Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Defining the Most Desirable Action (MDA) for the Landing Page

Before delving into the strategies for improving your conversion, you need to clearly define what a conversion means to you and your business. Start by asking yourself the big question: “What's the one thing I want my visitor to do as a result of visiting this page?” The possible actions include reading, watching, and listening; clicking a link; completing a form; making or requesting a phone call; or engaging in live chat.

Most clients we work with can identify a “point of no return” for their customers: a place in the sales cycle that, once reached, typically leads to a sale. For example:

• “After they request the free DVD, 90 percent of them become customers.”
• “When I get them to call, I sell 75 percent of them right there on the phone.”
• “After they request a quote, almost all of them sign up for the service.”

If you have a step in your sales process that converts lookers to buyers, everything about your landing page should be engineered to get as many visitors to that step as possible. And in most cases, the first step on the way to the point of no return is getting your visitor's e-mail address.

E-commerce

If your online business model is wallet-out — meaning you want your visitor to buy something on your first visit — the MDA for your landing page is to have them click the Buy button. Use the Ladder of Awareness to design a sales process that begins at their current level and moves them up to Level 5 (Convinced) ...