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8 min read

Optimising Landing Pages for Paid Ads: 7 Strategies for Better ROI

Key takeaways

  • An optimised landing page gives visitors reassurance, clarity, and makes it easy for them to convert.
  • You should follow the usual web design advice for optimising any web page, such as improving loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and simplified navigation.
  • However, landing pages should also have social proof, persuasive writing, and match the messaging on the ad that visitors click through from.

When run­ning paid ad cam­paigns, your land­ing page is cru­cial in turn­ing clicks into con­ver­sions. Even the best ads can fail to deliv­er results if their cor­re­spond­ing land­ing pages aren’t well-optimised.

To get the best return on your invest­ment, your land­ing pages must do sev­er­al things for vis­i­tors – which this blog will explore. We’ll also dis­cuss sev­en ways you can opti­mise your land­ing pages, pro­vid­ing action­able advice.

Let’s dive in:

Taking your visitors on a journey to conversion

Unfor­tu­nate­ly, once your audi­ence has been enticed to click on your ad, the hard work isn’t over – there’s a lit­tle more to do. Think of this process as a jour­ney for your poten­tial cus­tomers. There are a few ‘check­points’ they’ll need to expe­ri­ence before com­plet­ing the action you desire. Con­sid­er the following:

  • Imme­di­ate clarity

With­in sec­onds, you’ll want your vis­i­tors to under­stand what the page is about and why it’s rel­e­vant to them. Make sure your propo­si­tion answers com­mon ques­tions and gives key facts about how your prod­uct or ser­vice works.

  • Emo­tion­al connection

Vis­i­tors will need to feel that your land­ing page under­stands their needs, prob­lems, or goals. You might choose to build on the emo­tion­al fac­tor you’ve includ­ed in your ad.

  • Reas­sur­ance

Before spend­ing their mon­ey, your audi­ence will need to see ele­ments that rein­force trust, which means includ­ing things like tes­ti­mo­ni­als or stats. Your web design can also sig­nal secu­ri­ty or dubi­ous­ness, so take that into account too.

  • Guid­ed to action

The call-to-action (CTA) you pro­vide vis­i­tors should feel easy, nat­ur­al, and intu­itive. You don’t want to be pushy, as this could desta­bilise all your hard work so far.

  • Effort­less conversion

And final­ly, the process for vis­i­tors to sign up, pur­chase, or engage must be quick and sim­ple, with no unnec­es­sary bar­ri­ers. This will reduce the pos­si­bil­i­ty of aban­don­ment at this final hurdle.

To suc­cess­ful­ly take your vis­i­tors on this jour­ney, your land­ing page must meet the fol­low­ing criteria:

✅ It’s clear and purposeful

✅ It’s trust­wor­thy and credible

✅ It’s free from distractions

✅ It’s visu­al­ly appealing

✅ It’s emo­tion­al­ly engaging

✅ It’s reassuring

✅ It’s respon­sive and frictionless

By using this check­list dur­ing your project, you can ensure your efforts are focused and sure to opti­mise your land­ing page to the best of your abilities.

7 strategies for optimised landing pages

Now that you know what to aim for, let’s dive into some spe­cif­ic strate­gies that you can imple­ment to bag that max­i­mum ROI on your paid ads:

1. Simplify your design and navigation

A clut­tered or con­fus­ing land­ing page can over­whelm vis­i­tors and dri­ve them away before they take that action you desire. By sim­pli­fy­ing the design and nav­i­ga­tion, you can cre­ate a fric­tion­less expe­ri­ence that keeps vis­i­tors focused on the goal, whether that’s mak­ing a pur­chase, sign­ing up, or con­tact­ing the business.

Here’s how you can do it:

  • Keep the lay­out clean by using plen­ty of white­space to make the page feel open and easy to scan. Lim­it the num­ber of ele­ments on the page so vis­i­tors aren’t bom­bard­ed with too much information.
  • Use a sin­gle, clear call-to-action (CTA). Whether it’s “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Get a Quote,” the CTA should be promi­nent and easy to find.
  • Remove unnec­es­sary links and avoid extra nav­i­ga­tion menus, side­bars, or links that could lead vis­i­tors away from the page.
  • Use con­cise, clear copy, that gets to the point quick­ly. Use short sen­tences, bul­let points, and bold­ed key phras­es to make the con­tent easy to skim.
  • Make forms sim­ple by only ask­ing for essen­tial infor­ma­tion. The few­er fields a vis­i­tor has to fill out, the more like­ly they are to convert.

