Google Ads have been around for some time now and people recognize it as a legitimate source to boost a business’s sales. Some may even say that Google Ads do a better job as compared to other traditional modes of marketing.
But there has been a flaw in Google Ads that has been overlooked for quite some time now. This flaw is digital marketers putting a significantly low effort in their post-click experience as compared to pre-click experience.
According to a study, more than 95% of clicks don’t convert. This is an abysmal rate but is accepted in the digital marketing circle. It is wrong to rely only on the huge number of traffic out of which only a handful will convert.
Ultimately it is the increase in conversions that will show your clients the benefit of using Google Ads as a medium for marketing and for that conversions are important. Therefore in this article, we will discuss 5 tips to improve the post-click experience.
1. Match Ad message with landing page:
Image: Match ad message with landing page
Matching your ad message with your landing page is extremely crucial for your conversion. If after clicking your ad, the user ends up on a landing page that doesn’t match your ad then there won’t be a conversion because the user will end up being confused.
There are some aspects to focus on while trying to match an ad with a landing page. In case of simple search ads, make sure that the ad copy and landing page share common keywords and call to actions.
When it comes to displaying ads, one should also consider the color scheme and images in addition to the ad copy keywords. If you are a brand then make sure to mention that brand in both ad copy and landing page.
The goal here is to provide a seamlessly smooth experience for the user between both pre and post click stages. If done right this method will increase conversions by a substantial number. Try to keep the same headline and offer in both the ad and landing page.
2. Keep the Landing page simple and to the point:
Image: Simple landing page
We all hate clutter in real life and also online. While creating a landing page there should be an emphasis on keeping it organized. This organized structure will not only appear more pleasing to users but it will also motivate them towards the conversion goal.
In order to motivate the users towards the conversion goal, it should be marked out clearly on the landing page. Keep a 1:1 ratio for your conversion and CTA button on the landing page. Meaning that since you have one conversion goal for a landing page, there should only be one CTA button.
This one CTA button should be the only clickable place on your landing page. Make sure that there are no off-page/external navigation links on the page. Your landing page should include everything that the user needs to make a decision on your offer.
3. Personalized Landing pages:
Image: Personalized landing page
First, some facts to prove the importance of personalization:
80% of consumers think that big brands don’t know how to advertise to them.
More than 70% of consumers feel frustration towards un-personalized content.
More than 75% of consumers will consider an offer more positively if it is personalized.
So these facts make it clear that consumers give a lot of value to personalized content over generic content. Generic page creation is a very common practice among digital marketers when it comes to landing page creation.
Every landing page should be created by keeping the target consumer/user in mind.This personalized approach will help consumers to relate, engage, consider and finally convert to your offer.
Another element that can be used to make the landing page more personalized is to include a chat window. If a consumer has some doubt they can simple chat with a bot or representative and gain clarity. This will show attention and care towards the users which are elements that are crucial to conversion.
4. Test and Improve:
Nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. This sentence is especially true for digital marketing. The world of digital marketing is very dynamic. There is no guarantee that what works today will work tomorrow. So there is a need for continuous effort to improve.
In the case of post-click, you can try A/B testing different elements on the landing page. Some of these elements are:
Try different headlines
The layout of the landing page
Form structure
Form length
Call to action button
Color scheme
Brand name position and design
Also try to reduce elements on your landing page because having a lot of elements can affect the page load time negatively. Users, especially mobile users are highly impatient when it comes to page load time.
5. Thank You page:
Image: Thank you page
The post-click experience is not complete without a decent thank you page. You should connect the CTA click with a good thank you page. This thank you page should have a message that acknowledges and thanks the consumer for converting.
This thank you page makes the consumer feels appreciated, builds a genuine strong relation with your brand and also provides you with an opportunity for further conversions. Some tips on creating a good thank you page are as follows:
A genuine thank you message.
An image of the offer if possible.
Steps after converting
Any other related conversion offers
You can go a step further and include a thank you email in the process. A thank you page and thank you email has become the norm in the industry as of now.
Don’t be among the 95% of marketers who don’t put enough emphasis on post-click experience. Instead, get the most out of this opportunity by getting max conversions from landing pages. These efforts will not only increase conversions but also help build a long term relationship with the consumer.
Continuous efforts towards improving post-click experience will not only increase conversions but also bring in consumers for repeat conversions. This is the benefit of relationship building with consumers.
For Curious Minds
The post-click experience encompasses every interaction a user has after clicking your ad, with the landing page being the most crucial component. Its optimization is paramount because a high click-through rate is meaningless if the destination fails to guide users toward conversion, which is why the 95% non-conversion rate is so common. A seamless post-click journey is what transforms ad spend into actual revenue.
To bridge the gap between click and conversion, you must prioritize several key elements on your landing page:
Message and Design Cohesion: Your landing page headline, copy, and imagery must directly reflect the ad the user just clicked. This consistency reassures visitors they have arrived at the right place.
Singular Focus: The page should be built around a single conversion goal, supported by one clear call-to-action (CTA). Removing all extraneous navigation and links keeps the user focused on the intended action.
