Search ads allow you to include a display URL. The URL shown is not necessarily
the URL that the user will click through to – the display URL (what is shown on the
advert) actually directs to the destination URL (what the actual URL of the page is).
The display URL is sometimes also called a vanity URL.
The display URL must be the same domain as the destination URL. Google will show only one advert per domain.
The page that the user is taken to is called the landing page, which can be any page on your website, not necessarily the home page. The aim should be to send users to a web page that is as specific to their search, and the PPC advert, as possible. This is known as deep-linking.
Landing pages
Search advertising is not just about creating adverts and bidding for keywords. The process continues once a user has clicked on your advert. The page that the user reaches by clicking on an advert is called a landing page – either an existing page on your website, or a new custom-built page for the campaign at hand (useful if you are running a competition or special offer).
Landing pages can make or break an advertising campaign. Poorly executed PPC campaigns will send all users to the home page of a website. Campaigns that convert will make sure that users land on a page that is relevant to their search with a very visible Call to Action. The aim is to keep the user as focused on the goal – conversion – as possible. Sending users to the home page gives them too many other options to choose from.
For example, if someone searched for ‘Canon EOS 450D’, a poorly run campaign would send that user to www.canon.co.uk.
A better campaign would have the user clicking through to www.canon.co.uk/For_
Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_450D/index.asp.
Landing pages also indicate relevance to the search engine, which can increase
the Quality Score of the advert, and in turn lower the cost per click (CPC) of the
keyword. Adding keyword-rich pages to the website can also have SEO benefits.
PPC campaigns often have thousands of keywords, which can mean that you will
have a lot of landing pages to build. Creating dynamic landing pages means that
with a simple script, unique keyword-rich landing pages can be created for every
search. The script will take the keyword that the searcher has used, and insert it
in predefined places on the landing page. The user will then be landing on a page
that is highly relevant to their search.
The display URL must be the same domain as the destination URL. Google will show only one advert per domain.
The page that the user is taken to is called the landing page, which can be any page on your website, not necessarily the home page. The aim should be to send users to a web page that is as specific to their search, and the PPC advert, as possible. This is known as deep-linking.
Landing pages
Search advertising is not just about creating adverts and bidding for keywords. The process continues once a user has clicked on your advert. The page that the user reaches by clicking on an advert is called a landing page – either an existing page on your website, or a new custom-built page for the campaign at hand (useful if you are running a competition or special offer).
Landing pages can make or break an advertising campaign. Poorly executed PPC campaigns will send all users to the home page of a website. Campaigns that convert will make sure that users land on a page that is relevant to their search with a very visible Call to Action. The aim is to keep the user as focused on the goal – conversion – as possible. Sending users to the home page gives them too many other options to choose from.
For example, if someone searched for ‘Canon EOS 450D’, a poorly run campaign would send that user to www.canon.co.uk.
A better campaign would have the user clicking through to www.canon.co.uk/For_
Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/EOS_450D/index.asp.
Landing pages also indicate relevance to the search engine, which can increase
the Quality Score of the advert, and in turn lower the cost per click (CPC) of the
keyword. Adding keyword-rich pages to the website can also have SEO benefits.
PPC campaigns often have thousands of keywords, which can mean that you will
have a lot of landing pages to build. Creating dynamic landing pages means that
with a simple script, unique keyword-rich landing pages can be created for every
search. The script will take the keyword that the searcher has used, and insert it
in predefined places on the landing page. The user will then be landing on a page
that is highly relevant to their search.
