Landing Pages 2.0 – 5 Reasons Agencies Are Upgrading to Hybrid SEO Pages

Intro

If you're like most marketers, you're always on the lookout for ways to improve your campaigns to get better results. And landing pages are a key part of any successful marketing effort.

But agency owners have been put in an awkward position, caught in an epic tug-of-war between SEOs and PPC managers.

Each insists that their way is superior, confidently declaring that landing or SEO-driven pages will result in the most conversions and SEO rankings.

It's a nail-biter to see which strategy brings the best return on investment, keeping agency (and business) owners on their toes.

However, recently there's been a resurgence in the use of landing pages, but with a twist.

These new "hybrid SEO" pages (or what I coin ‘Frankenstein Pages’ are designed to rank higher in search engines while providing an excellent user experience for paid ad campaigns.

In this article, we'll explore 5 reasons agencies are making the switch.

1. You can't rely on one source of traffic anymore

We've all been there - stuck in the eternal quest for traffic. You pour money and expertise and invest hour after hour in advertising campaigns - only to find that none works as intended.

The harsh reality is that relying on just one traffic source is no longer an option. You need a diversified portfolio of traffic sources to ensure you aren't left behind.

Google Search still remains the dominant source of traffic, driving 50% of most industries’ web traffic. That means if you're only running paid ads, you're leaving a lot of money on the table.

So to ensure that your website remains visible and relevant in an ever-changing digital landscape, you must venture out to other traffic sources.

Multiple traffic streams are now just as important as diversifying your stocks or real estate portfolio. Combining organic and paid traffic will help you maximize visibility without relying solely on expensive advertising campaigns.

And, if you have been relying solely on ad campaigns, I highly recommend exploring what SEO potential your current pages have.

By using a tool like Ranktracker, you can uncover lucrative keyword opportunities to inject into your existing landing pages, etching one step close to Hybrid SEO pages.

(Source: Ranktracker)

2. A hybrid SEO page is like a Swiss Army Knife

Having a single page optimized for both SEO and PPC means you can get more mileage out of the same piece of content.

Rather than creating separate pages, you can use one page to optimize both strategies –– it’s like the Swiss Army Knife of digital marketing.

Although it may require a bit more work to ensure that your website is optimized for both types of traffic, it will be worth it in the end when you see an increase in visibility and higher conversion rates with your ads.

And if you're not that savvy with knowing how to optimize your landing page for SEO, there are plenty of helpful SEO checklist tools available that can make this process a breeze.

Source: Ranktracker

With a well-rounded landing page, your website will survive in any terrain, preventing your competitors from being the sole rulers of the digital jungle.

3. Hybrid SEO pages are built with conversions in mind

If there's one thing for certain, it's that SEO-driven pages drop the ball when it comes to conversions.

Trying to make something overly optimized can often be a fool's errand; it literally takes the 'human' element out of the process and taps out at mediocrity.

That's where hybrid pages save the day with their mixture of sales psychology and SEO. When implemented correctly, they can pack a real punch in terms of conversion rates without sacrificing SEO qualities.

The key is to ensure that your hybrid page contains elements of both SEO and psychology to optimize its success. So don't be afraid to mix it up and get creative – after all, variety is the spice of life.

The great news is that Google rewards advertisers that deliver more relevant and high-quality landing page experiences.

By creating a landing page that satisfies both the requirements of SEO and PPC, you're likely to optimize your quality scores which will help you unlock discounts on your ads. And who doesn't like getting a discount?

(Source: WordStream)

The moral of the story? You need to diversify. That means not relying solely on SEO or PPC but leveraging both. With a Frankenstein landing page, you can have your cake and eat it too.

4. You future-proof your marketing campaigns

Talk about a match made in heaven. SEO and PPC are like two peas in a pod – they complement each other's strengths and will give your traffic portfolio the perfect balance it so desperately needs.

By utilising the two, you're likely to increase your landing page lengths, which have been shown to boost conversion rates by over 220%.

The reason for this is likely due to the psychological phenomenon known as the Anchoring Heuristic (a.k.a. focalism).

(Source: Antavo)

It's where people are prone to subconsciously fixate on the first piece of information they receive when making a decision – directly complimenting the goals of long landing pages.

Creating a lengthy landing page with an intriguing introduction, as well as having convincing supporting content for your product or service makes it more likely to result in website visitors completing your desired goal. And it's all due to this psychological bias known as heuristics.

