The Performable blog posted “5 Tips to Supercharge Your Call-to-Action Buttons” here. These tips are rock-bottom fundamental:

1. Make them large
2. Position them “above the fold”
3. Use strong, contrasting colors
4. Write a strong call to action
5. Test different buttons

The examples used in Tip #4 include these:

• Download now — free
• Get started today
• Free trial

An example of a weak call to action is “Submit.”

Performable also offers a free white paper (you must proffer your name and e-mail address of course) that gives more tips on call-to-action button size, location, and text.

An excellent article with dozens of good examples, by Jacob Gube; published 10/13/09 by Smashing magazine. Gube is the author of Six Revisions, a blog for Web developers.

“Beyond the Landing Page: An Introduction to Post-click Marketing” is an undated article (improperly positioned as a white paper) by Ion Interactive. It explains the importance of segmenting visitors by ushering them into different conversion paths; then getting their info so you can qualify them. It gives many valuable tips on building trust and presenting choices. (Skip the confusing blather on pages 1 and 4.)

The 7 Deadly Sins of Landing Page Design is a brilliant YouTube webinar with Tim Ash. The seven sins are:

1. Unclear call to action
2. Too many choices overwhelm the visitor
3. Requesting too much visitor info
4. Too much text
5. Not keeping your promises
6. Visual distractions
7. Lack of credibility and trust

Ash is the author of Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions (Sybex, 2008). He is also the CEO of SiteTuners.com.

Dave Child, author of the following two articles published in March 2009, claims it’s easier to double your conversion rate than to double the number of visitors to your site. (I don’t think one is easier than the other.)

Ten Ways To Improve Your Website Conversion Rate
Nine More Ways to Improve Your Website Conversion Rate

Free registration for the following very good webinars, produced by Ion Interactive, provider of “landing page software and services”:

B2B Conversion Optimization: From the Search Query to the Landing Page, 69 minutes (recorded 3/31/10)
Landing Page Copy That Converts, 62 minutes (recorded 3/24/10)
Advanced Landing Page Strategies for Lead Generation, 41 minutes (recorded 11/5/09).
Landing Page Makeovers, 60 minutes (recorded 9/30/09)
Landing Page Testing 101, 48 minutes (recorded 2/17/10)

Conversion Conference teaches skills that apply to service businesses (e.g., lead generation) as well as e-commerce, says Tim Ash, conference chairperson. The conference is is a joint production of Rising Media and Sitetuners.com. Confirmed dates and locations in 2010 are:

• Conversion Conference West – May 3-5, San Jose, California agenda
• Conversion Conference East – October 4-6, Washington D.C. agenda
• Conversion Conference Germany – October 27-28, Hamburg, Germany agenda
• Conversion Conference UK – November 1-2, London, England agenda

The conference is co-located with the U.S. shows of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit. The expo hall, lunches, Conversion Bash party, and afternoon networking events will be shared between the two conferences. Combo passes are available when you register if you are interested in attending the educational sessions and keynotes at both events.

UPDATE:
Read good media coverage of the May 3-5 conference (in San Jose) at FutureNow, EyeView, and SEO.com. Follow Conversion Conference on Facebook.