How to Create High-Converting Google Ads Landing Pages in WordPress (2023)
Are you running Google Ads campaigns to promote your products or services? If so, directing all that paid traffic to the right landing page is essential for maximizing your return on investment.
A dedicated, well-designed landing page can be the difference between a wasted click and a valuable new lead or customer. According to Google, the average conversion rate for a landing page in Google Ads across all industries is 4.4%. However, top-performing landing pages can easily attain 3-5X that conversion rate.
So what‘s the secret to creating Google Ads landing pages that convert at a high percentage? While there‘s no magic formula, focusing your landing page on a single goal, providing a seamless user experience, and using data to inform your decisions can certainly help.
In this guide, we‘ll walk you through how to create killer Google Ads landing pages in WordPress that are optimized to turn paid traffic into leads and revenue. We‘ll cover the key components of a high-converting landing page, how to build your page in WordPress step-by-step, and tips for testing and optimizing your results.
Let‘s get started!
Why Use Landing Pages for Your Google Ads Campaigns
First, let‘s discuss why you need a dedicated landing page for your Google Ads in the first place. Can‘t you just link your ads to your homepage or a regular page on your WordPress site?
Technically you could, but this is not a smart strategy for several reasons:
Improves message match
When a prospect clicks your ad, they expect to land on a page that reflects the same message and offer conveyed in the ad copy. If there is a disconnect between the ad and the page they land on, they are more likely to bounce. With a targeted landing page, you can perfectly match your headline, copy, and call-to-action (CTA) to the ad content.Removes distractions
Your homepage and other site pages contain navigation links, sidebars, footer content, and other extraneous elements that distract visitors from your campaign goal. A landing page eliminates those distractions and focuses visitors‘ attention on your offer and CTA. This clarifies your message and increases conversions.Speeds up page load time
Page load time is a crucial factor not only for user experience but also your Google Ads Quality Score. A faster load time can boost your Ad Rank and lower your cost per click (CPC). Landing pages built with page speed in mind will typically load much faster than a heavy homepage weighed down with unnecessary scripts and elements.Captures leads
Many businesses use Google Ads to generate leads by offering a free resource in exchange for a visitor‘s contact information. A landing page is the perfect place to showcase your lead magnet and present your opt-in form above the fold. You can even integrate with your email marketing service or CRM to seamlessly pass lead data through.Facilitates tracking
Isolating your campaign traffic on a dedicated landing page makes it much easier to track your Google Ads conversions and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. You can use tracking parameters in your final URLs and configure Goals in Google Analytics to track specific conversion events fired on your landing pages.
Now that you understand the ‘why‘ behind Google Ads landing pages, let‘s dive into the ‘how‘ of actually creating them in WordPress.
Step 1: Plan Your Page
Before opening up WordPress or touching any tools, take time upfront to strategically plan out your Google Ads landing page.
Identify your campaign goal
Every effective landing page has a singular focus and clear goal. Are you trying to drive sales of a specific product? Get new email subscribers? Encourage a free trial signup? Clarify your primary call-to-action before starting to build your page.
Understand your target audience
Think about who will be clicking on your Google Ads and what they need in order to convert. What are their pain points or desires? What might make them hesitate to take action? Your landing page copy and design should speak directly to your target audience and their stage of awareness.
Craft your message
A compelling landing page starts with a strong, benefit-focused headline that grabs attention and clearly communicates your offer. Your body copy should concisely highlight the key features and advantages of your product or service, overcoming common objections. Use language that resonates with your target audience.
Gather your creative assets
Collect the various creative elements you will need for your page, including your logo, images, videos, etc. Use high-quality visuals that relate directly to your offer. You may need to source stock photos, graphics, or even hire a designer to create custom assets.
Outline your page layout
Sketch out a wireframe for your landing page indicating where each element will be placed. The most important information and your CTA should appear front and center above the fold. Use a logical hierarchy and flow to tell a persuasive story and lead visitors to your conversion point.
Draft your form
If you‘re creating a lead generation landing page, your form is the star of the show. Include form fields to collect the visitor information you need to market to them, but don‘t ask for too much and scare them away. Craft a compelling CTA button using a contrasting color and first-person, action-oriented text. Consider using a 2-step opt-in to increase conversions.
