In 2005, Google began considering landing page quality in its AdWords ranking algorithm. Yahoo was quick to follow. The idea was to price the low-quality, sketchy advertisers out of the market and offer searchers a better search experience. Your landing page quality score and the cost of your keywords determine your AdWords ranking. So, building a high quality landing page can help you achieve a higher ranking and save money.
Fortunately, nearly all of the things Google and Yahoo look at to determine your landing page ranking are things that lead to a better experience for your visitors. Here is a list of 10 things you can do to improve your landing page quality score.
1. Match your headline and content to the text in your ad.
The headline is the first thing the search engines and your visitors use to judge the quality of your landing page. Use the same language in your headline and your ad. If you use dynamic keyword insertion in your ad, consider using it in your landing page headline. And make sure the rest of your text directly relates to your ad.
2. Give an accurate description of your business.
Hiding your identity or giving a vague description of your business is a sure way to raise suspicion and lower your quality score. Be clear about who you are and what you do on your landing page for best results.
3. Provide a short, easy path to conversion.
Every landing page has a conversion goal, whether it's to sell a product or get visitors to sign up for a newsletter. Visitors have a better experience with your landing page when that goal is clear and easy for them to accomplish.
4. Provide unique information.
Make yourself stand out from all your competitors by offering information not included on their landing pages.
5. Test different versions of your landing page for higher ranking.
If you've created different versions of your landing page to test for conversions, also look at how each version ranks in the search engine results. Consider this metric when you determine which landing page to use.
6. Include links to your "about us" and "contact us" pages.
This goes along with giving an accurate description of your business. You gain credibility with search engines and visitors when they know they can contact you and they know your story.
7. Support any discounted prices or competitive claims from your ad.
If your ad offers 20% off your product or makes claims regarding your competitors, your landing page should support those statements with details.
8. Have a working back button.
Visitors want to be able to go to your page and back to the search engine results easily. Disabling the back button is frustrating, and could cost you points with your quality ranking.
9. Do not use pop-up windows.
Many people associate pop-up windows with unwelcome advertising and find them annoying. The search engines are likely to penalize you for a poor user experience if you use pop-up windows on your landing page.
10. Post your privacy policy if you collect information from your customers.
People are concerned about how you will use their information, so be sure to post your privacy policy if your landing page contains a form asking for visitor's information.