At FullSphere, we are big believers in using data to understand if your marketing is working effectively. Too often, businesses rely on feeling over fact. One way to get to grips with what your audience really wants is through A/B testing. With A/B testing, you can get data on what lands and what flops.
When it comes to knowing what your audience likes, the details are in the data. Using analytics and heat tools, you will know exactly where your audience goes when they’re on your site.
Find out what makes them tick – and click – with an A/B test. The method is the simplest form of a randomised controlled experiment and is over 100 years old.
In this article, we share what we know about A/B testing landing pages. With 71% of companies running A/B tests and 60% testing landing pages, it is not something to overlook if you want to engage your audience, boost conversions and drive action.
What is A/B Testing
A/B testing, or split testing, is a marketing experiment. In the experiment, you split your audience in two (or more) and offer them different content. You might link your landing pages to ads or email marketing and segment the audience depending on their demographics.
With A/B testing, you can change the entire design and copy, or you might try changing just one element, such as a headline or call to action. There are lots of options for what to tweak in your experiment. For example, you could change:
- Copy
- Headlines
- Design
- Forms
- Layout
- Pop-ups
- Banners
- The offer
- Images/video
- Call to action position and copy
How to A/B Test Landing Pages
Getting useful information from an A/B test means designing your test carefully from the start. Let’s look at the A/B testing process.
1. Decide what to test
Think about your message and your audience. What action do you want them to take from the page? If it’s filling in a form, you could A/B test different form fields. If you want your audience to click for a free trial, you might test videos, images, and different call-to-action copy and colours.
2. Define your A and B versions
If you have a page created already that is converting or underperforming, you could use this as your A page. You can tweak the chosen feature for your B version.
3. Use an A/B testing tool
A/B testing tools take the guesswork out of your marketing experiment. There are a many tools available which can provide you detailed analytics on how the test performs.
4. Set yourself a timeframe
The timeframe will depend on the amount of traffic to your site, the metric you’re measuring and the seasonality of your business. Some tools will let you know how long to run an A/B test.
5. Analyse the results
If you’re using a tool, it may tell you which version was the best performing. Dive into the analytics to see what got the most conversions or where people scrolled or clicked when they were on the landing page.
Benefits of A/B Testing Landing Pages
Using A/B testing helps you take the guesswork out of marketing. With two different pages, you’ll understand what’s making your users click. Is it a larger or more compelling call to action? Do they appreciate a shorter form? Are they watching a short video over a long video?
A/B testing may take a little extra time as you have to design or tweak a page. However, it can have a significant impact. You might experience:
- Increased conversions
- Reduced bounce rates
- Increased ROI
Another great thing about A/B testing is that any industry can benefit from it.
Types of A/B Test and Split Tests
There are different types of split tests. You can explore them in detail to see which one works for you and your business.
1. Variant A/B testing
You test two landing pages against each other with a single change to one feature. For example, the call to action is in a different place on the page
2. A/B/C
You test three landing pages against each other.
3. Multi-variate A/B testing
You test two pages against each other. You change multiple features on the page. This might help you decide if your customers respond better to a different page design.
Four Mistakes to Avoid When A/B Testing Landing Pages
The success of your A/B test will depend on how you read the analytics and implement any changes. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when A/B testing your landing pages.
1. Not giving the test enough time
As a general guideline, we recommend running each test for at least 30 days, though this may vary based on your circumstances. We typically suggest a 30 day testing period, checking the data daily, and then adding a further 30 days if needed.
2. Testing too many variables
If you test too many variables, you won’t have a clear idea of which one led to the conversion or the bounce. Keep it simple.
3. Changing the variables during the test
Commit to the test. Don’t make any changes once the landing page has gone live until after the test. Keep your ideas for changes in your back pocket until the next test.
4. Focusing on the wrong pages
A/B test pages with high traffic. Choose pages with calls to action, offers, or forms.
Taking the A/B Test Beyond Landing Pages
Don’t forget that this kind of marketing experiment isn’t just for landing pages. While they’re a great place to start, you can also run tests for social media ads, presentation endings, emails, and buttons.
The secret to a good A/B test is simplicity. Change just one feature on the B test so you can see the impact of your change without guessing which change you made had the greatest impact.