Plan your thank you page
The thank you page is where visitors land after they convert on your form or click your CTA button. This is a prime opportunity to keep them engaged, present a secondary offer, or encourage them to take another action. Decide what information and links to include on your thank you page upfront so you can build it alongside your main landing page.
With your landing page thoroughly mapped out, you‘re ready to dive into WordPress and start building.
Step 2: Choose Your Landing Page Builder
The next step is to select a landing page builder tool for WordPress. You could code a landing page from scratch, but that requires web development knowledge. Using a drag-and-drop page builder is much easier and more efficient.
There are several great page builder plugins for WordPress, including:
- SeedProd Landing Page Pro
- Elementor Pro
- Divi by Elegant Themes
- Beaver Builder
- Thrive Architect
All of these tools will allow you to create custom landing pages without writing code, but they each have their own unique features and capabilities. For example, SeedProd and Elementor include built-in integrations with popular email marketing services and CRMs. Thrive Architect has a powerful A/B testing engine.
Consider your specific needs and budget when selecting a page builder. For this tutorial, we‘ll be using SeedProd. It‘s the best overall WordPress landing page plugin in our opinion.
Step 3: Install and Activate SeedProd
To get started with SeedProd, you first need to purchase a Pro license and download the plugin. Then follow these steps:
In your WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
Click the "Upload Plugin" button at the top of the screen.
Click "Choose File" and locate the SeedProd plugin file on your computer.
Click "Install Now" and then "Activate Plugin".
You should see a new "SeedProd" tab appear in your admin menu.
Go to SeedProd → Settings and enter your license key to unlock the Pro features.
Step 4: Create a New Landing Page
Now you‘re ready to create your first landing page with SeedProd:
Go to SeedProd → Landing Pages and click the "Add New Landing Page" button.
On the next screen, select a template for your page. SeedProd offers a variety of professionally-designed templates for different campaign types and industries. You can click the "Preview" button to see how each template looks.
Once you find a template you like, hover over it and click the "Use This Template" button.
A popup will appear where you can enter a name and URL for your landing page. The URL will be appended to your site‘s domain (e.g. yoursite.com/your-landing-page/).
When you‘re done, click the "Save and Start Editing" button. This will launch SeedProd‘s visual page builder.
Step 5: Customize Your Landing Page Design
In the SeedProd builder, you can completely customize your landing page layout and design using the drag-and-drop editor:
- To change any text on the page, simply click on the text and start typing.
- To replace images, click on an existing image and upload your own in the left sidebar.
- To add new elements to the page, drag blocks from the left panel onto your preview. SeedProd offers a variety of content blocks including headlines, text, buttons, images, videos, opt-in forms, and more.
- To remove an element from the page, click on it and select the trash can icon.
- To rearrange elements, use the drag handles to drag and drop them into place.
- To adjust colors, fonts, spacing and other styles, use the "Global Settings" controls at the bottom of the left panel.
As you‘re designing your Google Ads landing page, keep these best practices in mind:
- Put your main headline and a clear CTA above the fold
- Use contrasting colors for your CTA button
- Divide your content into short paragraphs with snappy subheadings
- Include credibility elements like customer logos, testimonials, and trust badges
- Add visual cues like arrows or encapsulation to draw attention to your CTA
- Optimize images to keep your page load time fast
Preview your page regularly while editing to ensure everything looks and functions as intended. You can also use the built-in mobile preview to optimize your design for smartphone and tablet visitors.
Step 6: Integrate With Your Email Marketing Service
If you‘re creating a lead generation landing page, you‘ll need to integrate your form with your email marketing service or CRM so new leads are automatically added to your database.
SeedProd supports direct integrations with popular email marketing tools including:
- ActiveCampaign
- AWeber
- Campaign Monitor
- Constant Contact
- ConvertKit
- Drip
- GetResponse
- HubSpot
- Mailchimp
- Sendinblue
- And more
To set up the integration, go to the "Connect" tab in SeedProd. Then select your email provider from the list and follow the instructions to authenticate your account and map your form fields.
Step 7: Configure Your Page Settings
Before publishing your landing page, go through the page-level settings and configure the following:
Page Status
Set your page to "Published" so it‘s live on your site. You can also set specific publish/unpublish dates if you want to schedule your landing page campaign in advance.
Access Control
SeedProd lets you restrict access to your landing page based on user role or logged-in status. This is handy if you want to create a ‘members-only‘ landing page or hide it from public view while in development. Set your access control rules under the "Access Control" tab.
