Ever wonder how Google decides where to position your PPC ads? It has to do with your ad’s quality score, which is calculated using your ad’s historical performance, relevancy, and landing page quality.

That means for your ad to be listed high on the page, you may need to have:

• A good clickthrough rate (CTR).
• Ad copy that’s relevant to the keywords you’re targeting.
• A high-quality landing page.

Even if you do all this, there’s no guarantee that your ad will reach one of the top four spots. Google is running a business, after all. So how much you bid on a term will also play into the ranking equation quite a bit.

Still, if you’re able to improve your quality score, then you might not have to bid as much to get clicks. So it’s definitely worth your time.

In this article we’ll discuss how to increase the quality of your landing page. Some of these tips could help increase your Google quality score, but more importantly, they should help boost conversion.

"Landing page quality is the least weighted factor in determining your Google quality score. But a good landing page can also help increase your ROI in other ways."

It’s not just Google’s bots that are looking at your landing page. The same improvements that’ll help boost your Google landing page score should also make the page more appealing to users.

Here are five tips for a great landing page.

 

1. Page Content Should Match Ad Copy

Let’s say you’re selling pool equipment and you’re bidding on the term “pool cleaning supplies.” Your ad text might say something like, “Save on Pool Cleaning Supplies.”

Now, an amateur advertiser would direct traffic to his homepage, forcing the user to hunt through the website for the cleaning supplies. It’s much better to send the user to the page they’re most interested in. In this example, the trailing URL might look something like “/cleaning-supplies/,” and the page's content would be about pool cleaning supplies.

Try to include a decent chunk of text on the page (without losing your primary focus, which should be conversion) and use the keyword at least a couple times (especially in the page’s headline).

As you write your copy, always have the user in mind. Write what they’ll be interested in and use phrases that you think they’ll enjoy reading. You can try to sell them something, but just make sure they’ll be a fan of the process.

 

2. Mobile Optimization Is a Must

More and more customers are using their cell phones to surf the web. It’s bad business not to cater to them. Your entire website should look great on mobile, and that goes double for your landing pages.

Still not convinced? Here’s some text from support.google.com: “Starting April 21, 2015, Google Search will be expanding its use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in Google Search results.”

 

3. Create a Noticeable, Enticing Call to Action

You paid to get people to your landing page. Don’t let them leave without directing their attention to what you want them to do:

• Give your call to action prime real estate on your landing page. We can’t stress this enough. You want the user to notice your main call to action. Use arrows if necessary, or even go with subtle, subconscious triggers, like featuring an image on your page with people looking at your call to action.
• Avoid generic terms, mute colors, and anything else that’ll make your call to action blend in with the page.
• Never put your call to action so far down the page that the user will have to scroll to see it.
• If possible, include testimonials around your call to action. This will increase customer confidence in your product.
• Make some kind of guarantee.

If you aren’t sure where to put your main call to action, you might consider A/B testing a couple different locations.

 

4. Engage the Customer through Video

One trick for keeping the customer on your page is to show them a video. According to Unbounce.com, using a video on your landing page can increase conversion by up to 80-percent.

Your video should include your call to action. If you use YouTube to upload your video, make sure you program it so that it doesn’t show recommended videos at the end. You don’t want your video to become a distraction.

This is probably as good a time as any to remind you to make the most of your images and layout. You should be shooting for an attractive page that builds consumer confidence in your brand.

 

5. Use More than One Conversion Option

You should sprinkle your conversion options (buttons, hyperlinked text and images, etc.) all over the page. One button below the fold is not enough. Don’t force it, though. Your conversion options (and your call to action, for that matter) shouldn’t sound salesy. Instead, use powerful language that respects your customer’s intelligence.

Adding more conversion options should help you narrow the focus of your page. Remember, a good landing page should have a single focus, and that focus should be about the keyword phrase you bid on.

With any luck, these tips should help improve your PPC ROI. Please check back for more tips on how to get the most out of online marketing.