Optimizing conversions isn’t a piece of cake, especially if you don’t yet have any experience. Experimenting with different components of your website via A/B testing is an effective method for elevating your Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
Figuring out where to begin and what to evaluate are the true difficulties of Conversion Rate Optimization. This post covers the latter.
Remember: it can be counterproductive to test every random element of your website. You can waste time and financial resources on software, employees, and advisors attempting things that won’t provide you with an adequate amount of income from your website to make the trials worth it.
Give consideration to what your aspirations are before you dive in.
Examine the tests below and determine which ones are appropriate for your business. If so, ahead and run it. If not, try another one.
A/B Test: Typography
Studies have shown that typeface has a huge impact on conversion, but simply trying each font option from Google will not lead to success. Before getting into anything specific with typefaces, it is essential to go through some of the fundamentals of typography.
1. Serif vs. Sans Serif
Sans serif typefaces feature strokes that all have the same width, without any flourishes, unlike serif typefaces which have varied widths and are adorned with ornamental designs, for instance, the Times New Roman font. Serif typefaces are contrasted with sans serif ones which are plain and maintain the same width, such as Arial.
Experiment with both types to determine which one suits your website the best.
2. Colors
For your blog, long-form copy, and website, it is recommended to use black text on a white background. The shades used are an accepted, familiar combination that our eyes are well-used too.
For any invitations to action or other brief and meaningful text items, try every one of the eight fundamental colors (or whatever hues coordinate with your design). Always remember this principle: what stands out gets clicked.
3. Font Size
Tahoma is fairly easy to read when set at a 10 pt size, Verdana and Courier should be at 12 pt size, and Arial should be at 14 pt size.
It’s important to experiment with different typefaces and compare the effect on user engagement and click-throughs based on the size of the font. Nowadays, increased mobile traffic usually favors larger sizes, although this does not always apply.
4. Typefaces
At last, we reach the most laborious font examination – typefaces. Take this one with a grain of salt. Don’t test each of the 700+ Google fonts available. Doing so would be very counter-productive. Only assess a handful of the significant elements that complement your design.
When evaluating these, it would be wise to use an A/B/C/D/etc. type of experiment. This will allow you to try out several fonts simultaneously.
A/B Test: Calls to Action
The most powerful factor on your arrival page is prompt to do something that you are providing. Period.
As such, it requires a substantial amount of experimentation. Here are some of the main elements that need to be tested in terms of calls to action.
5. Position
Oftentimes, web developers put the “Call-to-Action” button in the center of their primary page above the ‘fold’, but do not change its position, due to the fact that it is understood as the customary thing to do.
6. Color
Color is a biggie in most CRO tests. A lot of people have been exposed to the HubSpot article discussing the 21 percent rise in conversions which resulted from a red call-to-action button surpassing a green one. The Content Verve post (mentioned in test #5) found that by using a green “add to cart” button, an e-commerce store was able to increase sales by 35.81 percent more than if a blue button was used.
A color that is different and easily noticeable compared to the other components of the page is the most effective. Experiment to see what works for your CTA. Do not trust others’ assessments to choose a hue.
7. Text
The most important phrase on your landing page is the call-to-action button text and it must be thoroughly tested. Experiment with different sizes, personal and plural pronouns, vivid words, and dynamic verbs.
During the 2007 U.S. election season, Obama significantly increased his donations by $60 million by switching the text on his CTA button from “Sign Up” to “Learn More”.
Yes, that’s a 60 million-dollar test.
Don’t miss out on those potential returns.
A/B Test: Pricing Schemes
This portion of the process involves more than just deciding on the cost of your product or software. It is essential to consider offering free trials and having a refund policy.
8. Freemium vs. Free Trial vs. Money Back Guarantees
Providers typically give consumers three avenues in order to test out their items: a fundamental, cost-free version with reduced abilities that can be accessed indefinitely, a time-sensitive complimentary trial that offers complete access to the features, and a time-limited money-back warranty.
Signups for Acuity Scheduling’s paid service exploded by more than 268 percent when they switched from a freemium software to a 14-day free trial. Test out every option to find out which one is going to suit your company the most.
9. Free Trial Length
What should be the duration of the free trial period on your website if you feel it should be time-sensitive? 7 days? 14, 21, 30? Test it!
This Sixteen Ventures article explores how cutting a 30-day free trial to 14 days had a positive monetary outcome for a software-as-a-service firm.
10. Pricing Each Plan
Don’t forget to experiment with your pricing plans. Experimenting with prices for your plans ($x9 or $x7?) is not enough; you should also explore the different features that come with each plan and use those to increase the popularity of the higher-priced options.
Remember: decoy pricing models are an excellent choice. Offering a much higher cost before providing an intermediate option will likely result in users spending more money without being aware of it.
