When running Google ads, it can be tempting to send people who click your adverts straight to your homepage. While this may seem easier, it is not the most effective way to turn clicks into customers. This is where landing pages come in.

A landing page is a specific web page designed with one goal in mind, to match the advert someone clicked and encourage them to take a clear action, such as buying a product, filling out a form or booking a consultation. Creating strong landing pages is one of the most important parts of a successful Google Ads campaign.

What is a landing page and does it matter?

A landing page is different from your usual website pages. Instead of offering lots of information and links, it is focused and streamlined. The purpose is to guide the visitor towards one action without distraction.

For example:

• If you run an advert for “emergency plumber Belfast”, the landing page should be a simple page about your plumbing services in Belfast, with a clear phone number and call-out button.
• If you advertise 20% off your product, the landing page should show the product on sale with a quick way to buy them.

Sending visitors to your homepage instead would create confusion, because they would have to search for the information they expected. This usually leads to people leaving your site quickly, wasting your advertising spend.

Key elements of a good landing page

There are certain ingredients that every effective landing page should have:

A clear headline
The first thing people see should confirm they are in the right place. It should repeat or reflect the message in your advert, in other words, it should include the keywords you’re targeting.

Compelling sub-headline or short intro
Add a sentence or two explaining the benefit of your offer or service. Keep it short and persuasive.

Relevant images or videos
Use visuals that show the product or service in context. For example, images of your team at work, product photos or a short demo video.

A strong call to action (CTA)
This could be a button that says “Buy now”, “Get a free quote”, “Book a demo” or similar. Make sure it stands out with a clear colour and position. This is really important as it’s going to drive users to convert. Note: The CTA isn’t just the button, it’s throughout the text.

Simple form or checkout
If you need information from the visitor, keep the form short. Only ask for what you truly need. Long forms put people off.

Trust signals
Include reviews, testimonials, accreditations or guarantees. These reassure visitors that you are trustworthy.

Fast load speed
A slow page will hurt your conversion rate. Make sure your landing page is optimised for both desktop and mobile. If you want to check your loadspeed, you can try using Google’s free tool, PageSpeed Insights.

How to set up a landing page for Google Ads

1. Choose your offer or goal
   Decide what action you want people to take: buy, sign up, call, download, or book.
2. Match it with your ad
   Write your advert so that the keyword, the ad copy and the landing page headline all align. For example, if your keyword is “free consultation accountant London”, make sure both the ad and the landing page mention “free consultation”.
3. Design the page
   Use a landing page builder (such as Unbounce, Instapage, or the built-in tool on platforms like HubSpot), or ask your web developer to create a custom page.
4. Add conversion tracking
   Install Google Ads conversion tracking or link with Google Analytics. This way, you know exactly how many people take the desired action after clicking your ad.
5. Test different versions
   Create more than one version of your landing page and test small differences, such as button text, colours or images. This is called A/B testing and helps you discover what works best. We recommend trying to A/B test using Experiments in Google ads – run 50% of your test towards one landing page and 50% to the other, choosing your conversion as the key success factor.

Best practices for landing pages

• Keep it simple – less is more. Remove distractions like menus, footers or unnecessary links.
• Use one clear goal per page – don’t try to sell multiple services on a single landing page. Create separate pages for each campaign.
• Optimise for mobile – most people will see your ads on their phone, so make sure the design is responsive and easy to navigate with a thumb.
• Repeat your keywords – include the main search terms in your headlines and text so visitors feel confident they have found what they searched for.
• Use strong CTAs – buttons should stand out visually and use action words.
• Build trust quickly – reviews, star ratings, client logos and “secure checkout” badges all make people more comfortable converting.
• Monitor and improve – regularly check which landing pages convert best, and refine them.

An example…

Imagine you are running a Google Ads campaign for a yoga studio offering a free trial class.

• Your advert says: “Free yoga class in Belfast. Book today”.
• The landing page headline should be: “Book your free yoga class in Belfast”.
• The page shows a calming image of the studio, a short note about the benefits of yoga, a form with just two fields (name and email) and a bold button that says “Reserve your free class”.
• Testimonials from existing members appear just below the form, reassuring new visitors. You could also add a map within the page to show your location within the city.

This simple structure matches the advert, removes distractions and makes it easy to take action.

To summarise…

Creating landing pages for Google Ads campaigns is not just a “nice to have”, it is essential for getting good results. By building focused, relevant and user-friendly pages, you can significantly increase your conversion rate and make every pound of ad spend work harder.

The key principles are: keep it relevant, keep it simple, and always optimise based on results.