When someone clicks your ad on Google, you only have a few precious seconds before he or she hits that back button and continues searching elsewhere.  To ensure that web-surfers stay on your website rather than go to your competitors, your landing page has to be engaging, simple, and easy to navigate.  Below are some quick tips to help ensure that surfers will be converted into customers.

1)    Fulfill your ad promise – An ad is like a promise.  If the information the user expected when he or she clicked your ad isn’t present, they are going to feel frustrated and deceived, and quickly navigate away from your site.

2)    Establish credibility – Many Internet users are skeptical of lesser known websites, and for good reason.  It is important to gain your users’ trust and differentiate yourself from shady and gimmicky sites.  Advertising guarantees and displaying certification emblems are a great way to show your site is legitimate.

3)    Include a clear call to action – So you’re doing a great job getting new users to your site, but do they know what to do when they get there?  Your landing page should clearly direct customers to the next step of the buying process.

4)    Minimize clicks – The more links you have on your website, the more convoluted it seems.  Customers are already on the page they need to be to buy your product, so don’t try to distract them.

5)    Test! – Nobody knows customers as well as … well, customers.  By using Google’s Website Optimizer to test your webpage, web surfers can tell you exactly which elements of the page they love or hate.  Simple changes revealed by testing can often have dramatic effects on turning browsers into customers.