While testing is critical to any business, we know that testing every single part of your website can be counterproductive and costly.
So how do you figure out exactly where to spend your money and resources and which are the most important areas for A/B testing?
We’ve compiled a list of 4 Critical A/B tests that you should run.
If you’re not conducting these A/B tests, then you may be missing out.
1. Calls to action
This is likely the most influential element on your page. Or it should be. So it goes without saying that it requires a significant amount of experimentation and testing to get it right.
You need to A/B test your call to action regularly and before every update. I was made aware recently that approximately 70% of B2Bs don’t reference any notable calls to action on their home pages at all. Nothing. And 72% don’t have a call to action anywhere in their interior pages either. Best practices are in place and have been in place in the industry for over 20 years, so you need to focus on your CTAs and understand how to get the best results.
2. Position of CTA on Your Page
It isn’t just your CTA that is important but its position on your site. If you’re planting it dead center on your page because that’s what you’ve come to know as a best practice, you need to do some testing. According to recent statistics moving your CTA below the fold could actually increase conversion by 304%. So test for this.
Test below the fold.
Test above the fold.
Test. Test. Test.
3. Short-Form Copy vs. Long-Form Copy
We know that short form copy should work better than long form copy but this is not always the case.
In fact, some studies have shown that long form copies deliver better leads. In one study done by The Crazy Egg, they found that adding more copy increased their sales by 30% . By adding more copy they were also able to answer more questions of prospective users, so the result was significant.
Don’t just assume that short-copy advocates are right when they say that no one reads anymore. Unless you can confidently say that your users don’t read anymore (and how will you know until you test?) you could be losing business.
Therefore the consensus on long-form vs. short-form is out and this is why it is so imperative that you test to discover what your users want and value.
4. Fremium vs. Free Trial vs. Moneyback Guarantees
We know that allowing prospective users to try products and product demos is important.
But which of the three “freebies” really gets the job done?
First understand how long a free trial or demo should be for your site.
Test this.
7 days?
21?
Shorter?
Longer? Some SaaS companies have seen more profits with a 14 day version than a 30 day, but you’ll need to know what works best for your product. Maybe Fremium product trials (those with limited features vs. the full version) can be used in a less time sensitive way but give you better results? If you haven’t tested for these items, you need to. Finally, if you’re offering a money back guarantee, test how that’s going to work and what time limit you’re putting on the product.
It’s not always easy to spot the A/B testing which will facilitate the most growth, but you need to make significant testing attempts in the areas where you can lose significantly if you don’t test at all.
