Online pay-per-click adverts are continuing to grow exponentially, with businesses fighting for your eyes, your attention, and your clicks. The ultimate goal of all advertising – digital and traditional – is the same: to drive sales. The great advantage of online advertising – be they google ads, or social media ads is that you can directly take people to a sales page and get people to buy your product, also known as ‘converting’.
Companies are now investing heavily in getting the most out of their PPC operations. When adverts aren’t driving sales, however, inquests can begin and it can be tempting to think that it’s either the fault of the ad copy or design. This isn’t always the case, as there are other factors to consider when sales stall.
Landing page speed
Your advert may actually have very little wrong with it at all. The issue can often be the stage between capturing your audience’s imagination and actually getting them to purchase. One of the most common – and most frustrating – problems for marketers is having a website with slow loading speed. According to WordStream, if a page fails to load within five seconds, 74% of users decide to bail. And for eCommerce sites, a loading speed as low as three seconds could half your conversions. Get your page supercharged so people don’t have time to think twice about following through with their transaction.
Other website issues
It’s important that your organisation not only has access to the data required but also that you understand what the data is telling you. Make sure your website is properly analysed by a professional so that you can understand where things may be going wrong in the conversion process. Google Analytics can be massively important here, so it’s essential that you ensure someone in your organisation fully comprehends the data, as it can be tempting to look at the top line stats and draw quick conclusions.
You want to take your potential customers to checkout as quickly as possible, so minimise redirects and look out for any potential bugs that may put people off purchasing. Other problems that prevent conversions are unprofessional, poorly-designed websites and unclear ‘Call to Action’ buttons. Put yourself in the customers’ shoes and ask yourself – is this a clear and straightforward experience?
Advert problems
If everything on your website is tip-top, then it may be that the advert isn’t pulling its weight. This could be for a number of reasons, so it may be worth running split tests to see if changing the copy or imagery has a marked effect on traffic. As well as having an ad that looks and reads great, also check where your advert is going, so really dig into your targeting on whatever platform you use.
There’s a lot that can hold you up when it comes to creating online adverts, but the results can be massive when things are done right. Don’t rush to conclusions, and be sure to analyse your site data in depth, so you can assess where the problems are arising. If you’re getting lots of clicks on your ad, half the job is done. The second, and most important, half is ensuring that your website experience is compatible with customers’ demands.
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