In a recent post on landing page design, I discussed the importance of beginning with the end in mind for an effective design of landing pages for your SEO or PPC campaigns.

In this post, let’s review the importance of testing landing pages for maximum results. In short, we’re talking about landing page optimization. In the course of implementing search marketing campaigns for Find and Convert clients we regularly implement best practices. Then, we test them.

In landing page testing, there are several variables you can test. The simplest test is the conventional A/B split test. In A/B split testing, we test two landing pages which are markedly different. The objective is to reduce the possibility of subtle changes making the difference in test results. If landing page A performs better than B, it should be for obvious differences between the two, e.g., a different layout or different graphics.

As discussed previously, understanding your audience is critical to successful landing page testing and optimization.

Document your current state of results as a baseline before you start testing. Keep good records as your testing progresses.

Test landing pages which have the potential to drive significant results to your business. But, it’s also a good idea to run your first test on a not-so-critical landing page just to learn something about the testing process.

Decide how many variables or elements of a page you are going to test. For example, you can test graphic images, their location, the navigation layout, a form or not, the location of the form, the buttons used on the page, colors, etc.

One very effective variable to test is the call-to-action on the landing page. As previously discussed, in some industries marketers ask for a conversion on the initial landing page with limited success. In those cases, try testing a link to another page of detail. The call-to-action to that other page is also worth testing. One call-to-action may prove more effective to the next level of detail, which may end up producing more conversions (your objective).

If you’re going to test multiple variables (known as multi-variate testing), you’ll probably need to use third party software to track the impact of each of the variables. Vendors such as Optimost and Omniture offer robust multi-variate testing tools. A cost free approach is Google’s Website Optimizer, if their feature set meets your testing needs.

As your testing experience advances, you can test the most profitable paths or funnel of pages which lead to your desired conversion. Varying the path you direct visitors may result in big changes in your conversion results.

Whether you are using third party software or not, consider these best practices in your testing:
Offer top left to lower right flow of information.
Keep the headline focused on the “main thing.”
Personalize the message as much as possible to your visitor.
Keep the landing page clean and focused. Remember the “less is more” principle.
Allow at least one month to measure test results.
Revise landing pages based on results and keep testing.
Test as many variables as possible.
Keep accurate tracking records.
Remember that what worked 6 months ago may not work as well today. Keep testing.

As with all aspects of search marketing, landing page testing and optimization requires planning, attention to detail and a fair amount of analytical scrutiny, not to mention time and patience to measure results. When it’s done effectively, landing page testing and optimization can provide good ROI (return on Internet).

Tags: A/B split testing, landing page design, landing page optimization, landing page testing, multi variate testing, Omniture, Optimost, PPC, search marketing, SEO