A sim­ple, dis­trac­tion-free design improves user expe­ri­ence, reduc­ing frus­tra­tion and increas­ing con­ver­sions. This way, vis­i­tors are more like­ly to stay engaged and com­plete the desired action. Plus, the eas­i­er it is for some­one to con­vert, the more cost-effec­tive your ad spend becomes.

2. Optimise for mobile

With more peo­ple brows­ing and shop­ping on their phones, mobile opti­mi­sa­tion is no longer option­al. If your land­ing page isn’t designed for mobile users, you risk los­ing a sig­nif­i­cant por­tion of poten­tial cus­tomers. A mobile-friend­ly expe­ri­ence ensures vis­i­tors can engage with your page eas­i­ly, lead­ing to high­er con­ver­sions and bet­ter returns on your ad spend.

So, here’s how you can do it:

  • Cre­ate a respon­sive design by ensur­ing your land­ing page auto­mat­i­cal­ly adjusts to dif­fer­ent screen sizes so it looks and func­tions well on any device.
  • Pri­ori­tise fast load­ing speed by com­press­ing images, min­imis­ing code, and using a light­weight design to ensure your page loads in under three sec­onds. Slow pages lead to high bounce rates.
  • Make CTA but­tons large and click­able. Users should­n’t have to zoom in or strug­gle to tap buttons.
  • Use sim­ple, scrol­lable lay­outs since mobile users pre­fer ver­ti­cal scrolling over click­ing through mul­ti­ple pages. You’ll need to keep your land­ing page con­tent struc­tured in a sin­gle-col­umn format.
  • Keep forms short and easy to fill by reduc­ing the num­ber of fields and using aut­ofill where pos­si­ble to make com­plet­ing forms quick and effortless.

By opti­mis­ing your land­ing page for mobiles, you’ll reduce the page’s aban­don­ment rate and ensure users can com­plete actions smooth­ly. Since mobile users make up a large share of paid ad traf­fic, improv­ing their expe­ri­ence will lead to more con­ver­sions with­out increas­ing ad spend. This means a high­er ROI for you and a bet­ter use of your mar­ket­ing budget.

3. Improve page loading speed

Research shows that even a one-sec­ond delay in load time can sig­nif­i­cant­ly increase bounce rates, lead­ing poten­tial cus­tomers to leave before they even see your offer. To max­imise con­ver­sions and get the most from your paid ads, opti­mis­ing page speed is essen­tial. Here’s how you can do so:

  • Com­press images since large image files slow down your site. Use tools like TinyPNG or WebP for­mats to reduce file sizes with­out los­ing quality.
  • Min­imise code by remov­ing unnec­es­sary CSS, JavaScript, and HTML ele­ments. Using mini­fi­ca­tion tools can help reduce excess code.
  • Use a fast host­ing provider. A reli­able, high-per­for­mance web host ensures your page loads quick­ly, espe­cial­ly dur­ing traf­fic spikes.
  • Enable brows­er caching since this allows repeat vis­i­tors to load your page faster by stor­ing some ele­ments locally.
  • Use a con­tent deliv­ery net­work (CDN); this will dis­trib­ute your site’s con­tent across mul­ti­ple glob­al servers, reduc­ing load­ing time for users in dif­fer­ent locations.
  • Lim­it third-par­ty scripts. Too many track­ing codes, plu­g­ins, or wid­gets can slow down your page. Keep essen­tial ones only.

A fast-load­ing page keeps vis­i­tors engaged and reduces aban­don­ment rates, mean­ing more peo­ple reach your call-to-action instead of leav­ing out of frus­tra­tion. Faster load times improve user expe­ri­ence, low­er bounce rates, and boost con­ver­sions, ensur­ing your ad spend results in actu­al busi­ness growth, not wast­ed clicks.

