A landing page has one job: help a person who has just clicked decide to take the next step. Everything on it should either support that decision or go. These are the areas to get right, in roughly the order visitors experience them.

Mirror the search and the advert

Someone searching for "emergency boiler repair Croydon" wants to see exactly that, not a general heating homepage. Use the words from the advert and the keyword theme in your headline, then confirm the offer in the first line beneath it. Where possible, build separate pages for separate services rather than sending every campaign to one generic page. Google's own guidance on Google Ads treats landing page experience as part of how relevance is judged, so this helps quality as well as conversion.

Make the value obvious above the fold

In the first screen on a phone, a visitor should see what you offer, who it is for and what to do next. Add one supporting line on the outcome, a clear button and a phone number if calls matter to you. Avoid sliders and vague slogans. Specific beats clever.

Cut the distractions

A paid landing page rarely needs your full navigation menu, a blog feed or links to unrelated services. Each extra option gives visitors a way to leave. Keep a logo, a single primary action and, if you need it, a link to your privacy policy in the footer.

Show proof near the action

Trust is the main barrier for a first-time visitor. Place real reviews, recognisable client logos you have permission to use, accreditations and short outcomes close to the button. Keep claims honest and evidenced: the Advertising Standards Authority expects advertising claims to be substantiated, and that applies to landing pages too.

Keep the form short and honest

Ask only for what you need to follow up: usually name, email or phone, and one qualifying question. Longer forms can raise lead quality but cut volume, so decide which matters more. Say what happens next, for example "We reply within one working day." For more detail, see our guide to improving website forms without losing lead quality.

Load fast, especially on mobile

Many paid clicks come from phones on patchy connections. Compress images, avoid heavy scripts and test with PageSpeed Insights. Pay attention to how quickly the main content appears, which Largest Contentful Paint measures. Our overview of Core Web Vitals for business owners explains what to aim for.

Track the right outcome

Set up conversion tracking for form submissions and calls, not just page views, and connect it to Google Analytics so you can see which campaigns produce real enquiries. Then judge results against revenue and lead quality, as set out in how to measure marketing ROI without misleading yourself.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Sending all traffic to the homepage

• Using a headline that ignores the search term

• Hiding the button below long blocks of text

• Changing five things at once, so you cannot tell what worked