Making it as easy as possible for leads to do business with you is the whole game when setting up effective ad landing pages. You can write the sharpest ad copy, win the bidding auction, get the click, and still lose the lead in the three seconds after they land on your page.

Landing pages matter everywhere on your site. But they matter most when you're paying for every visitor. When someone lands there because of a Google Ads campaign, there's no room for a page that makes them think, hesitate, or hunt for what they need. Every unclear page is money spent for nothing.

Below is the checklist I use with my own pages and with clients before we ever turn a campaign on. You won't need every item for every page, but run down the list and decide, for the page you have in mind, whether it earns its spot.

10 elements to check off on your landing page

Clearly state the offer, right away
The location or areas you serve
Credibility and testimonials
Why you're better or different from competitors
Pricing, whenever possible
The key objections, addressed up front
An easy, obvious call to action
Other ways to contact you
Real scarcity, if it applies
FAQs, when relevant

Here's what each one actually looks like on the page.

1. Clearly state the offer, right away

If you're showing up at the top of a Google search because you're paying for the placement, what's on the page needs to match what the person searched for, instantly. There's nothing worse than paying for a click and watching them leave before they've even read a full sentence. If you think that the landing page is not exact enough for the search keywords you’re targeting, duplicate the page and create another landing page. Then split the traffic up to match keywords to the right page. It only takes a few extra minutes of (mostly) one-time effort to break up keywords into separate ad groups and modify landing pages, but it pays off to be as clear as possible with the first thing the user sees.

2. The location or areas you serve

People searching for a local service want to know you're actually local to them before anything else. If someone's looking for an electrician, they want one close by, and the only way they know that is if your page says so clearly. Don't make them dig for it and use this to double check that your ads are targeting the right regions you serve.

3. Credibility and testimonials

Show them why you're qualified. Certifications and experience help. Testimonials from people who look like the person searching help more. You're not trying to impress a stranger. You're trying to reassure someone who's already halfway convinced they need the service you provide.

4. Why you're better or different from competitors

Every plumber, roofer, and accountant in town says they're the best. That's not a good differentiator. What do you actually do differently? Maybe you specialize in the jobs other people in your trade turn down. Maybe you back the work with a guarantee nobody else offers. Say the specific thing, especially the one you repeatedly hear in reviews and from existing clients.

5. Pricing, whenever possible

Transparent pricing converts better. Period. People are hesitant to book a call they suspect is really a sales pitch in disguise. Put a number, or a quote range, on the page, and you'll filter out the tire-kickers and reassure the people who are ready to buy.

6. The key objections, addressed up front

Every visitor is silently working through the same three doubts. Answer them before they have to ask:

Financial: can I afford this, and is it worth it?
Fit: is this actually right for my situation?
Personal doubt: can I trust this business to deliver?

A page that answers these before the visitor has to think about them converts better than one that hopes they won't come up.

7. An easy, obvious call to action

State the one thing you want them to do (book, call, buy) and make it impossible to miss. Put it above the fold, repeat it a few times down the page, and put it again before the page ends. Don't make someone hunt for the button that gets them what they want.

8. Other ways to contact you

Give people a backup option, but don't compete with your own call to action. Too many buttons dilute the one you actually want clicked. One primary path, one or two alternatives lower down the page if it helps.

9. Real scarcity, if it applies

Limited spots, limited time, limited inventory: scarcity works because it's true. The moment it isn't, visitors can sense it, and you lose more trust than the tactic was ever worth. Only use it when it's real.

10. FAQs, when relevant

Whatever questions keep coming up in your inbox or on the phone, answer them on the page. It cuts down on back-and-forth before someone converts, and it signals that you know exactly what you're doing and have the experience.

The bottom line

None of this is complicated. It's just easy to skip when you're focused on the ad itself instead of where the ad sends people. The campaign gets the click. The landing page gets the lead. Both need the work to get the job done.

Want this as a reference you can pull up before your next campaign? Grab the free PDF version of this checklist below. Print it, keep it open while you build the page, and run through it every time before you turn on a new campaign.

10 things your Google Ads landing page needs before you spend another dollar on clicks