Landing page

The landing page to use for inbound links usually works best as a simple HTML page.
It should be a "Call to Action!" page with links to other pages of importance.
Some go straight for the "Capture" which can be a turn off to many people.
Others (like mine) go straight to a blog with a confusing array of choices.
I have hundreds of "hidden" pages used as entry points for advertising.
Each of those pages is targeted to a more specific audience or product.
Some are only a photo with links to content elsewhere on my website.

The main meat of a blog or website is not the place to send newcomers.
The old adage of K.I.S.S. applies to using landing pages most of all.
A signature/advertising link should have targeted Landing page.
Landing pages for different audiences can increase results.
Plus the cross-linking to other content boost it's SEO.

Keep It Simple!

In my blog, I use pages as my landing pages or hidden pages. Visitors will never see those pages unless they click links that is under my post. I create a post to serve as a "call-to-action" for my pages. I use pages for my blogs as the landing pages of each keyword I target.

That depends a lot on how narrow the focus of your website and the target market you are aiming for.
For people like me with "too many irons in the fire" a separate landing page avoids distractions.
I don't want potential retail customers being exposed to ads for other products or services.
Another good use for landing pages is as a re-direct to affiliate offers on other sites.
You get better traffic stats plus pass some link juice to your affiliate pages.

Sure, if you want all visitors to see everything then send them to the main site.
If you only want to prompt a specific action then make them a Landing page.
A few choices won't overwhelm them but 500 will cause them to get lost.
They will see a "Call To Action" easier on a clean targeted landing page.

This is some good information for me in order to evaluate my page. I just got it and will need to monitor to see what kind of results i will be getting. Is there a ratio or equation to go by that helps to do this? How much time would you spend on this alone?

A ratio would be hard to come by but "click-thru" rate is the metric to monitor.
If it is a sign up form then that would be the "submit" button, or a confirmation email click.
For affiliate sales it is harder to track unless your company provides you with tracking statistics.
Using pages on your URL that re-direct to affiliate links gives you tracking and advertises your URL.
When making a re-direct page I prefer to include some content or picture with tags and a few second delay.
Most crawlers will index the re-direct link but some will also index the content adding keyword juice to it.
ALWAYS include a link and/or signature on the re-direct page that goes to your main website or offer.
Some browsers will block re-directs or ask and people say no but will still see your content afterward.

Time invested on the landing page can make the difference between sales and no sales.
Placing ad links takes more time in the long run but are useless without a good landing page.
If the visitors are not going to the next page to sign up or purchase, try another landing page.
Landing pages are less confusing and more likely to get results than a blog full of information.
Using blogs and landing pages then cross linking them brings the best of both worlds together.
An affiliate link from your blog posts should go through a re-direct link on your URL.
It hides the affiliate link and ID plus gives your URL the link juice.
Referring to another page on your URL adds authority to it.
Plus you get click-thru tracking for your links.

The big thing is to monitor your stats for your website. If your website doesn't provide tracking, check out www.statcounter.com so that you can track your stats with their free service. You need to find out:

1. If you are getting visitors.

2. How long the average visitor stays on your website.

3. What keywords the visitor types into the search engines to find your website.

4. What sites referred the visitors to your website.

5. Whether your traffic converts into sales.

If you aren't getting any website traffic at all, it could be due to a variety of things, but make sure you are using unique content and targeted keywords that do not have a lot of competition. If your keywords are too general, not only is there too much competition, but they not targeted enough. As a rule of thumb, the longer tailed the keyword it, the more targeted it is, and the less competition it has. Also, if you are getting lots of visitors, but no sales, it probably means you have some work to do on your landing page to make it more convincing for people to buy.

I hope this helps.

It does help out. I found out that their some information in the back office but it seems basic. It looks like they have been adding features since i've been on there. Thanks guys, i will keep monitoring and trying different approaches.