4. Ensure your messaging is consistent

When users click on an ad, they expect to arrive at a land­ing page that aligns with what the ad promised. If there’s a dis­con­nect between the ad and the page con­tent, vis­i­tors may feel mis­led and leave with­out tak­ing action. Con­sis­tent mes­sag­ing across ads, land­ing pages, and con­tent reas­sures users, builds trust, and improves con­ver­sion rates.

With that in mind, con­sid­er doing the following:

  • Match head­lines and key mes­sages, ensur­ing the head­line on your land­ing page close­ly reflects the word­ing in your ad. If an ad promis­es “50% Off for New Cus­tomers,” the land­ing page should rein­force that immediately.
  • Keep visu­als and brand­ing aligned by using the same colours, fonts, and imagery across your ads and land­ing pages. This way, you’ll cre­ate a seam­less experience.
  • Main­tain a con­sis­tent tone and voice. If your ad uses a friend­ly, con­ver­sa­tion­al tone, your land­ing page should do the same. A sud­den shift in style can feel jarring.
  • High­light the same val­ue propo­si­tion. What­ev­er ben­e­fit or offer drew users to click your ad should be front and cen­tre on the land­ing page. Avoid intro­duc­ing unre­lat­ed details that could con­fuse visitors.
  • Ensure a log­i­cal user jour­ney by mak­ing each step (from ad to land­ing page to con­ver­sion) feel nat­ur­al and connected.

When vis­i­tors see con­sis­ten­cy in mes­sag­ing, they feel reas­sured that they’re in the right place. This reduces bounce rates, builds cred­i­bil­i­ty, and increas­es con­ver­sions – ensur­ing your paid ad bud­get is spent on users who fol­low through, not those who leave your site from confusion.

5. Use compelling copy

Strong copy­writ­ing is essen­tial for mak­ing your land­ing page per­sua­sive. Vis­i­tors need to quick­ly under­stand the val­ue of your offer, why it ben­e­fits them, and what they should do next. With­out com­pelling copy, even the best-designed land­ing page can fail to convert.

Here’s what you can do to cre­ate per­sua­sive copy:

  • Focus on the vis­i­tor, not the busi­ness. Instead of talk­ing about how great your prod­uct or ser­vice is, high­light how it solves the vis­i­tor’s prob­lem or improves their life. Use “you” more than “we.”
  • Write a clear, ben­e­fit-dri­ven head­line; the first thing users see should instant­ly com­mu­ni­cate the main val­ue of your offer. Exam­ple: “Boost Sales with AI-Pow­ered Mar­ket­ing – Try It Free” instead of “Our AI Mar­ket­ing Tool”.
  • Use sim­ple, con­ver­sa­tion­al lan­guage and avoid jar­gon or over­ly com­plex word­ing. Write as if you’re hav­ing a con­ver­sa­tion with a customer.
  • Cre­ate urgency and per­sua­sion with phras­es like “Lim­it­ed Time Offer” or “Only 5 Spots Left” to encour­age imme­di­ate action.
  • Keep para­graphs and sen­tences short. Web users skim con­tent, so break up text with bul­let points, bold key phras­es, and clear CTAs.
  • End with a strong CTA. Every sec­tion should lead vis­i­tors clos­er to click­ing your CTA, ulti­mate­ly end­ing with a clear-as-day but­ton they can’t ignore.

Clear, per­sua­sive copy keeps vis­i­tors engaged and guides them smooth­ly toward con­ver­sion. The right words reduce hes­i­ta­tion, build trust, and increase the like­li­hood that users con­vert – ensur­ing max­i­mum ROI for your ad spend.

6. Use social proof

Social proof is one of the most pow­er­ful ways to increase trust and encour­age con­ver­sions on your land­ing page. When poten­tial cus­tomers see that oth­ers have had pos­i­tive expe­ri­ences. With your busi­ness, they feel more con­fi­dent in you. Includ­ing strong social proof reas­sures vis­i­tors that they are mak­ing the right choice, ulti­mate­ly lead­ing to high­er ROI on paid ads.

