Have you ever put money into ads, whether on Google, Facebook, or somewhere else, only to watch your budget shrink while your sales stay exactly the same? It’s a frustrating feeling, isn’t it? You might even find yourself asking, “Why are my Google Ads so expensive?” or simply shouting, “My ads aren’t working!” I’ve heard this many times, and I myself experienced this first-hand early when I wasn’t an ad manager yet, just someone trying to get clients with ads. We often blame the ads themselves, thinking the platform is too costly or our targeting is wrong. But what if the real problem isn’t the ad at all, but what happens after someone clicks it?
It’s true, getting ads right involves many parts. There’s the ad platform’s complex system, who you choose to show your ads to, and what your ad actually looks like and says. All of these are important, of course. But there’s one piece that businesses often overlook, and it’s where much of your ad budget can simply disappear if it’s not handled well. That piece is your landing page.
The CLICK is just the beginning
Someone sees your ad, they’re interested, and they click! Great! That click just cost you money. Now, they’re on your website, specifically on the page your ad sent them to – your landing page. What happens next on that page decides whether that click was money well spent, or money wasted.
A click doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t turn into valuable actions: a sale, a contact form submission, a phone call, or an email sign-up. If your landing page isn’t set up to encourage those actions, even the most perfectly targeted, cheapest ad won’t make you money.
What makes a landing page really convert?
This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes in. Simply put, CRO is the process of making your website or landing page better at turning visitors into customers. It’s about guiding your visitors smoothly towards the action you want them to take.
This is a whole profession so I won’t bore you with all the details analyzed and tested in the background but the bare minimum we need to know if we don’t want our ads to fail:
- a clear reason to stay (value proposition) → when someone lands on your page, they should instantly understand what you offer and why it’s valuable to them. What problem do you solve? How will their life be better with your product or service?
- compelling headline → just like an ad, your landing page needs a strong, attention-grabbing headline that instantly confirms they’re in the right place and makes them want to read more.
- clear CTA: → what do you want them to do? “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” “Get a Quote,” “Download Your Guide.” This button or link should be easy to find and stand out. Avoid giving too many options, as this can confuse visitors.
- relevant content & message match → the words and images on your landing page must directly match what your ad promised. If your ad talks about “eco-friendly cleaning products,” your landing page shouldn’t suddenly be about pet supplies. Consistency builds trust.
- trust signals → people need to trust you before they buy. Include customer reviews, testimonials, logos of companies you’ve worked with, security badges, or clear privacy policies. Social proof is powerful.
- easy-to-use forms & navigation → if you need them to fill out a form, keep it short and simple. Don’t ask for too much information. If they need to navigate, make it intuitive and free of distractions.
- mobile-friendliness → most people browse on their phones. Your landing page must look good and work perfectly on mobile devices.
- loads fast → people are impatient. If your page takes more than a few seconds to load, many will leave before they even see your content.
- visually appealing & professional → a clean, well-designed page looks trustworthy and is easier to understand. Messy or outdated designs can make visitors leave quickly.
Turn the clicks into conversion
Trying to get all these elements right on your own can be like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing. You can spend a lot of time and money running ads, but if the page they land on isn’t built to convert, your marketing budget will vanish without results. This is often why ads become “expensive” – not because of the cost per click, but because each click doesn’t lead to anything.
My job as a PPC manager goes beyond just setting up your ads. I also focus heavily on what happens after the click (which means, we sometimes have to spend time rethinking some details in your marketing process before even starting to plan the ad itself). I bring my experience from both paid advertising and SEO (which includes website optimization) to ensure that your landing page is a highly effective conversion machine.
It means understanding your customer’s journey from the moment they see the ad to the moment they take action on your site. I work to align your ad campaigns with your landing page strategy, ensuring a seamless experience that guides visitors towards becoming valuable customers. This holistic approach ensures that your ad campaign launch isn’t just about spending money, but about making money efficiently.
So, if you’re asking “Why are my ads so expensive?” or feeling like “My ads aren’t working,” remember this: the success of your ad campaign depends just as much on your landing page as it does on your ads. Investing in a strategic approach that optimizes both sides of the coin is how you stop guessing, save money, and finally see your ads deliver real, measurable results for your business.