Landing pages have been an important tactical element in digital marketing since the first PPC ad. They are meant to convey additional information relevant to the ad message. But the added sophistication that ads have gained has meant that landing pages need to add value if customers are going to register, to make purchases, or respond to calls to action.
Google recently announced a restructuring of its advertising platforms, most notably retiring the AdWords and DoubleClick names. Among the changes was an Easter egg: Google decided to require parallel tracking, a feature is meant to speed up delivery of landing pages on mobile, for third party advertisers. The feature brings visitors to the landing page as the click measurement is processed. This seems like a technical subtlety, but most website optimization tactics addresses the order in which a code is processed. This feature from Google is notable in that, unlike most tactics, the optimization involves the media ad as much as it does the actual website page.
Testing landing pages for mobile performance was bound to happen. Consumers have been accessing the internet through mobile devices for a number of years, with more nuanced behaviors emerging as a result. For example, Mary Meeker in her annual internet trends report for Kleiner Perkins, noted that people spend 5.9 hours per day engaged with digital media, over half accessed through mobile.
With such changes afoot, how should marketers respond? The old rules on landing pages still apply, but marketers should consider the following concepts as well.
1. Plan the top fold and content to appeal to customers’ needs
The top fold is the area of the page that first appears to visitors when the page is loaded. It should include a benefit-oriented headline, and image, that both speak to customer micro-moments. Identify a call or action, plus associated image, that matches the micro-moment addressed by the landing page.
Marketers should also select landing page content to reinforce the micro-moment addressed by the ad and top fold. Since landing page content has to complement paid search and social ads, it should reinforce the idea that the ad offer will help solve the customer’s specific, current needs.
2. Tailor landing pages with dedicated local content
Another option is to create unique landing pages according to location. The location name can appear in the URL, such as “www.yoursite.com/yourcity.”
Dedicated local content can be helpful for guiding customers to products and services offered for in their vicinity. Location can also be included in the meta-tag and meta-description of the landing page HTML.
3. Skip the pop ups
Avoid pop ups. These can potentially slow pages loading in a mobile browser. In fact, the message deployed in a pop up may be better situated as landing page content.
Methodical use of landing page content to appeal to customers can be much more effective than a sudden pitch in a pop up.
4. Have social sharing buttons at the ready
Having social media buttons on the landing page makes it easier for customers to share content to their favorite social media network. This may seem basic – like, 2008 social media 101 basic – yet people have become more and more accustomed to social sharing in their preferred channels.
The landing page should support that preference, leading to better reach and engagement metrics. Examine the referral source reports in an analytics solution to identify the social media platforms which are regular sources of new traffic.
5. Tag pages so that they appear in custom analytics reports
Landing pages should appear in performance reports, which can then be monitored to determine where improvements can be made. For example, a page with a Google Analytics tag might appear in the Speed Suggestions report, making it easier to indicate specific performance issues.
6. The rules for mobile website layouts work for landing pages too
The guidelines for a mobile website page include making the title and meta-descriptions of the mobile and website versions of a page the same. (Responsive design should mean the same content is accessible in both formats). Review your landing page code against the wire frame of your site, and check to see how the elements are set up to account for mobile.
7. Test a variety of pages to try new ways to upsell
The unprecedented variety of ad message choices means you can optimize your landing page message to test the possibilities of conversion. Audiences who convert on key landing pages (for example, if the page is aimed at lead generation or app signup) can be re-examined for responsiveness to other kinds of appeals, such as package offers of services. Segmentation of this kind cuts your re-marketing lists into smaller list of people who have demonstrated intention to buy, allowing more creative ways to upsell products and services.
Ultimately the value of a landing page is as the bridge between a website and what users are searching for. With customers increasingly searching while on the go, landing page content must be relevant to the new mobile environment if brands are to be responsive to customer needs.