To use social proof effec­tive­ly, con­sid­er the following:

  • Dis­play quotes from sat­is­fied cus­tomers with names and pho­tos to make them more cred­i­ble. Video tes­ti­mo­ni­als can be even more impactful.
  • Share case stud­ies detail­ing how your prod­uct or ser­vice deliv­ered results. Use real data to make them more compelling.
  • If you have a high rat­ing on plat­forms like Trust­pi­lot, Google Reviews, or indus­try-spe­cif­ic sites, fea­ture them prominently.
  • Logos of well-known clients or media men­tions can help boost cred­i­bil­i­ty as vis­i­tors will recog­nise them.
  • Live social proof wid­gets that show real-time pur­chas­es, sign-ups, or engage­ment can cre­ate a sense of trust, but also urgency.
  • Dis­play­ing secu­ri­ty badges, mon­ey-back guar­an­tees, or indus­try accred­i­ta­tions reas­sures vis­i­tors about your busi­ness’s cred­i­bil­i­ty and safety.

Social proof reduces scep­ti­cism, builds trust, and makes vis­i­tors more like­ly to con­vert. When peo­ple see oth­ers ben­e­fit­ing from your offer, they are less hes­i­tant, which will lead to more con­ver­sions and bet­ter returns on your ad spend.

7. Utilise A/B testing

A/B test­ing (also known as split test­ing) is a pow­er­ful way to refine your land­ing page and improve per­for­mance. By test­ing dif­fer­ent ele­ments, busi­ness own­ers can iden­ti­fy what res­onates best with their audi­ence, lead­ing to high­er con­ver­sion rates and bet­ter ROI on paid ads.

Learn more about A/B test­ing your land­ing pages here, or con­sid­er the following:

  • Test one ele­ment at a time. To get clear insights, focus on chang­ing a sin­gle ele­ment per test.
  • Try dif­fer­ent word­ing styles – e.g., ques­tion-based vs. ben­e­fit-dri­ven head­lines to see which grabs more attention.
  • Opti­mise your call-to-action (CTA) by test­ing dif­fer­ent phras­es (e.g., “Get Start­ed” vs. “Claim Your Free Tri­al”), but­ton colours, or placements.
  • Com­pare dif­fer­ent page lay­outs – e.g., a min­i­mal­is­tic lay­out vs. a more detailed one to see what works best for your audience.
  • Test social proof place­ment by exper­i­ment­ing with show­ing tes­ti­mo­ni­als at the top, mid­dle, or bot­tom of the page to deter­mine the most effec­tive positioning.
  • Use A/B test­ing tools like Google Opti­mize to get help track­ing and analysing your results.

A/B test­ing ensures that every change made to your land­ing page is based on real data, not guess­work. By con­tin­u­ous­ly improv­ing per­for­mance, busi­ness own­ers can low­er acqui­si­tion costs, reduce wast­ed ad spend, and max­imise con­ver­sions – get­ting the most val­ue from their mar­ket­ing budget.

Final thoughts

Every ele­ment of your land­ing page plays a role in shap­ing a vis­i­tor’s expe­ri­ence. When some­one clicks on your ad, they’re step­ping into a care­ful­ly designed jour­ney, and it’s up to you to make sure that jour­ney is smooth, engag­ing, and ulti­mate­ly leads to conversion.

Ask your­self: Does my page imme­di­ate­ly reas­sure vis­i­tors that they’re in the right place? Does it build trust and remove hes­i­ta­tion? Is the path to con­ver­sion obvi­ous and frictionless?

Opti­mis­ing for con­ver­sions is about refin­ing each aspect with inten­tion – sim­pli­fy­ing nav­i­ga­tion, speed­ing up load times, align­ing mes­sag­ing, and using A/B test­ing to con­tin­u­ous­ly improve. It’s about craft­ing a page that does­n’t just look good but works effec­tive­ly to turn vis­i­tors into customers.

Your ad spend is valu­able, and every click has the poten­tial to dri­ve rev­enue. By care­ful­ly scru­ti­n­is­ing your land­ing page, you can ensure that more of those clicks trans­late into actu­al results.

For fur­ther assis­tance with your web­site and adver­tis­ing needs, reach out to us here at pur­ple­plan­et. We have a whole suite of dig­i­tal solu­tions on offer:

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