By optimising your landing page, you can create stickiness, boost engagement levels and improve the overall user experience.

I recently had the privilege to speak at SMX Xiamen, a search marketing conference organised by industry gurus Chris Sherman and Inway Ni. Landing page optimisation was a key topic of discussion, and the audience was full of questions: How could the user landing page experience be improved? What factors influence conversion rates? And does a building customised landing page based on keywords purchased really boost conversion ratios?

If you review your campaign post click statistics, you will likely notice four things:

1. 50 percent of visitors bail within 0 - 8 seconds; they briefly scan your landing page and find the information irrelevant.
2. A further 30 percent of visitors bail after reading the information displayed on the page and concluding the landing page is neither relevant nor compelling.
3. A small percentage of the remaining 20 percent of visitors may attempt to convert (but fail), or get distracted by other exit routes such as links and site navigation bars. In addition, a small ratio of visitors will not convert online as they would rather speak to a customer service officer.
4. A tiny percentage will actually convert online.

Landing pages are one of four key components that can make or break a campaign. Therefore, search marketers need to be as involved in landing page consulting as they are in the research and development of keyword lists and campaign ad copy. Landing page optimisation is a process that enables search marketers to minimise "bail out rates" and maximise "conversion rates".

The following tips can transform your landing page and dramatically boost your conversion rate.

Be relevant. The more relevant a landing page, the more relevant the user experience. Therefore, develop landing pages with your visitors in mind. Use the same language your visitors use when seeking out your products and services. This involves researching and identifying keywords that not only get the most clicks but are also optimal for conversions. Incorporate these -- where relevant --into the content of your landing pages. Highlight these keywords so that they'll stand out when visitors scan through.

Ensure a clear conversion path. Don't overload your landing page with too many choices and links. Even more important, don't use lengthy copy that leads to impossible-to-read font size! This confuses and frustrates the visitor, as they are unable to quickly find the information they are looking for. The result is low conversion rates stemming from poor user experience. In order to clear the conversion path and secure an optimal user experience, consider making the following structural changes to the page:

Headline copy. The headline is the biggest opportunity to retain visitor attention. It is the first thing they see, so include high conversion keywords as part of your headline copy.

Call to action. Ensure that your original call to action is prominently displayed on the landing page -- after all, it was one of the main reasons the visitor clicked on your advertisement in the first place.

Bullet point benefits. Cut down on clutter by bullet-pointing key benefits. List them in order of priority based on your customers' (not your organisation's) value system.

Navigation bar. Lose the navigation bar and limit the links on the page. Only retain links that are directly associated with your conversion goals. The objective is to eliminate all potential escape paths that could be detrimental to your conversion ratio.

Test, Test, Test. A|B testing is one of the simplest means of testing landing pages. The objective is to zero in on the best landing page option, and involves testing two or more landing pages to determine the best performer. This allows you to test different offers, layouts and languages, as well as conversion paths. Another form of testing is multivariate testing, which allows you to test multiple page elements such as copy, images and forms. The objective is to determine the best mix of elements that will secure the optimal conversion ratio. Multivariate testing is more exact than A|B testing, but be advised that it can be a long process, as it requires more data in order to draw a statistically relevant conclusion.

Customised landing pages. It would be close to impossible to create custom landing pages by keyword or keyword category. This is especially true when you are buying thousands of keywords. However, crafting a keyword strategy, while consolidating landing pages based on intent, can make this more feasible. Group keywords by intent and build landing pages that correspond with each intent grouping.

Utilising the tips listed above should set you on the right path when it comes to optimising your landing pages. Always seek to improve the overall user experience, and your conversion ratios should increase as a result.

Farah Sadiq is vice president online strategy of Acronym Media.