Home Page Versus Landing Page

The new PPC algorithm change from Google has thrown up some interesting challenges for the PPC Agency community; not least, which is king, a website’s home page, or its landing page?

The best way for a PPC Agency to think about this issue, is to consider their target audience.

Now, the PPC algorithm change basically means that those running a campaign will receive a better weighting, if they have strong and relevant landing pages ready for the website user.

Okay, arguably, the Home Page is the mother of all landing pages, because that is where traffic is directed as a matter of course. But, the problem with a Home Page is that it’s almost a contents page and can be very vague at that.

Many modern websites are vast emporiums of information and landing on a page means that the user is facing a bewildering array of facts and information.

How often have we all clicked on a search result on Google, or Bing, and then discovered the resulting page has nothing to do with what we’re after? Or, we have come through to a home page which is so crowded with information, that you also cannot see what you are after.

And most people, when faced with that occurrence, simply click away from the site, frustrated at not only the wasted time, but also annoyed at the ‘brand’ for causing you to waste that time.

This is why landing pages have become so important. A good landing page deals with the specific enquiry that has brought a user onto that page and this is what Google is trying to reward with a heavier weighting within the PPC campaigns.

But, you can see the problem. Landing pages should be specifically tied into the search request and not offer vague information, or feedback. But they are unsuitable for those people who are after the more general information offered by the Home Page after all.

So, the way around this problem is to create properly defined pages to strict search criteria. Let’s say a car company wants to not only bang on about a new model it launched some time ago (and sales are flagging), but would also like to catch people who are interested in all of their brands.

The solution? Two PPC campaigns on different search criteria. It’s the only way. So one campaign which focuses on the company’s brand, the other on the company’s make of car which needs a boost. So two ‘ads’ go online – together with the appropriate key wording – one which goes to the Home Page (corporate) and the other, to a specific landing page which targets the actual model of car.

This then avoids any confusion as to what message the company is trying to get across in corporate and individual model terms.

Written by Biljana Dimovska on January 16th, 2012 with 32 comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized. Google+ – Connect with Me on Google PlusHow to choose a reliable SEO consultancy?