3 Landing Page Myths Debunked

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

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3 Landing Page Myths Debunked

by Scott Brinker

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