Audience Personalization: Tailor the content to the specific audience segment targeted by the ad. This directly addresses the sentiment from over 75% of consumers who respond more positively to personalized offers.
By shifting focus from just getting the click to perfecting the experience after it, you can dramatically improve your campaign outcomes. You can find more detailed techniques for achieving this in the complete guide.
Message match is the practice of ensuring the content on your landing page is a direct continuation of the promise made in your Google Ads copy. It is a fundamental principle for reducing user friction and confusion immediately after the click, which is essential for building trust and guiding them toward conversion. When a user's expectations are met, their confidence in your offer increases significantly.
Achieving strong message match involves aligning several components between your ad and landing page:
Headlines and Copy: The main headline on your landing page should be identical or very similar to the headline of your ad. Key phrases and keywords from the ad copy should also feature prominently.
Offer and CTA: The specific offer or call-to-action (e.g., 'Get a Free Demo,' 'Download the Guide') must be consistent across both the ad and the page.
Visuals: For display ads, the color scheme, branding, and imagery used in the ad creative should be mirrored on the landing page to create a visually seamless transition.
A perfect alignment confirms to the user that they made a 'good click,' thereby lowering bounce rates and improving the likelihood of conversion. Learn how to audit your current message match by reading the full article.
A strategy using multiple personalized landing pages consistently outperforms a single, generic page by delivering a more relevant and engaging user experience. Since over 70% of consumers report frustration with impersonal content, personalization directly addresses a major pain point and leads to higher conversion rates. A generic page forces different user types to find their own path, while a personalized page speaks directly to their specific needs and context.
You should weigh these factors when choosing an approach:
Audience Diversity: If your Google Ads campaign targets segments with different pain points, industries, or demographics, personalized pages are essential. A generic page will likely fail to resonate with any of them deeply.
Resource Availability: Creating unique pages for each ad group requires more design and copy resources. However, the potential lift in conversions often provides a strong return on that initial investment.
Message Specificity: If your ads make highly specific promises or use dynamic keyword insertion, a corresponding personalized landing page is non-negotiable to maintain message match.
While a generic page is faster to deploy, the evidence on consumer preference makes a clear case for personalization. The complete article offers more insights on scaling a personalized landing page strategy.
Since a significant majority of consumers respond positively to personalization, marketers can move beyond generic pages by creating experiences that reflect the user's context and intent. This addresses the finding that 80% of consumers feel big brands do not know how to advertise to them effectively. The key is to make the user feel understood from the moment they land on the page.
Proven personalization strategies include:
Dynamic Text Replacement: Automatically insert the user's search query, location, or other parameters from the ad directly into the landing page headline and copy.
Behavioral Targeting: Show different content or offers based on whether the user is a new visitor or a returning customer.
Ad Group Theming: Create a unique landing page for each ad group, ensuring the copy, imagery, and testimonials are highly relevant to that specific theme and audience segment.
Live Chat Integration: Including a chat window can add a layer of real-time personalization, allowing visitors to ask specific questions and receive tailored answers.
These tactics help bridge the gap between a generic ad click and a personal solution, making the user feel seen. Discover more advanced personalization techniques in the full analysis.
The alarmingly high non-conversion rate of 95% highlights a critical flaw in many post-click experiences: a lack of focus. Successful companies combat this by ruthlessly simplifying their landing pages to guide users toward a single, predetermined action. This is achieved by implementing a 1:1 attention ratio, where there is only one conversion goal and one primary call-to-action (CTA) button on the page.
This focused design approach is built on several core principles:
Elimination of Navigation: The most effective landing pages remove the main website navigation menu and footer links. This prevents users from clicking away to other pages and abandoning the conversion funnel.
Visual Hierarchy: Design elements like color, size, and whitespace are used to make the primary CTA the most prominent object on the page, drawing the user's eye directly to it.
Minimalist Content: The copy is concise and directly supports the conversion goal, providing just enough information for the user to make a decision without overwhelming them with clutter.
By creating a closed-loop environment, these pages force a clear choice, converting visitors at a much higher rate. Explore further examples of high-converting page designs in the complete article.
A B2B SaaS company can significantly improve lead quality by creating a seamless transition from ad to landing page. This process, known as achieving message match, reassures prospects they are in the right place, which is crucial when the goal is a high-value action like a demo request. The process removes friction and builds immediate credibility.
Here is a stepwise plan to implement it:
Keyword-Headline Alignment: Ensure the primary keywords from your ad group are present in the main headline of your landing page. If the ad says “Project Management Software,” the page headline must echo that.
Consistent Offer and CTA: The call-to-action must be identical. If the ad button says “Request a Free Demo,” the button on the landing page must say the same, not “Sign Up” or “Learn More.”
Mirror Ad Copy Themes: The supporting bullet points or short paragraphs on the landing page should expand on the value propositions mentioned in the ad's description lines.
Maintain Brand Voice: The tone and style of the ad copy should carry through to the landing page to provide a cohesive brand experience.
