Landing Page Elements to Test in Google AdWords

By Howie Jacobson, Joel McDonald, and Kristie McDonald

Part of the Google AdWords For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Your most important AdWords job is to test and identify keywords and other elements of your site to make sure you're getting the best response possible from your online traffic. Here are a few suggestions about the best landing page elements to test for these purposes:

Headline: Use the results from your ad split tests to inform different headlines. Proclaim a big benefit, ask a question, start telling a story, make a scary prediction, and so on.
Offer: Do your visitors prefer an e-book, a newsletter, a mini-course, a sales quote, a CD, a return phone call, a cheat sheet, or a suitcase filled with unmarked $100 bills? (Just kidding about the suitcase.)
Location of opt-in form: Try the opt-in form on the right or the left, above the scroll, every four paragraphs, and so on.
Graphics: Test different photos of the product. Add shadow. Make the pictures bigger or smaller. Experiment with removing the header graphic. Try different colors and fonts for text and hyperlinks.
Background color: Try lighter or darker colors, warmer or cooler, with or without repeating background graphics.
Multimedia: Test adding audio or video to your page to orient, instruct, and win over your visitor.