Four Steps to Increasing PPC Conversions

You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. They can boost your website conversions significantly or cost you a truckload of money with little to show for it. I’m talking about PPC ads, of course.

The difference between success and failure in terms of conversion is an understanding of what it takes to create PPC ads that will ultimately motivate people to act. Let’s take a look at the four basic components of a conversion-boosting PPC campaign.

A Well-Designed Ad

Your title and copy must work together to differentiate your offer from every other PPC ad on the search results page. Before you write your ad check your competitors ads and see how you can position your copy so that it will capture and hold the interest of your target audience.

A Too-Good-to-Pass-Up Offer

Not every ad has to promote a sale or discount, but they should all offer something of value to the customer. Whether it’s free shipping, a free quote or estimate, 10% off, or access to online-only specials, make sure your offer is too good to ignore. Use language your target market will relate to and demonstrate how your offer can make their lives better.

A Strong Call to Action

Without a strong call to action, your ad is just another static billboard. The call to action, however, gives the reader power to act on what he knows. Be creative with the copy of your call to action, experimenting with various wording and appeals.

A Compelling Landing Page

It may be tempting to address the landing page separately from the PPC campaign, but ultimately it is the landing page that will determine the success, or failure of your efforts.

A well-designed ad with an outstanding offer and a strong call to action can still fall flat if your landing page doesn’t follow through.

The people who click on your ad will be a meticulously targeted audience, ready to take the next step. If you don’t immediately show them what the next step is, or worse, if you send them somewhere generic like your home page, your dreams of increasing conversion rates will be out the window.

Respect your target audience by making the next step clear, easy, and intuitive.

While there’s a lot more we could say about PPC ads, these four components form the basic structure of your campaign.

Begin by testing these elements in order to find out what works best for your unique audience, and then you can begin implementing some of the more specific best practices in order to fine tune your efforts for conversion optimization.

Is your PPC campaign in need of a tune-up? Find out how professional PPC management can improve your results.