This was an open discussion session where users submitted their sites to get the Google ad copy critiqued and the landing page looked over for quality and usability. Tips included:
- Keep important information towards the top of the landing page.
- Be detailed and don’t just assume your visitors know your services.
- Simpler the better.
- Put simple URLs in ads.
- Try sentence caps vs small caps.
- Image quality on landing page matters. Make it look good.
- Whitespace is good.
- Bullet points give a great way for users to scan information. Long blocks are bad.
- Should be easy and quick to digest the copy.
- Always be sure you know, and your visitors now, the target of the ad. What’s the call to action?
- Testimonials are good to put on landing pages.
- Consider your ad output. How it looks on 2 lines vs 4 line ads.
- Keep forms short. Get the lead info then call for more details.
- Label required fields.
- No pop-ups or pop-unders on landing pages.
- Scrolling is ok, but make sure users know that there is more information below the fold.
You hit this on right on the money. In fact I think that in the shift to social media optimization the importance of landing pages will not only be essential for conversions but also very critical for overall search engine rankings.