In today’s digital age, local small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly turning to online advertising to reach their target audiences effectively. On news publishers’ Web sites, display advertising, particularly banner ads, has emerged as a popular choice.

However, the success of such campaigns heavily relies on the quality of the landing pages where ads direct users. Regional news publishers need to understand the significance of good landing pages and why they should seek control of their SMB clients’ landing pages to make them successful and so clients will return for follow-up campaigns.

Page load speed

One of the key elements a news publisher-provided landing page can deliver is fast page load speed. Studies show users are impatient, and even a few seconds of delay can lead to a significant drop in conversions. The introduction of Meta’s Instant Experiences shows even slight differences here can have a big impact on campaign success.

By offering landing pages optimised for speed — that ideally directly load in an overlay as “instant landing pages” — news publishers can ensure SMB advertisers provide a seamless and satisfying user experience. This ultimately leads to higher engagement and conversion rates for advertisers.

Clear call-to-action

Many SMB Web sites essentially serve as mere digital business cards without relevant up-to-date and conversion-focused content, even if they are mobile-optimised, relaunched, or created by a professional agency. Instead, effective landing pages should have a clear call-to-action for the advertised service.

Local SMBs often struggle to create compelling and focused landing pages that drive conversions. By providing landing pages with well-defined calls-to-action, news publishers can assist these businesses in driving their desired actions, whether it’s making a purchase, scheduling an appointment, or requesting more information.

Furthermore, news publishers avoid push backs from advertisers in the sales process, if those advertisers want to postpone their digital campaigns until the next relaunch or some other update to the Web site. Having a Google Places-like landing page in an overlay gives advertisers all they need to be successful with their digital campaigns, and there no excuses to delay the sale.

Clarity of information

Another critical aspect of a good landing page is the clarity of information. Users want to find the relevant information quickly and easily.

News publishers can optimise landing pages to ensure SMB clients’ offerings are presented in a clear and organised manner. This helps users quickly understand the value proposition, leading to improved user engagement and conversion rates.

In comparison, lots of local Web sites miss the main trigger point. A local restaurant Web site, for example, may get lost in tons of information about catering options, seasonal offers, job offers, and history. Yet, probably 99% of the users who clicked on the ad wanted to book the advertised brunch or dinner offer, make a reservation, or just check the opening hours.

Traceability of results

When users click on an ad, the last thing advertisers want is to lose them on their Web site without any traceability. Selling on the last data point news publishers have — the click — is not fun at all.

That might work with big national clients and their campaigns when publishers and advertisers exchange data. However, with limited tracking capabilities of SMBs, sugar-coating a 0.2% click rate (CTR) — or, as the advertiser sees it, 99.8% of users who haven’t clicked — is a nightmare that will definitely not result in repeat sales.

By providing landing pages, news publishers can ensure SMB clients can effectively track and measure the results of their ad campaigns.

This data empowers businesses to make informed decisions and optimise their marketing strategies for better outcomes, based on data points related to attention that the local advertiser understands: How much time did people see my ad in the visible area? How much time did they stay on the landing page? What information did they consume there?

Conclusion

Good landing pages play a crucial role in the success of local SMB display ad campaigns. News publishers have a unique opportunity to provide optimised landing pages that offer fast page load speed, clear calls-to-action, clarity of information, and traceability of results.

By partnering with regional news publishers, local advertisers can maximise the impact of their digital advertising efforts and achieve higher conversion rates, ultimately driving growth and success for their businesses.

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