Analytics
To track the performance of your Google Ads landing page, you‘ll need to connect it to Google Analytics. SeedProd lets you easily add your Google Analytics tracking code under the "Analytics" tab. We also recommend setting up conversion tracking in Google Analytics by defining a custom Goal that matches your primary page conversion event, such as form completions.
Scripts
If you need to add any additional snippets of JavaScript code to your landing page, like your Google Ads remarketing tag or FB pixel, you can paste them into the header or body fields under the "Scripts" tab.
SEO
Configure your landing page title tag and meta description for SEO by filling out the fields under the "Page SEO" tab. While organic traffic may not be your primary goal, optimizing your page for target keywords can bring in additional free traffic from search engines.
Once you‘re finished configuring your settings, remember to click "Save" at the top of the screen.
Step 8: Preview and Test Your Landing Page
Always preview and test your landing page thoroughly before launching your Google Ads campaign. Click the "Preview" button in the top action bar to open a new preview window where you can interact with your page.
Fill out your form and go through the conversion flow, ensuring you reach the thank you page. Check your email provider to make sure the new lead appears in your database.
Test all links on the page as well as any custom scripts or tracking you‘ve added. Look for any content errors or formatting issues. Open the page on multiple devices to check for mobile responsiveness.
If everything looks and functions as expected, your landing page is ready to receive traffic!
Step 9: Create Your Google Ads Campaign
The final step is to create your Google Ads campaign and point your ads to your new landing page. How you structure your campaign will depend on your specific marketing goals and strategy, but here are a few tips:
Final URL
When building your ads, set the "Final URL" equal to the URL of your WordPress landing page. Double check that you‘ve entered it correctly.
Ad Copy
Write your ad copy to align closely with your landing page headline and copy. The messaging between the two should be congruent so visitors have a seamless experience when they click through.
Keywords
Do your research to find relevant, high-intent keywords to target with your ads. More specific long-tail keywords will typically have lower competition and convert better than broad head terms. Organize your keywords into tight themes that match the focus of your landing page.
Devices
Think about which devices your target audience is likely to be using when searching for your product or service. You may want to create separate landing page variants optimized for desktop and mobile as needed.
Extensions
Use all relevant Google ad extensions to increase the visibility and informativeness of your ads. Sitelink extensions are particularly useful for pointing to related pages or resources on your site that complement your landing page offer.
Once your landing page and Google Ads are in sync and activated, you can start driving targeted PPC traffic and conversions!
Tips for Optimizing Your Google Ads Landing Pages
A high-converting Google Ads landing page is never a "one-and-done" project. Landing pages require ongoing optimization to reach peak performance over time.
After your campaign has been running for a while and you have conversion data flowing into Google Analytics, look for opportunities to A/B test and optimize your page. Here are some elements you can experiment with:
- Headline copy
- Body copy length and details
- Images and creative
- Form length and fields
- CTA copy or button color
- Addt‘l credibility or social proof elements
- Layouts and information hierarchy
- New offer entirely
Create variant versions of your landing page and split your Google Ads traffic between them. Let your tests run long enough to reach statistical significance before analyzing the results.
Pay attention to engagement metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and scroll depth in addition to your primary conversion rate. These can provide clues as to how well your landing page resonates with visitors.
Also keep an eye on the performance of your ads themselves. A low click-through rate or high CPC could indicate that your ad copy needs improvement or that your offer isn‘t compelling enough.
Continuously monitor and prune your keyword list as well. Pause keywords that are eating up spend without converting and research new long-tail variations to try.
Finally, survey and collect feedback from your converted leads to learn what made them decide to take action. Their responses can give you valuable insights for landing page optimization.
Remember, the goal is to create such a seamless transition and compelling experience from ad to landing page to conversion, your visitor barely has to think. Removing friction and articulating a strong value proposition are key.
Create Your Google Ads Landing Page Today!
An optimized Google Ads landing page can unlock a new stream of profitable PPC traffic and leads for your WordPress site. The steps and tips in this guide will help you launch and test a landing page that converts.
Best of all, you don‘t need any coding skills to create a stunning, professional-looking landing page. SeedProd‘s drag-and-drop builder makes it easy and code-free.
So what are you waiting for? Get started with SeedProd today and design your first high-converting Google Ads landing page! Your ROI will thank you.
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