see what else you have available.

There is some debate as to the value of landing pages that don’t link to any other source on the
web site. Some experts think that once you’ve pulled visitors to the landing page, then the more
you engage them, and the more likely they are to return to your site and eventually reach a goal
conversion. That may be true. Using that assumption, there would seem to only be one kind of landing page: the landing page (like the one shown in Figure7-1) associated with a PPC campaign. However, there is a second type of landing page — organic — that’s primarily for users within your own web site who click through a link or advertisement you have created. These pages are designed a little differently than the landing pages used for PPC ads. Essentially, however, these pages require the same efforts during creation and testing that landing pages for PPC ads require.


The landing page shown in Figure7-1 actually does have live links that allow visitors to interact
further with the site. However, notice that the URL for the landing page:
http://www.ftd.com/5970/?campaign_id=google_yellow+rose&KW_ID=p36936100

is different than the URL that appears when the user clicks to another page in the site:

http://www.ftd.com/5970/catalog/category.epl?index_id=occasion_birthday

This is your indication that the page is actually the landing page for a PPC ad. It would appear,
then, that FTD has another way of tracking conversions from that page rather than from other
pages on the site.


One more tidbit about landing pages before going through the list of elements that should be included in such pages. It’s usually a wise idea to create several different landing pages and test them to deter- mine what type of page works best for your PPC ads. It’s even possible you’ll learn that your PPC landing page should be a dynamic one that changes with each visitor who clicks through the link in the PPC ad. This is a determination that you make only through testing.
When you’re creating your landing pages, you want them to be an extension of the PPC ad for which they are designed. For example, if you’re advertising Navajo turquoise jewelry, your landing pageshould first be targeted to the correct market. It will only confuse visitors if they’re expecting Navajo turquoise jewelry for people and they find turquoise jewelry for (or on) dolls. To further extend the concept of understanding your audience, your landing page should also provide what’s promised. If your ad promises Navajo turquoise jewelry and your visitors find anything else, they’re not going to stick around to learn about what is there. Finally, just as you would use a call to action with your PPCadvertisement, you’ll want to also use such a call on your landing page. The purpose of the landing page is to create conversions, and you have to ask for the sale (or other interaction) to receiveit. Keep in mind that your call to action might actually be for the user to sign up for a newsletter, or to participate in a survey. Whatever that call to action is, present it to your visitor on the landing page.

Here are some additional tips to help you design landing pages that convert visitors who click
through your PPC ads:

• Create specific landing pages for each PPC ad. Individual landing pages allow you to tailor the pages to specific audiences, which can increase your chance of conversion.
• Quickly orient the visitor with the purpose of the landing page by using direct and concise headlines. When users click through an ad to your landing page, they must immediately see that the page will help them reach whatever goal they have in mind. If they don’tsee this, they’ll just click back to their search results.
• Don’t overcrowd your landing pages. Too much information, too many graphics, and too many multimedia elements can make it difficult for users to load your landing page. Even if they do load it, they’re likely to become sidetracked by overstimulation. Keep pages clean and include plenty of white space.
• Include everything that visitors need to complete a conversion. That means users should be able to sign up for your newsletter, make a purchase, or fill out a form, all on the landing page. If users have to click much deeper into your site, you may lose them.
• Test, test, test. You’ll hear hat mantra over and over again associated with many different SEO strategies. For landing pages, you may have to test several versions before you find one that works for the ad you’re currently running. Then, when you change the ad, the landing page will need to change, too. It’s an ongoing process that’s never quite finished.