• by Janet Driscoll Miller , March 22, 2011

I often speak at conferences on the topic of landing page optimization, and I'm glad to say that I see more and more people interested each year in how to improve their landing pages for pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Landing page optimization (or LPO) has been a growing field over the past few years, with more designers and tools popping up every day.

Why Landing Page Optimization?

Landing pages are a key component to conversion for PPC and other marketing tactics. So why not optimize the conversion rate on these pages as best you can? Landing page optimization is the continual testing of landing pages and their elements to enhance conversion rate.

Types of Tests

There are two main types of tests you can perform: A|B and multivariate. A|B tests compare two whole page versions against one another, while multivariate tests compare mutliple elements on one page against one another. I often prefer A|B testing over multivariate testing simply because it is often easier to reach an adequate sample size faster with A|B testing. The more elements you test in multivariate, the more possible combinations there are to measure, often meaning that the sample size must be larger than A|B to fully test.

Tools to Get Started with LPO

You can easily set up both A|B and multivariate tests using Google Website Optimizer (GWO), a free testing tool. This simple tool requires only a few lines of code on the landing page(s) to automatically rotate pages or elements for ad respondents. Google tracks the number of conversions from each version and declares a winner when an appropriate sample size is reached.

What Should You Test?

The sky's the limit when choosing what to test on a landing page, and you'll be surprised at how small changes can make a big difference in conversion rate. Even something as slight as a button color change can create dramatic differences in conversion. Some things to consider testing on your landing pages include:

·     Number of form fields

·     Button colors

·     Overall page layout

·     Titles

·     Page copy

·     Video

·     Images

·     Page offer

Is LPO Limited to Just PPC Campaigns?

You don't have to limit your optimization efforts only to landing pages for your PPC campaigns! Google Website Optimizer and other tools can be used for A|B and multivariate testing for landing pages you may use for all types of other campaigns, from email marketing landing pages to organic website page optimization.  I do feel, however, that PPC ads can help you test landing page options faster than other marketing tactics. Use your lessons in PPC LPO to create tests for other marketing tactics.