There is no universal way to guarantee success in the highly dynamic and evolving marketing landscape. You cannot apply a ubiquitous formula for success. Things change, and that too at a fast pace. Marketers must remain up to date with the volume and variety of change.
Some areas of marketing, such as design, copywriting etc., have been around for a long time and are relatively easy to understand and follow. They are not so much of an opaque science. While other areas, such as landing pages, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), ranking algorithms etc., are relatively new, a bit more complicated and somewhat impervious.
While business leaders don’t have to grapple with the complexities of landing pages, SEO and ranking algorithms, they want to ensure their businesses rank at the top of Google for their search keywords of choice. On the other hand, marketers must grapple with complexity to ensure they achieve the business outcomes with their marketing efforts.
Although ranking towards the top of Google for the keywords of choice is the destination that business leaders and marketers seek, SEO and landing pages are the instruments that enable the top rankings. SEO enables organisations to sit towards the top of search engines from a ranking perspective. Several factors influence SEO, including landing pages. After all, when visitors click a link on Google, they are directed to a landing page on the business’ website.
The constant development and evolution of search engine algorithms directly impact SEO best practices. Existing ways of doing things and best practices become obsolete; new trends emerge and fade away. Landing pages do not exist in a vacuum. Evolution in the search world and the algorithms that influence search rankings impact landing pages.
In addition to adhering to landing page best practices, it is essential to understand when to update your landing page. Although this topic is relatively simple at its core, it merits a more in-depth examination than simply scheduling updates.
This blog examines how often web and search marketers must update landing pages.
A primer on landing pages
Let’s unpack some of the foundations. Landing pages would be a relatively new concept for those beginning in marketing.
A landing page is a page that users reach after clicking on promotional links (in paid ads) or the links that appear in organic (free) rankings on search engines such as Google. So when you type ‘cybersecurity training’, Google serves you four advertisements, clearly marked out as ‘Ad’. Then, you see organic (free) links after that. Please find a relevant screenshot from Google below:
You can see paid ads in the first four placements. After that, you have an organic (free) link. You arrive at a landing page whether you click a paid ad or an organic link. Landing pages have a distinct marketing objective: to provide visitors with a response to their search query in the way of a customised page that best serves their needs and with a bespoke call to action. Landing pages are not necessarily an entry point to the sales funnel. Instead, they are an essential intermediate point that enables leads to convert.
The design of landing pages varies depending on business objectives. Some websites have only one call to action and minimal to no navigation. Others may deviate from this design by including website navigation and conclude with a call to action or employing several CTAs on the same page. In all circumstances, though, the goal of a landing page is to increase conversions and, ultimately, sales. A landing page is, by definition, a page that aims to generate revenue, regardless of how you pursue this objective.
Landing pages are an essential digital marketing tool for visibility and exposure. Consequently, they are tightly linked to search engine optimisation. It is vital to know when to update your landing pages. Particularly for landing pages that educate visitors, timely updates and revisions will guarantee that they provide value while enhancing SEO signals.
What is the relationship between search engine optimisation and landing pages?
As its term implies, SEO is a methodical strategy for optimising content for improved search engine rankings. Google ranks websites using the following criteria:
- Load speed
- Security
- Page authority (PA)
- Image optimisation
- Mobile-friendliness
Marketers must consider all facets of SEO for landing pages to be rated favourably by search engines.
SEO itself depends on three major pillars:
- On-page SEO; based on elements like content layout, image optimisation, etc
- Off-page SEO; based on link building, referral signals, etc
- Technical SEO; based on website health and technical aspects, such as sitemaps and security
All three elements (on-page, off-page and technical SEO) are essential to the success of an SEO play.
Landing pages require a solid foundation to perform at optimal levels. For instance, a robust link-building strategy will increase page authority, while technical SEO will improve the security posture. When combined, these elements increase visitor confidence and produce better engagement signals, increasing the plausibility of conversions.
On-page SEO affects landing page optimisation significantly. The on-page elements inform engagement and conversions, from loading speeds that impact bounce rates to the content layout that dictates CTA visibility. Thus, having ensured the fundamentals, on-page SEO offers clear indications that it may be time to update your landing page.
How can you determine if your landing page requires an update?
Here are three indications that a revision is required:
1. Your conversion rates have decreased
Reduced conversion rates may be the clearest indication that a landing page needs to be revised.
Google Analytics differentiates conversion types:
- Micro conversions: These are the activities that result in transactions (such as email signups)
- Macro conversions: Often include completed transactions.
Google also divides conversions into groups, such as:
- Revenue
- Acquisition
- Inquiry
- Engagement
Google Analytics and comparable analytics solutions can immediately detect a decline in conversion rates. If alterations to your landing pages are necessary, analytics data will advise you of this. For instance, if your website does not receive sufficient ‘micro’ interaction conversions, your marketers may wish to reconsider their media. If you are not achieving sufficient ‘macro’ transaction conversions, your marketers may want to examine the CTAs.
Marketers can use heatmaps to identify particular on-page issues when redesigning and planning landing pages. Heatmaps can provide extensive information regarding user behaviour on a page, such as how far they scroll and where they hover their cursor. This information could assist your marketers in making better decisions; for instance, heatmaps of user movement, clicks, and touches could indicate that your CTAs are not attracting visitors.
Clutter, CTA button colours, typefaces, organisation of copy and content, and other elements may play a role. Scroll heatmaps, however, may indicate that your content does not encourage users to continue reading. As on-page SEO suggests, you may need to concentrate more above the fold or provide more valuable content in this instance.
2. Your engagement has decreased
Landing pages must add value to the visitors. If your landing page fails to give sufficient value, you will observe the symptoms of waning interest: high bounce rates, decreased time on page, and decreased scrolling.
These are apparent on-page SEO metrics that you should address. Even in the case of out-of-date, campaign-specific landing pages, these signals matter for your website. After identifying them with analytics tools or SEO audits, you can then begin to fix them appropriately.
3. The competition has stepped up its play
In addition to SEO, competitor analysis may indicate that an update is necessary to stay competitive. There are two types of competitors to consider: ‘Mimics’ and ‘genuine competitors’. Both groups can potentially drive away visitors; therefore, discovering them indicates that your landing page requires revision.
Mimics are common, and using a plagiarism detector to identify them is typically sufficient. Even if a mimic removes your content from their website, it shows you still need to update your own.
Genuine competitors provide a healthy level of competition by merely adopting your strategies and improving upon them. In this situation, the conventional course of action is to analyse the efficiency of their strategies and develop them further. You can accomplish this by considering the following procedures and elements:
- Adding value to the visitor; update content to keep information current and accurate
- Refining the design; improving the user experience (UX) will help increase engagement and conversions
- Enhancing the CTA; increasing the visibility and persuasiveness of the CTAs is a great way to maximise conversion rates
In conclusion
Numerous overt and covert indicators signal that a landing page upgrade is necessary. Such indicators are data-driven and thus safe to act on, ranging from declining conversion rates over time to decreasing engagement signals. As marketers, you must update your landing pages strategically to maintain your organisation’s position in the increasingly competitive digital marketplace. Numerous tools, like analytics and heatmaps, SEO audits, and competitor research can facilitate such enhancements.
Are you updating your landing pages as required? Or is your company vulnerable to losing customers to competitors? The marketing team at Resonate can aid your business in staying abreast of all significant digital marketing advancements that affect your business and, ultimately, your revenue.
Please complete the form to schedule a complimentary introductory conversation to discuss your organisation’s marketing requirements today.