There was the Search Insider Summit in Captiva, Fla., which Gord Hotchkiss hosted a panel/ clinic on eye-tracking analysis of Web sites.  His focus was on post-click optimization.

Gord Hotchkiss

The importance does not need to be underscored:  marketers are looking for ways to show a higher return on investment for spending in SEO, PPC and other online channels.

If there was one single takeaway, it was this: enable this type of testing early in the discovery and design process of Web site and landing page development, testing multiple creative comps, architecture, and messaging on groups that represent targeted users, in addition to testing the pages with a paid search campaign.

• Paid Search: Most effective types of pages were specifically targeted landing pages
• Using Own Page Sites is common when: many brand and DR marketers use their site pages as landing pages for very large spends, even though many of these sites were developed without the search user experience and conversion process in mind. Generic approach for multipurpose use.
• Paid Landing Page: Difficult to scale from an enterprise level standpoint; additionally tough to tweak down the road.

Takeaways from the overall discussion regarding development:

• Set up a testing lab, or hire someone to do it for you.
• Get media stakeholders involved early in the development process.
• Test multiple creative comps, architecture, and messaging with your target group, for both direct navigation experience, and also effectiveness in paid search.
• Use prior performance knowledge to inform redesign or landing pages.
• Build in the ability to test and change.

You can find the article in it’s entirety over at MediaPost