A/B Test: Landing Page Copywriting
The skill of enticing readers through writing – copywriting – is a necessary part of creating a landing page. Superb copywriting can never be perfect right away; it needs methodical evaluation to guarantee it has the most influence.
11. Short-Form Copy vs. Long-Form Copy
From a philosophical standpoint, a briefer copy is more effective than a longer variation. It is true that humans don’t have as long of an attention span as goldfish do.
Unfortunately, that isn’t a set-in-stone rule. For instance, it was revealed through the use of Crazy Egg that long-form copy yielded 7.6 percent more leads, with the added perk of being of a higher quality. A Scandinavian gym chain experienced an 11 percent increase in conversions when it shortened its copy.
The takeaway? TEST to discover what works for your business.
Other A/B Tests You Can Do For Your Website
Create Explainer Videos & Sliders
Have you noticed those interactive whiteboard animations on websites that typically last between one and three minutes? Those are explainer videos.
Videos that provide an explanation of the services a business offers are known as explainer videos. If it is done the right way, these exquisite animated creations could likely lead to a 30% or higher increase in conversion rates.
Why are they so effective? The answer has to do with our attention spans.
The rate at which we can access facts has been causing our capacity to stay focused online to drop steadily.
We wish to avoid books that are excessively long. We don’t even want to read a newspaper!
Explainer videos can be more accessible and easier to comprehend than text due to their visual nature, and can also be more emotive.
Don’t get overly creative or ambitious like Steven Spielberg. Explainer videos can be a bit tricky, so here are some tips:
- Explainer videos can be very expensive and hard to A/B split test since you’ll have to create uniquely different videos to do so. Plan things carefully.
- You might think the idea is all in the animation, but really it’s in the script. Spend some time creating a killer script.
- Think about voiceovers too. You want someone who meshes with your business identity. Do you sell saddles? Talk like a Texan. Do you rent out bouncy dragons? Talk like a kid. Do you want to sound super-smart and impress Americans? Talk like a Brit. (J/K. Sort of.)
- Include your best features/benefits and direct viewers with a call to action at the end of the video.
- Keep it as short as possible. Anything after a minute and a half will be hard to watch.
Despite the difficulty in fabricating an explainer video, ultimately it pays off considerably when done appropriately. If you’ve considered it before, it’s important to investigate and ask for prices, since some companies don’t offer the lowest prices.
Image sliders that can demonstrate what a product or service is capable of may be more effective than explainer videos in some cases.
A case study done by Visual Website Optimizer showed that an image slider had an increase of 35% more conversions than an explainer video. Despite the fact that the video explaining the topic was quite lengthy and complex, it clocked in at around five minutes.
No matter what, it is a good idea to check out a carousel of visuals or an instructive film (or both!) if you have the means to do so.
Employ Trust Badges & Guarantees
Trust badges are pretty commonplace these days. It is essential to conduct a test if you have an electronic retail business. Comparable to Product Listing Ads, this is a prerequisite.
It has been seen that using badges such as these on a landing page can improve its conversion rates.
It’s clear that shoppers value your dependability when conducting business with you. People will thoroughly inspect your credentials before even considering doing business with you – examining things such as the clickable badges, the HTTPS authentication, and customer reviews.
Karsten Lund, a citizen of Denmark, ran a 6-month experiment where he mounted one badge in the header of an online store. The result? 32% conversion rate increase.
Here are some quick ideas for badge and seal tests:
- Move your seal or badge closer to the desired action (like the “Place Order” button).
- Add the seal or badge to your header.
- Make it clickable so that it’s not just an image, taking people to the third-party verification of your site.
- Don’t overdo your badges. We’re not looking to start any fashion trends here.
Do you have any recognition from businesses or mentions in the media? Include those on your site as well. If it is possible, attach the pictures as links that direct to the references. Ensure the links open up in new windows, so that the user does not have to leave your website.
Regarding guarantees, KISSmetrics had some intriguing outcomes.
Here are some different guarantees you can test out:
- 100% Money Back Guarantee
- 100% Risk-Free Guarantee
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
- The Lifetime Guarantee
- Lowest Price Guarantee
- The Free Trial
- The Extreme Guarantee (Zappos 365-day return policy)
Ready to shake up your conversion rates. How much? That’s for you to find out.
Stop Hoarding & Remove Your Clutter
You may believe it’s essential to give a visitor all the advantages and everything possible on your homepage.
It’s not.
Getting rid of unnecessary sections may enhance a visitor’s experience, allowing for better clarity and thus increasing the conversion rate.
It is important to keep in mind that people today have shorter attention spans than ever before.
Examine your website, and bid adieu to the cherished sentence that you are so proud of.
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