SMX Advanced 2009
Mythbusting PPC
Urban Legends:
Landing Pages
Scott Brinker
President & CTO
ion interactive, inc.
sbrinker@ioninteractive.com
Twitter: @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.
conversion
(continuity gap)
ad

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.

Other times a 2 or 3 page “path” is better.
8.12% conversion 9.23% conversion 11.4% conversion

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) • Images load asynchronously
• Writing is text, not image • Sharp text rendering
• Google can index text • 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) • Images load asynchronously
• Most of page is HTML text • Engagement without refresh
• Interactive image browser • 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 has
had better PR.
Time to balance
the scales.

A/B Testing Multivariate Testing
• Requires less traffic • Requires more traffic
• Tests fewer variations • Can test more combinations
• Apples-and-oranges tests • Variations of fixed elements
• Dependent elements okay • Need independent
elements
• Easy to visualize tests
• Harder to visualize tests
• No risk of bad combinations
• Risks of bad combinations
• Can test multi-page paths
• Usually limited to a page
• Often easier to set up
• Often harder to set up

This kind of test can’t be done with MVT.
8.12% conversion 9.23% conversion 11.4% conversion

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?
BOOK
Honest Seduction: Using Post-Click
Marketing to Turn Landing Pages into
Game Changers
Available on Amazon.com
BLOG
http://www.postclickmarketing.com