Clicks, gorillas and bananas.

You’ve heard me on this one before, but I have been resurrecting it lately, so I hope you enjoy this oldie but a goodie.

Let’s say a hungry gorilla is searching for a banana. And you happen to be holding a banana. And you happen to run into the gorilla in the street. What would you do? I hope—for the sake of your life—that you would give the gorilla the banana.

Think about the people searching on your keywords as gorillas. Not the docile kind of gorillas sitting in the tall green grass eating termites with Dian Fossey. The kind of gorillas that are charging through the forest beating their chests and making scary sounds. A keyword search at a search engine represents something the gorilla needs or wants. The PPC ad represents an implied promise to satisfy that need or want. And when they click on that implied promise, the page better fulfill. Right away. Don’t make them hunt around and look for it. Don’t assume they will figure it out, or find it on their own. Just give it to them. Give the gorilla the banana.

Now, in the real-world if you don’t give the metaphorical gorilla (the person searching) the banana they won’t charge you down and stomp on you. You should be so lucky. No, in the real-world, they will just turn around and leave. Because someone else (your competitor) will no doubt be right around the virtual corner ready to hand them the banana. Make your landing pages fulfill the promise that is implied in your ad. Make your landing pages all about fulfilling that promise. And make it simple & easy, because hungry gorillas don’t have all day, you know. 

Comments

[Guy Colangelo]

I couldn't agree more. My motto is make a promise, deliver on that promise and make a new one. Then deliver on that new promise and make another. This cycle is perpetual if done correctly.