9 A/B Tests You Should Run To Maximize Website Conversions
Marketers often joke that A/B testing actually stands for “Always Be Testing.” It’s a good reminder that our intuition isn’t a reliable source for predicting the best strategy to maximize conversions.
Nothing is perfect — including your landing pages. You need to keep conducting A/B tests and compare two variants of a landing page, A and B. By measuring the results and looking at the numbers you’ll be able to identify which variation achieved more conversions.
Now what A/B tests should you run? Let’s take a look at the nine A/B tests you should consider.
1. Price-based Incentives
From a philosophical point of view, price-based incentives like discounts, cash, or coupons are effective customer acquisition tactics.
But are the cost of these incentives actually worth it? A $10 coupon that can boost conversation rates by 50% may be worth it. However, if there is little to no impact, then you’re reducing your profit margins in vain.
Consider SimCity 5’s pre-order incentive which had a $20 off discount.
The treatment group had no incentive.
Results revealed that the version with no pre-order incentive increased conversions by 40%. It seems people just wanted the game and the offer didn’t matter.
7. Test hypotheses for sales analytics
Urgency-based incentives encourage customers to return to their abandoned shopping carts, sign-up, or subscribe. Regardless of the type of incentives you offer, it’s best to perform A/B tests to determine the effectiveness of these rewards.
Take a look at this A/B test from SwissWatchExpo. In the control group, the popup had a countdown timer and a text and the words, “Last Timepiece Left” — which led to a 17% increase in conversions.
An alternative popup offered $100 off and free shipping. These incentives combined with the countdown timer triggered FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) led to a 30% boost in results!
3. Free trial duration
Companies with a subscription-based model offer free trials but is a longer free trial better?
Larry Kim, the founder of PPC management software WordStream, conducted an A/B test to determine the ideal free trial duration. His business originally offered a free 7-day trial. However, he contemplated extending it to 14 days and 30 days so new users had more time to try their tool.
With a longer free trial, the percentage of qualified prospects and connect rates fell, so he reverted back to their 7-day free trial.
The takeaway? Despite common assumptions, results will vary so it’s best to conduct A/B tests yourself.
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4. Freemium vs free trial
Deciding between a freemium plan or a free trial is a challenging decision that will drastically impact your onboarding process — but A/B tests can identify the most effective strategy.
Online appointment scheduling service — Acuity Scheduling offered a free forever plan with limited features and a 14-day free trial. With an A/B test, they found that a limited-time free trial led to a 268.14% increase in sign-ups for paid accounts. It seems the freemium plan made users accustomed to not paying, and the free trial made other users appreciate the premium features more — which made the difference.
5. Content length
Marketers often debate over content length. Even if a comprehensive page can give an in-depth view of your business, it can also distract visitors. The best practice will also change depending on your industry, target audience, products, and services — so run an A/B test.
Founder of Afterclicks Interactive, Greg Meyers shared his client’s rationale in sticking to a long conversion form. The client said his target audience preferred to read dozens of pages rather than fluffy content. Not entirely convinced by this argument, he opted for a shorter and user-friendly variation which led to a decline in conversion.
On the contrary, A Scandinavian gym chain generated 11 percent more conversions by reducing the content on their homepage. By reducing the user’s cognitive load and prioritizing important information, they were able to get more sign-ups.
6. CTA
Even if you’re confident about the CTA text or placement, a few modifications can yield significant results.
One example is this A/B test by conversion copywriter Michael Aagaard from Content Verge. He modified the CTA copy from “Start your 30-day free trial” to “Start my 30-day free trial”. The results revealed an astounding 90% increase in conversions in the treatment group.
7. Testimonials
Testimonials convey the legitimacy and credibility of your business, but you wouldn’t want customers to distract them from more important elements in your landing page.
WorkZone, a software company, performed A/B tests on their demo and pricing page. The company originally had testimonials alongside the form. However, they realized that the logos’ colors could increase a visitor’s cognitive load.
Their variation had black-and-white company logos. Upon running tests for 22 days, they discovered that this landing page led to a 34% increase in form submissions.
8. Form placement
Forms are plain and simple. However, strategic placement could influence people’s perceptions and their decision to convert.
Aaron Levy from SEER Interactive shared their original landing page had a form on the rightmost area. This version achieved a conversion rate of 11%. When they moved the form to the center and made it more apparent, they were able to increase conversions by nearly 50%!
9. Landing page design
Design is very subjective. When deciding the color, placement, and photos in a landing page, content creators rely on instinct. Yet, research-backed experiments involving your target consumers can pinpoint the best way to convey your value proposition.
This was Groove’s dilemma when their landing page had a dismal 2.3% conversion rate.
They talked to marketing experts and got in touch with real users. Based on the feedback, they rebuilt the landing page, prioritized their copy first, and focused on the visual aspect. This arduous yet research-backed process doubled their conversions to 4.7%.
Which A/B tests will you run?
Marketers and designers rely on instinct when crafting copy and conceptualizing designs.
However, A/B tests can reveal data-backed information on the best color, design, and placement of your landing page elements. On top of that, you’ll be able to determine whether customers are responsive to your free trials and incentives.
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