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Sending PPC Traffic Directly to Sales Page...anyone tried?

by npakergy16
13 replies
You hear all this talk about how "you must send your traffic to a landing page first so you can build a list and collect email addresses, to build a long term business".

But I disagree.

Let's say your landing page has a conversion rate of 40%. So 60% of your clicks aren't even gonna see the sales page? Even if you were able to get your landing page conversion rate up really high (like 70-80%), you're still leaving 20-30% of customers on the table.

Yeah, yeah, you could argue that you'll make up for it later when you email them with promotions, but what I've experienced with PPC advertising is that the emails typically don't get opened much because the people visiting your landing page are just interested in what you're offering. But if you send them directly to the sales page, they'll probably be more interested in what the sales page is offering.

That's my theory anyway. I've tried both methods and I'm actually having more success with sending the traffic directly to the sales page. What's your opinion?
#directly #pageanyone #ppc #sales #sending #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author Saintsfan40
    Originally Posted by npakergy16 View Post

    You hear all this talk about how "you must send your traffic to a landing page first so you can build a list and collect email addresses, to build a long term business".

    But I disagree.

    Let's say your landing page has a conversion rate of 40%. So 60% of your clicks aren't even gonna see the sales page? Even if you were able to get your landing page conversion rate up really high (like 70-80%), you're still leaving 20-30% of customers on the table.

    Yeah, yeah, you could argue that you'll make up for it later when you email them with promotions, but what I've experienced with PPC advertising is that the emails typically don't get opened much because the people visiting your landing page are just interested in what you're offering. But if you send them directly to the sales page, they'll probably be more interested in what the sales page is offering.

    That's my theory anyway. I've tried both methods and I'm actually having more success with sending the traffic directly to the sales page. What's your opinion?
    I'm in the same boat as you where I get sick and tired of hearing "You Must Build A List". I disagree with that assessment as well. There are a ton of high converting landers on PPC that don't have email optins. I've promoted all my PPC ads to sales pages and review pages. The problem is, I haven't gotten conversions as of yet. My CTR and quality score is always very good. And my ad copy is always congruent with the sales page.

    The place where I'm stuck at is, how to build a landing page (sales page) that converts. I'm still clueless in that area
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    • Profile picture of the author npakergy16
      Originally Posted by Saintsfan40 View Post


      The place where I'm stuck at is, how to build a landing page (sales page) that converts. I'm still clueless in that area
      That's definitely the most difficult part my friend. If you've got the funds, I strongly recommend hiring a copywriter. I've never used one myself, but I've heard of much success from others having a copyrighter create their sales page for them. I'm talking like 200%+ increase in conversions.
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    • Profile picture of the author Technito
      You can make money by sending traffic directly to your sales page. I have earned quite a bit of money by doing just that. If you are promoting a free offer for a general audience, then building a list may not be a priority.

      But for anything else, you should be building a list. If you don't, you will be making a costly mistake. If you treat your list right, not always pitching sales and giving them value or training in whatever your niche product/offer is, you will have faithful email readers and buyers for a long time to come.

      You certainly don't have to build a list, but know that it is a fact, not opinion it will make you more money in the long run if you do it correctly.
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  • Profile picture of the author ruless
    Originally Posted by npakergy16 View Post

    You hear all this talk about how "you must send your traffic to a landing page first so you can build a list and collect email addresses, to build a long term business".

    But I disagree.

    Let's say your landing page has a conversion rate of 40%. So 60% of your clicks aren't even gonna see the sales page? Even if you were able to get your landing page conversion rate up really high (like 70-80%), you're still leaving 20-30% of customers on the table.

    Yeah, yeah, you could argue that you'll make up for it later when you email them with promotions, but what I've experienced with PPC advertising is that the emails typically don't get opened much because the people visiting your landing page are just interested in what you're offering. But if you send them directly to the sales page, they'll probably be more interested in what the sales page is offering.

    That's my theory anyway. I've tried both methods and I'm actually having more success with sending the traffic directly to the sales page. What's your opinion?
    Which PPC network are you using? Do you make your own landing pages or are you using the ones through the affiliate you are promoting?
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  • Profile picture of the author tooAlive
    You don't always have to use a landing page and you don't always have to build a list.

    It depends on the offer you're promoting and the niche you're in.