So if you want to future-proof your marketing campaigns and keep them ahead of the game, consider a cocktail of search engine optimization and pay-per-click.

5. If you're not using hybrid SEO pages, chances are your competition is

SEO can be a tricky thing to manage, and it often feels like the goalposts are always shifting when it comes to optimizing your website content.

It's no surprise, then, that many agency owners find themselves feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having to make their websites “hybrid” to stay ahead of the competition.

But don't worry – it's not as complicated as it sounds. You can get on board with hybrid SEO by optimizing your content in a variety of ways.

• Try expanding your landing page content to optimize for specific keyword phrases. FAQs are usually the easiest way to do this. People are almost always looking for answers related to your keyword’s topic.
• Use a combination of structured data and natural language to make your content more discoverable (see NLP). Tools like Ranktracker and NeuronWriter can help with this.

With these strategies, you can build a better online presence, increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), and stay competitive in your marketplace.

Keep your agency ahead of the curve by thinking outside the box and adding hybrid SEO pages to your arsenal of tools (offering it as a service to clients, too).

These innovative pages will not only help you achieve higher search engine rankings, but they’ll also make your business more visible and memorable.

Here are three examples of real-world hybrid pages

1. Online Marketing Gurus (OMG)

Online Marketing Gurus is a formidable force in the digital marketing arena; with a bold blend of SEO sorcery and copywriting prowess, they've rocketed to the top spot again and again.

They incorporate a delicate mix of compelling copywriting and SEO keyword placement to help them rank #1 on Google for various competitive search terms.

What they do well:

There's a good use of keyword placement

OMG's success in strategically inserting their keywords into landing pages requires skill and is not easy. But with the likes of powerful keyword tools, you can simplify the process tenfold.

There's compelling content

OMG writes its content based on the desires, pain points, and objections of those in its target market –– unlike traditional SEO pages. This use of psychology (which is derived from persona research) allows us to better understand our customers and can dramatically improve conversion rates.

The page includes SEO-based FAQs

Many people overlook this section of a landing page, but it can actually be very helpful. It keeps visitors on the page longer, answers their questions, and helps them make an informed decision about your product or service. You can use tools like Ranktracker to uncover what questions people are searching for and write FAQs based on them.

I(mage source: Online Marketing Gurus)

2. JRR Marketing

Boasting attention-grabbing landing pages that follow best practices, JRR Marketing is one of the leading players in the outsourced CMO space.

They have consistently ranked in the top search results for numerous keywords just by harnessing the power of hybrid SEO landing pages.

What they do well:

Includes lots of social proof

Trusted logos from familiar companies, positive customer testimonials, and recent results can all help improve your online conversion rates. Customers will recognize that you're a reliable source, making them feel more confident about trusting you as a solution provider.

Includes SEO-rich questions

If it seems like a recurring pattern, that's because it is. Including SEO-based FAQs on your website pages is key to ranking for various keywords on SERP. Accordions are an effective way of adding plenty of information to a page without overwhelming or inconveniencing site visitors.

(Image Source: JRR Marketing)

3. Veritas Digital

Veritas Digital might still be a fresh face on the Australian SEO scene, but they've already made some big splashes in SERP rankings all over the country. As you'll soon find out, this agency has cracked the hybrid SEO code and seen unbeatable success.

What they do well:

Includes heuristics

The pages on their website are deliberately long to take advantage of the anchoring heuristics, as shown in the screenshot below. But what you don't see in the screenshot (because the pages were far too long to show) –– you guessed it –– SEO FAQs.

Includes many video sales letters (VSLs)

It should come as no surprise that video sales letters are starting to become the hot new ticket to having a successful landing page.

With the overwhelming success that VSLs have had with increasing conversions on landing pages, it's almost like you're leaving money on the table if you don't try your hand at it.

The statistics speak for themselves: Smart Insights recently conducted a study showing that including video content in landing pages can lead to an impressive 86% increase in conversions.

(Image Source: Veritas Digital)

Hybrid SEO is taking the world by storm

By combining SEO with compelling content, social proof, heuristics, and video sales letters, these agencies (and many others) have managed to rank successfully for competitive keywords and drive more traffic to their websites.

So, if you're looking to increase organic traffic and conversions, the solution just might be a hybrid SEO page. Create one today and prepare for your business's next big leap forward.