By Karon Thackston

Back in 2004, I read a statement that seemed rather bold. If you follow the Handbooks data and design guidelines, we estimate your landing page conversions may rise by 40%. Hmm. Really? It sounded like one of those too-good-to-be-true things. The quote was in reference to MarketingSherpas Landing Page Handbook. Curious, I decided to fork over the money and just see for myself if they were stretching the truth a bit.

You can read my review of the original edition here: http://www.marketingwords.com/articles/articles_review-landingpage.html

The short version? No. After following the ideas, data and design guidelines in the Handbook, the conversion rate on the site I was testing did not rise by 40%. However, it DID rise by 37% and that was close enough for me!

Now, MarketingSherpa has released an updated version of the Landing Page Handbook for 2007 that promises a lift of up to 55% in conversions. I really didnt expect to see much of a change in the content, but - once again - I was pleasantly surprised.

If youve ever bought any of MarketingSherpas other reports, you know they are sticklers for delivering timely information in a no-fluff format. Unlike others who purposely try to reach a certain number of pages in order to impress readers, MarketingSherpa focuses on quality rather than quantity. Dont get me wrong. The report contains 273 pages of informationâ ¦ and every single page is useful.

New for 2007 are:

-> Page Design & Copy Instructions

-> 54 Stat & Data Charts

-> 114 Samples of Landing Pages to Copy

-> Help for Search, Email, B-to-B, Ecommerce & Lead Generation Conversions

All the rage these days revolves around blogs, and video and audio clips online. How do those affect landing page conversions? You might be surprised! You wont find editorial dribble based on one persons opinion. What you will find is solid, definitive research delivered in an easy-to-understand manner complete with commentary.

What else can you expect? Quick-reference charts that answer:

-> What are the top 5 common mistakes that hinder conversion?

-> Which element has the highest impact on landing page conversion? Design, copy or video?

-> What landing page layout is most effective?

And theyll prove the results with 114 real-life landing page samples, 54 charts and those famous eye-tracking maps that are so very enlightening for seeing firsthand how visitors view your pages.

While the 2004 Handbook was very useful, I must admit Im truly impressed with the 2007 version. Its presented in a more logical manner that takes you progressively from one step to the next, to the next.

If youre tired of guessing, get serious about raising landing page conversions. As with all MarketingSherpa products, youll receive an immediate refund if you arent completely satisfied.

If youre a:

** Website designer
** Copywriter
** Graphic designer
** Marketing professional
** PPC search engine marketer
** or anyone who wants to improve conversions up to 55%

â ¦ then you need to buy this book today.