    Sometimes direct linking works and sometimes you need a lander to "pre-sell" your traffic; even if you lose 40-60% of visitors on your lander. That's why you need to test. But you can't just say "oh, using a landing page doesn't work" because you simply won't know until you try and every scenario will be different.

    Also, using a landing page doesn't automatically assume you will be collecting emails. I've used landers many times without asking for anyone's email; it was all about getting in their heads and pushing their buttons so they'd be more likely to buy/sign up once they got to the offer page.

    Using a landing page is also the only way to effectively use angles in your campaigns.

    For example, lets say you're promoting a general dating offer like Match.com. Your "angle" may be targeting short guys that like Asian girls. You can't effectively convey that angle by simply direct linking to an offer, so you have to make your own lander that caters to the specific angle you're going after.

    So again, it depends on what you're trying to do. Sometimes you can get away with going direct and other times you'll need a lander.
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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    Why not do both?

    You don't HAVE to do anything. There is huge money in lists, that fact is non-disputable. Why not build a list and put offers on the thank you page after they sign up for the list? Having the ability to market to the same person multiple times far outweighs a one shot commission. Why do you guys think "retargeting" is such a buzz phrase right now? Hitting the same person multiple times is very beneficial.

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    • Profile picture of the author tooAlive
      Originally Posted by PPC-Coach View Post

      Why not do both?

      You don't HAVE to do anything. There is huge money in lists, that fact is non-disputable. Why not build a list and put offers on the thank you page after they sign up for the list? Having the ability to market to the same person multiple times far outweighs a one shot commission. Why do you guys think "retargeting" is such a buzz phrase right now? Hitting the same person multiple times is very beneficial.
      That's some good info right there.
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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    I posted that because I had a guy I was coaching one on one and he battled me big time on list building with PPC. He could not wrap his head around doing BOTH. Doing both works.

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    • Profile picture of the author tooAlive
      Originally Posted by PPC-Coach View Post

      I posted that because I had a guy I was coaching one on one and he battled me big time on list building with PPC. He could not wrap his head around doing BOTH. Doing both works.
      I definitely agree with you there, but you also mentioned another little nugget I thought was great advice.

      The bit about putting offers on the thank you page.

      If done right, that's an excellent way of boosting sales by combining similar or related offers into the same funnel. Most people just say "Thanks!" on the thank you page, leaving money on the table.
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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    An "offer wall" is EXACTLY what all the email submit companies do. They pay you $1.50 for the email submit but then put up an offer wall and then market to the lists, (no to mention sell them).

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    • Profile picture of the author npakergy16
      Originally Posted by PPC-Coach View Post

      An "offer wall" is EXACTLY what all the email submit companies do. They pay you $1.50 for the email submit but then put up an offer wall and then market to the lists, (no to mention sell them).
      This sounds interesting. So after they opt-in, you're saying I could have multiple offers on my thank you page, am I right? I'm thinking about trying this with some clickbank products.

      But then again, I could just send them directly to the sales page after they opt-in, eliminating a step in the process. I guess I'll do some split testing to see what works best.
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      • Profile picture of the author tooAlive
        Originally Posted by npakergy16 View Post

        This sounds interesting. So after they opt-in, you're saying I could have multiple offers on my thank you page, am I right? I'm thinking about trying this with some clickbank products.

        But then again, I could just send them directly to the sales page after they opt-in, eliminating a step in the process. I guess I'll do some split testing to see what works best.
        Here's an example thank you page:

        "Thanks for singing up! Your Free Blogging Blueprint eBook is on its way to your inbox right now."

        "While You wait for it to arrive, here are some other resources we recommend to get the most out of your blog."

        > Hostgator Hosting
        > Genesis Framework Theme
        > Aweber
        > OptinSkin
        > Random IM Product from Clickbank

        You can do this with any niche. Combine CPA offers, Clickbank products, whatever. They may not even have to be related; just find a way to tie them together.
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  • Profile picture of the author vask
    Here's a case study written for someone just like you!

    A landing page will usually make you more money and you should always test it. You might be seeing more money by direct linking, but I guarantee you that a landing page that was correctly built will increase your conversion rates.

    I understand that you think it's just an "extra step", but that's a common misconception among newbies. Read this article for more information about how landing pages work.
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