Mythbusting PPC Urban Legends: Landing Pages

SMX Advanced 2009

Scott BrinkerPresident & CTOion interactive, inc.

sbrinker@ioninteractive.comTwitter: @chiefmartec

What is the typical

conversion rate of a PPC ad

Sorry, trick question.

The conversion happens after the click.

In converting respondents, PPC ads and landing pages

are symbiotically linked.

Myth #1:A

landing page is a single

page.

(Only the green M&M’s make you horny.)

Think of a landing page as a bridge between ad and

conversion.

ad

conversion

(continuity gap)

Sometimes the conceptual distance isn’t that far, and a single leap is enough to get

people across.

Other times, you have a little farther to go.

Just don’t use a short bridge for a

long distance.

(Unless your respondents are willing to do a lot

of work.)

Sometimes a single landing

page is just right.

8.12% conversion 11.4% conversion9.23% conversion

Other times a 2 or 3 page “path” is better.

segment

simple

When is a path better

than a page?

3 scenarios.

#1.When you want

to segment respondents.

#2. When you want to ease someone into a process.

#3.When multiple steps

actually builds engagement.

Don’t think of a landing

page.

Think of a post-click marketing

experience.

Myth #2:Flash on

landing pages is evil.

(Vampires exist—even without a law

degree.)

That is a bad example of Flash on a

landing page.

• Loading delay

• Lengthy animation

• Design over clarity

• Expensive

* Unless you’re a firm that produces expensive, highly animated, design-

heavy Flash web sites.

*

The problem is not that people don’t have Flash.

99.1%

This is a Flash object.

• 43K in size (loads < 1 sec)

• Writing is text, not image

• Google can index text

• Images load asynchronously

• Sharp text rendering

• All text/images configurable

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/06/improved-flash-indexing.html

This is a Flash object.

• 5K in size (loads < 1 sec)

• Most of page is HTML text

• Interactive image browser

• Images load asynchronously

• Engagement without refresh

• All images configurable

Why climb the Flash mountain?

• Higher conversion rate

• Better branding

• Easier engagement

• Creative differentiation

Economy of Flash is achieved through variable parameters.

Designer creates once. Marketer uses many times.

Myth #3:Multivariate Testing (MVT) is better than A/B testing.

(Oooh, sacred cow.)

MVT isn’t better than A/B testing. Each has pros and cons.

But MVT hashad better PR. Time to balance the scales.

A/B Testing Multivariate Testing

• Requires more traffic

• Can test more combinations

• Variations of fixed elements

• Need independent elements

• Harder to visualize tests

• Risks of bad combinations

• Usually limited to a page

• Often harder to set up

• Requires less traffic

• Tests fewer variations

• Apples-and-oranges tests

• Dependent elements okay

• Easy to visualize tests

• No risk of bad combinations

• Can test multi-page paths

• Often easier to set up

8.12% conversion 11.4% conversion9.23% conversion

This kind of test can’t be done with MVT.

Think big.

Test small (and safe).

6 headlines + 5 subheads +4 images +3 copy blocks +2 calls to action =

720 combos

Russian roulette caveat: how many disastrous

combinations lurk in the shadows?

Uh, oops. Combination #593 is “bad”.

The point of busting the MVT myth:

marketing > math

Choose the right tool for the right job.

Thank You

Interested in more about post-click marketing and strategic landing pages?

BOOKHonest Seduction: Using Post-Click Marketing to Turn Landing Pages into Game ChangersAvailable on Amazon.com

BLOGhttp://www.postclickmarketing.com