Landing Page A/B Testing: Step-by-Step Guide for High Conversions

Landing page A/B testing is the process of comparing different versions of a landing page simultaneously to find out which one gets more clicks and conversions. All landing pages need great design and a persuasive offer. But marketers who consistently create successful landing pages swear by this extra step of A/B testing to create high-converting landing pages.

Table of Contents

1. What is landing page A/B testing?

2. Why should you A/B test your landing pages?

3. Types of A/B tests: What can you A/B test on landing pages?

   • Hero Image vs Video

   • Headlines

   • Short vs Long landing pages

   • Order of elements

   • Forms

   • Call-to-action

4. How to perform landing page A/B testing?

What is landing page A/B testing? 

Like the name suggests, A/B testing is the process of simultaneously comparing variants of a landing page to identify the one that brings in more clicks and conversions.

Once you publish your landing page, you can create a version of the landing page in which one element, such as the headline or CTA button, is different. Visitors will be served one version of the landing page. After running the landing page A/B test for a considerable period of time, you can arrive at a conclusion about the better-performing landing page between the two.

The winning landing page is then served to all users. Remember, A/B testing is a continuous process where landing page performance needs to be consistently improved by testing them against new variants.

Why should you A/B test your landing pages? 

Enhance conversion rates

When users arrive at your landing page, they have a short time to engage with your page and decide whether they want to purchase your product or service. A/B testing is one of the most accurate, data-backed methods to ensure your landing page is best optimized for conversions.

Make landing page improvements 

Marketing teams are constantly trying to improve their baseline. Changing a landing page element could adversely affect the conversion rate of a well-performing landing page. A/B testing is a risk-free method to make improvements to your marketing campaigns without losing out on conversions.

Learn about your visitors 

By A/B testing landing pages over time, you can gain a holistic understanding of user behavior and improve the overall user experience of your marketing campaigns.

Types of A/B tests: What can you A/B test on landing pages?  

Deciding what to test on your landing page is crucial. You can choose any element on the landing page as your variable, from headline to call to action. However, remember, irrespective how you decide to do your landing page testing, it is crucial to test one element at a time to get meaningful results.

Hero image vs. video 

The primary visual element that depicts the value or offer of your landing page is typically a hero image or a video. While A/B testing, you can choose to use images or videos as your principal landing page visual. By varying the visual in the variant, you can identify which works better for the particular campaign and audience. You can also deploy variations in the type of image or video. For example, you can see whether a product image, photographic representation of users, or graphical illustrations would be better for the landing page.

Headlines 

The headline is one of the first things users will see when they get to your landing page. It is also an important factor when visitors decide whether they want to stay on your page or leave. You can try different variations such as short vs. long headlines, positive vs. negative tones, problems vs. benefits, or a playful vs. professional approach in the headline to understand which caters best to your audience.

Short vs. long landing page 

The length of the landing page is an important factor that affects your conversion rate. Some products may require longer, detailed landing pages to bring in conversions and some products can bring in the same conversions with a concise landing page that does not elaborate much. By testing out both these formats, you can understand the preferred length and implement it in all future landing page campaigns.

Order of elements 

There is no universal format for creating landing pages but most high-converting landing pages follow a similar pattern: A prominent headline and an image or video followed by product or service features, and an attractive form with a CTA button.

Try moving the form up or down on the landing page to identify which location brings in better conversions. While some landing pages can display a lead generation form upfront and achieve success, others will have to convince users more before asking for their information. By simply shaking up the placement of elements on your landing page, you can easily identify the elements that make an impact and the elements that don't.

Forms 

In lead generation campaigns, the form is the most prominent element on the landing page. To persuade users to share their information, forms have to be easy to fill and attractive. When using the form as your variable, you can change the placement, design, color, and number of form fields to identify the form type that brings in more leads.

Call-to-action button 

Anybody who starts A/B testing their landing pages usually starts it by testing their call-to-action buttons. You can try to vary the shape, color, placement, font size, and language used in the CTA button to determine the perfect call-to-action button for the page.

How to perform landing page A/B testing?

Landing page A/B testing may sound like a complex science experiment to a newbie but it is a fairly simple process that helps users consistently improve landing page conversions. Learn how you can A/B test your landing pages in Zoho LandingPage.

First, identify your landing page variable with the help of landing page analytics such as heat maps, scroll maps, attention maps, and form reports. Once you identify where users are bouncing away, which landing page element is uninteresting to them, or why forms are not being completed, you can use A/B testing to rectify the mistakes and improve conversions. Remember, it's always best to test one landing page variable at a time.

Second, the existing landing page becomes the "A" variant or the control version. Make a change in the selected variable to create the "B" variant or the challenger landing page. Split the audience equally for both versions to get accurate results.

Third, run your A/B test for as long as it takes to gather meaningful results. If you have high web traffic, running your landing page for a week or two can clearly identify the winning landing page variant. However, for businesses with low, inconsistent traffic, short A/B tests can be pointless, so those businesses need to test longer to collect more data. That being said, running your A/B test endlessly can be unfruitful as you could have missed out on implementing the results in time to see the conversions come in.

Finally, once you end the A/B test, analyze the results and serve the winning variant to all your users. Periodically test landing page elements to keep improving the landing page experience for users to maintain good conversion rates.