Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN can help to bring visitors to your site, but that is only the first step; once visitors arrive on your landing page, the site must keep the momentum going and ultimately convert the visitor to a customer. Landing page targeting and testing -- or a combination of both -- enables you to optimize how your site speaks to your visitors.

Last week in Las Vegas, the sold-out Targusinfo Online Lead Quality Summit was a strong indication of the importance we are all placing on online lead generation quality and the long-term commitment many have to this market. This is the second year for this conference, and its attendance numbers and content illustrate incredible strides in the industry. It's about time.

As more marketers demand accountability from more media, both parties need to agree on the best way to pay for performance. Cost per Action or Cost per Acquisition (CPA) really could be the ultimate expression of performance -- if the actions can really be measured. In our experience, attaining this ideal isn't as easy as the concept. This raises a few considerations for marketers (as well as agencies and media) considering a foray into the world of CPA.

A recent Wall Street Journal article on lead generation painted a picture of pending doom for "incentivized" lead generation marketing. But the problem with much of the recent press on the topic of incentive marketing is that it is incorrectly focused. The issue is not that there is an inherent problem with the technique of using incentives or cross-sells to attract consumers. Problems arise with the execution of this practice.

That most honorable sheriff of the Wild West, John Wayne, once said, "If everything isn't black and white, I say, 'Why the hell not?'" The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) seems to agree, having just released a set of data transfer guidelines for the lead generation industry. As lead generation marketers, it behooves us to think of these "best" practices in the spirit of "only" practices.

The best leads clearly come about when the news shouts sudden change, and people immediately realize they need something. When the markets tanked a couple of weeks ago, how did financial lead gen perform? Surprisingly well for the investment and lead gen firms that thought ahead. Many had prepared copy and offers that featured strategies for turbulent markets or promoted safe havens like gold or even CDs. These offers showed real growth in opt-ins as investors wanted to know where to run for cover.

Why would anyone cancel a TV effort or a magazine campaign that was driving an acceptable cost per lead? Simple: it appears as if the campaign is failing because they are not counting all the leads driven by the advertising expenditure.

It's past time for brand marketers to embrace the online world as a channel to reach prospects and create deep relationships with customers. Two groups that bookend the typical Internet browser/shopper demographic wield a great deal of clout. We'll look at these groups -- teens and boomers -- and provide some suggestions for brand marketers who may still be on the fence when considering the Internet as a channel to reach and convince these consumers.

An increasing number of Web marketers are turning to multivariate testing as an effective means to determine the optimal set of content on their sites. But when analyzing the result of a multivariate test, simply tracking the aggregate behavior of users is only the first step. For truly effective testing and optimization, Web marketers must slice their data by customer segment in order to determine not only which Web site variations were most effective, but for whom they were most effective.

Many Performance Insider articles naturally focus on strategies and techniques to optimize qualified lead generation. This is as it should be -- the cost-per-lead model is growing and evolving, and best practices are needed. But what happens after the lead is generated? Are you set up to get full value from the leads you receive?