This disciplined approach ensures your Google Ads traffic is met with a consistent and persuasive message. You can read the full article to learn how to apply this to different campaign types.
Even with limited resources, a small e-commerce business can leverage personalization to great effect by focusing on strategies native to platforms like Google Ads. The key is to align page content with ad targeting parameters, which doesn't require a large software investment. This approach helps meet consumer expectations, as over 75% respond better to personalized offers.
Here's a practical, low-budget implementation plan:
Create Ad Group-Specific Pages: Instead of one page for all shoes, create separate, simple landing pages for 'men's running shoes' and 'women's hiking boots'. Tailor the headline, images, and product selection on each page to match the ad group's theme.
Utilize Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI): Use landing page builders that support dynamic text. This allows you to automatically insert the search keyword a user typed into your landing page headline, creating instant personalization.
Segment by Geography: If you are targeting different cities or regions, create page variations that mention the user's location, for example, 'Shoe Deals in New York'.
These foundational personalization tactics can be implemented with standard web and landing page tools. To discover more accessible methods, continue reading the full guide.
This powerful statistic implies that the future of paid search lies not in shouting louder with bigger ad budgets, but in listening more closely and delivering relevance. It signals a critical need to shift focus from pre-click metrics like impressions and clicks to post-click metrics like engagement and conversion rate. The era of winning with generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns is ending, as consumers now demand and reward personalization.
To adapt, marketers should re-evaluate their strategies in the following ways:
Budget Allocation: A larger portion of the campaign budget and timeline should be dedicated to creating, testing, and refining landing pages, not just the ads themselves.
Performance Measurement: Success should be measured by conversion quality and cost-per-acquisition, rather than vanity metrics like click-through rate. The 95% non-conversion rate shows that clicks are not a reliable indicator of success.
Skill Development: Teams need to build expertise in conversion rate optimization (CRO), user experience (UX) design, and personalization, supplementing traditional ad management skills.
The competitive advantage in Google Ads is moving from the auction to the landing page. The rest of the article explores how to build a team and workflow around this post-click-centric philosophy.
The landing page is evolving from a static conversion point into a dynamic, interactive 'digital handshake' that initiates a personalized customer relationship. As users increasingly reject generic content, the landing page must become more of a two-way conversation. Its future role is to gather user intent in real-time and adapt the experience accordingly, rather than just presenting a fixed offer.
This evolution could manifest in several ways:
Interactive Quizzes and Calculators: Pages will engage users with tools that help them self-identify their needs, providing immediate value while capturing data for deeper personalization.
AI-Powered Chatbots: Chatbots will move beyond simple support windows to become primary guides, personalizing the content and offer based on the user's live responses.
Dynamic Content Blocks: The entire page layout and content could shift based on user data, such as past browsing history, location, or referral source, creating a unique experience for every click.
This shift means the landing page will become the central hub for real-time journey orchestration. Explore how to prepare for this next wave of post-click innovation in the full report.
The most common and costly mistake is including the full website navigation menu on a dedicated campaign landing page. Marketers do this believing they are offering users more options, but it actually introduces decision paralysis and distraction. This clutter of choices directly undermines the singular goal of the advertising campaign and is a key reason why over 95% of clicks fail to convert.
A focused, single-CTA approach solves this by applying the principle of a 1:1 attention ratio. This means for every one campaign goal, there should only be one possible action on the page. By removing all other clickable links, including the main navigation, footer links, and social media icons, you create a controlled environment. This 'closed-loop' design forces the user to engage with your offer directly, making a 'yes' or 'no' decision rather than getting lost exploring other parts of your site. This simple change dramatically increases the likelihood that a visitor from your Google Ads campaign will complete the desired action. You can see examples of this focused approach in the full article.
This disconnect, known as poor message match, is a primary driver of high bounce rates. When a user clicks a visually appealing display ad, their brain forms a specific expectation of what they will see next. If the landing page has a different color scheme, headline, or imagery, it creates cognitive dissonance, causing the user to feel confused or even deceived, leading them to abandon the page almost instantly.
To solve this and create a seamless experience, you must align these specific elements:
Color Palette and Branding: The landing page should use the same brand colors, logo, and fonts that were featured in the display ad.
Imagery and Graphics: The hero image or key graphics on the landing page should be identical or thematically consistent with the ad creative.
Headlines and Offers: The headline on the page must reinforce the exact message from the ad. If the ad promised a '50% Off Sale,' that same promise must be the first thing the user reads on the page.
By creating this strong visual and textual bridge, you validate the user's click and build the trust needed to guide them toward conversion. Learn more about auditing your ad-to-page consistency in the full guide.
Chandala Takalkar is a young content marketer and creative with experience in content, copy, corporate communications, and design. A digital native, she has the ability to craft content and copy that suits the medium and connects. Prior to Team upGrowth, she worked as an English trainer. Her experience includes all forms of copy and content writing, from Social Media communication to email marketing.
Growth Strategy and Planning
