Thanks to search engines, visitors can interact with your ecommerce site for the first time on any number of pages. So, which webpages are the most important?
Perhaps you think the homepage is the most crucial on your website… In the world of ecommerce, we think landing pages deserve more love. A LOT more.
Why? When used correctly, a great landing page can deliver incredible results. Used incorrectly – or not at all – and you could lose out on a lot of sales. And waste a big slice of your marketing budget. Ready to find out more?
What is an ecommerce landing page exactly?
It’s quite simple really. An ecommerce landing page is a standalone page on your site with a specific objective.
For example, let’s say you search for “best jeans for me” on Google. You opt for a relevant search ad, which suggests a website called besttfitjeans.com. You click the ad and “land” on a designated subpage on besttfitjeans.com, which has one goal – to encouraged you to complete a “Find Your Jeans Style” quiz.
To get the results you hand over your personal email.
You now have exactly what you wanted – you now know which jeans would suit you best. On the flip side, besttfitjeans.com know which jeans suit you too and they have your email address to boot. Mission accomplished for both parties.
Killer conversion rates
Visitors can reach your landing page through numerous routes, such as social media, search or email. However, the most important landing pages are created specifically for traffic from paid search or PPC campaigns.
Your prospect is on your landing page because they searched for it originally. They are motivated and ready to convert. Combine that with a dogged determination to drive a visitor towards a single action and you can see why landing pages have such great conversion rates.
Directing prospects directly to a page for a product they might want means you’re pairing up motivated prospects with relevant content. Now that’s a match made in heaven.
So, why are PPC landing pages so important for ecommerce?
Quite simply – because they provide a flow of traffic you can control, high conversion rates and trackable ROI.
If you’re not motivated by the high conversion rates, the fact that you – or your client – is paying for this traffic might focus the mind. Every visitor costs money, so it’s vital that your landing page is a fine-tuned conversion machine.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Soul mates – According to the majority of landing page boffins, every PPC campaign should have a designated landing page. Aww, bless.
- One ring to rule them all – Remember Lord of the Rings? The goal was to pop a ring in the fires of Mount Doom (or something). Make sure your landing pages have one simple goal too.
- Taboggan – Your landing pages should be as friction free as possible. The last thing you want to do is cause a visitor to doubt themselves, become confused or – worst of all – be bored stiff.
- Courting – You wouldn’t ask a stranger to marry you. You’d date for a while first, right? Meet the folks. Buy a dog. Rent a pokey city centre flat. So why go for the big sale straight away? Move slowly and earn their trust. An email marketing campaign, for example, could be used to turn this interest – over time – into a big sale.
- Mixing things up – With an ecommerce site, you might be tempted to mix lead generation up with sales – all on a single landing page. Don’t do it. Keep one goal and stick to it. Again, think one goal.
- Appeasing Google algorithms – The almighty omniscient Google actively seeks above average landing page experiences as part of their Quality Score calculations (which have a knock on effect on your costs per click!) – if you’re toeing the line on your Return on Ad Spend goals then even some small changes to landing page experience could make the difference between a profit and a loss making sale.
Talk to a PPC expert
There is one crucial type of landing page that we haven’t discussed yet, and it’s fundamental for any ecommerce store: your product landing pages. But we can’t give away all our trade secrets all at once!
If you want high-converting PPC landing pages on your ecommerce site, whether it’s for product category pages or not, we can help. With a 10:1 average return rate on ad spend, we have the know-how and experience needed to take your ecommerce business to the next level.
Ring 0161 762 4920 today or email hello@fluid-digital.com to talk to a PPC expert.