I agree, Jennie - and it should make for an interesting discussion. Obviously, the best thing that we can do is: track, test, tweak.
I had a landing page on one of my campaigns that I thought was pretty lame - but it was one of the few I could use with a direct affiliate link. Interestingly, it converted VERY well. I changed it this week to one I felt was MUCH better - for a number of reasons - and so far, it isnt converting at all
Go figure!
Proof that I should go by the stats, not by my own feelings - LOL.
I believe that the factors that make a 'good landing page' vary by topic & industry. What works for selling ebooks won't work for selling barbie dolls, etc. With so many variables, it would be best to conduct your own testing, and tweak your landing pages to achieve the best possible results.
That said, there are some basic elements that every landing page should contain, starting with
copywriting and
pre-selling. I look forward to hearing input from others on this topic - I'm sure there are many that have more experience creating successful landing pages. Let us know what has worked for you!