Focusing on conversions and conversion tracking, Michael Terry, Virginia Nussey and Maryann Robbins discuss the importance of landing page optimization. An optimized landing page is essential to getting clicks, let alone conversions. First impressions have a big impact in whether or not the visitor will stay or leave. A strong call to action in an easy-to-scan format are key. Be sure to test, but don’t over do it. You also do not want to ask for more information than is necessary, because every additional piece of info you request could cause a user to bail altogether.

Lauren Vacarello, founder of Internet marketing consultant firm lvlogic.com, talks to Virginia about the challenges of turning traffic into conversions. From identifying abandonment points to effective design elements to the best tools available, Lauren gives listeners lots to consider when trying to increase conversions. Tracking offline conversions and starting your conversion tracking program are also discussed.

Then Michael and Maryann return to look at conversion tracking for SEO. When you find out where traffic is leaving your site, you can make changes to increase the time spent on the site and the number of pages viewed. Some conversion tracking tools include Google Analytics, ClickTracks, WebTrends, Urchin, SiteMeter and Extreme Tracking.

Bruce and Robert start off the show revealing some of the strategy applied to PPC campaigns at Bruce Clay, Inc. From conversion data to keyword selection, PPC campaigns should work together with SEO campaigns. Our hosts give away some of their tricks to avoiding non-converting clicks and choosing the words that bring your company into the users’ line of sight. Bruce explains what he sees as the conversion challenges of PPC, from branding to bidding.

Following up on this topic, Bruce talks to Dr. Ralph Wilson about his latest book, the third edition of “How to Develop a Landing Page“. Dr. Wilson is a veteran expert in the Internet marketing space, having edited and published the weekly email newsletter Web Marketing Today since 1995. His new book covers the customer research, copywriting, design, tracking and testing involved in crafting powerful landing pages.

In a special report to SEM Synergy, Bruce Clay, Inc. IT Manager Aaron Landerkin gives Bruce and the audience a rundown of the Omniture training he recently attended. As an authorized Omniture sales and support agency, our team prepares to master the full offerings of the Web analytics program and Aaron fills us in on some of the key tools and data offered by Omniture.

News of a new and improved Alexa Traffic Ranking system hit the Web this month. While Robert and Bruce don’t see Alexa Rankings regaining relevance for the industry, the overhaul is a much needed change for the often-inaccurate and easily-manipulated rankings provider. Also on the mind is how the depressed market has affected the search industry. Our hosts predict that the recession could see advertisers moving online for its high accountability.

Bruce speaks to our SEO Charity Contest winner Ryan Freeman. Ryan runs Strider Inc., a small business SEO firm in Toronto. He won the competition for his proposed organic SEO campaign for The Elisha Foundation. His business is focused on SEO for small businesses and non-profits because he likes to see them gain the visibility needed to compete in the market. Bruce and Ryan talk about the unique challenges of optimizing for small businesses.

Finally, our hosts preview some of the sessions at the upcoming eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit in San Francisco. The conference has been around since 2002 and focuses on technologies and methodologies of measuring site success. Best practices and the benefit of analytics is looked at in detail.

Following the ad:tech conference in San Francisco, Susan gives us a rundown of the sessions she attended and the hot discussion points of the week. For session by session coverage of ad:tech, visit the Bruce Clay blog. Susan covered sessions on branding, online video, local and mobile search, multicultural marketing, acquisition and retention strategies, and much more.

Bruce will also be speaking to Jim Sterne, founding president of the Web Analytics Association and the host of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit, coming up in San Francisco in May. Jim gives listeners a basic understanding of how Web Analytics can help your site, the metrics tools available to webmasters, and of course, what to look forward to at eMetrics.

With Web Analytics on the mind, the hosts discuss some of the latest Analytics headlines. The new Google Analytics benchmarking feature allows users to compare their site’s data to others in their industry or other industries. But it also raises concerns about data privacy and the integrity of the opt-in data sharing policy. Yahoo!’s acquisition of IndexTools stands out for the way it might allow the search engine to compete with Google in providing high-quality free or low-cost Analytics.