{"id":19149,"date":"2023-09-01T07:47:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T07:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/?p=19149"},"modified":"2025-04-29T14:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:43:20","slug":"landing-page-a-b-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/landing-page-a-b-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"A\/B Testing Landing Pages: Best Practices for Busy Marketing Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>TL;DR:<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Landing pages. They exist to convert visitors into leads. That\u2019s why <\/span><b>it\u2019s time to put on your lab coat and break out the beakers to get into the nuts and bolts of how A\/B testing works<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By testing critical elements of your landing page, you can optimize it for exponential conversion growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>So What? <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don\u2019t need to tell you how important your landing page is. We may need to remind you that it takes multiple iterations to get it right. <\/span><b>With these A\/B testing protips, you can start testing and improving immediately.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<iframe width=\"780\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5iooYwlcUvE?si=IapCCBI_FA41BWAR\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Why A\/B Testing Matters for Marketers<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, we marketers need to put on our lab coats and figure out how (or even if) our landing pages are working. A\/B testing (\u201csplit testing\u201d) is a critical form of experimentation in our toolbox to isolate and test variables while optimizing landing page content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some ways, A\/B tests are quite easy to deploy. They call for more thought and patience in other ways (like digging deep into your design and data to determine why a page is or is not converting). It takes a curious and clever mind, an understanding of the elements of a landing page, and how to read the data and develop something creative and effective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, we\u2019re diving into A\/B testing, how to test different landing page components, and best practices for conducting your own experiments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What is A\/B Testing?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an A\/B test, you will compare two landing page versions to see which performs better regarding a specific objective. The two versions are nearly identical, except you\u2019ll typically change one element that you suspect might influence user behavior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This element could be a headline, a call-to-action button, an image, or even the overall layout (or at least one aspect of the layout). One version (often the current design) is the control, while the other contains the changes or optimizations you want to test.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your science experiment is ready for the world, you serve your landing page to an even 50% split of your target audience and see what comes from it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This testing serves the basic purpose of optimizing your page and driving leads. And in that function, such tests have stood the test of time. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/marketingexperiments.com\/lead-generation\/form-optimization-case-studies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Marketing Experiments,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> research has shown that A\/B testing can improve conversion rates into the triple digits\u2013one optimized page form increased lead conversion by 816%.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>How Does it Work?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The actual deployment of an A\/B test is relatively simple\u2026 in theory. You take your control page, create a copy with specific optimizations, and run each page against roughly 50% of your audience to see which works better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a deeper level, some detailed planning goes into such a test:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Identifying Your Objectives:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> First, define your goal with the landing page. This could be increasing the number of signups, boosting sales, improving conversions, or other brand goals. Typically, these goals align with some performance issue\u2013not getting enough signups or conversions to hit your sales objectives, for example. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Selecting Variables for Testing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose the element or elements that could impact the landing page&#8217;s performance. The element that you choose will come directly from your objectives. For example, if you want to increase clicks on a CTA, you may start with variables associated with that CTA rather than optimizing content further down the page. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Analyzing Results:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The proof is in the pudding. If you have radically different results between the two, then your takeaways are probably clear. But smaller changes might call for different split tests, either of the same element or different ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Factors to Include with an A\/B Test (with Examples)*<\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*All sample wireframes were built using <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/balsamiq.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balsamiq<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h3>Headlines and Subheadlines<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The headline is often the first thing visitors see and can significantly influence their first impression. A compelling headline can grab attention and encourage further interaction, while a less-than-compelling headline can cause it to bounce immediately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Likewise, subheaders (either supporting the main headline or labeling subsections of the page) can attract or deter readers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, before you think we\u2019re making too much hay about simple headlines, we\u2019ll note that a headline can make or break a page. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadpages.com\/blog\/ab-testing-split-testing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leadpages reports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that a change in a single headline (through split testing) resulted in 300%+ conversion boost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are two examples of A\/B landing page tests. The first test changes the primary headline. Once you determine your winning headline, the second test could test the subheader.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, we run an A\/B test with two headlines:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19175\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37.png\" alt=\"wireframe headline A\/B test\" width=\"900\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37.png 1790w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37-1024x269.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37-768x202.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.19.37-1536x403.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, we take the winning headline and run a separate A\/B test on the subheadline:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19176\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20.png\" alt=\"wireframe subheadline A\/B test\" width=\"900\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20.png 1790w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20-1024x269.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20-768x202.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.23.20-1536x403.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><br \/>\n<b>Marketer\u2019s Protip: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some ways to shake up headlines for a split test include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating longer and shorter versions of headlines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asking questions vs. making statements with headlines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expressing a more positive emotion through a headline<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Including a quote or testimonial in a headline<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons<\/h3>\n<p>The CTA is crucial for conversions. How your call to action simply and attractively conveys some sort of behavior or benefit to the reader can mean the difference between a click and a bounce.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing various aspects can help you understand which version encourages more clicks, leading to more conversions. It could be a simple color change or completely moving where the conversion mechanism is located.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an A\/B test changing the CTA button text:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19177\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31.png\" alt=\"wireframe CTA A\/B testing\" width=\"900\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31.png 1788w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31-300x74.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31-1024x252.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31-768x189.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.25.31-1536x378.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s another A\/B test changing the CTA button to a link:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19178\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35.png\" alt=\"wireframe CTA A\/B testing link button\" width=\"900\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35.png 1790w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35-300x74.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35-1024x252.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35-768x189.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.27.35-1536x378.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all CTAs are created equal. For a landing page conversion, however, they should be prominent, graphical, and easy to see at first glance. For CTAs like buttons, you can test a variety of factors like color, shape, and placement relatively easily without getting into more extensive interactive elements like forms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that you typically only want one conversion point on your landing page. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/marketingexperiments.com\/lead-generation\/form-optimization-case-studies\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A study from Marketing Experiments<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows that adding a secondary conversion mechanism can decrease lead conversion by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/b2b-landing-pages\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over 200%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Forms and Input Fields<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forms are a complex beast. You want to gather as much information from a user as possible, but each field creates more friction which reduces response rates. Most marketers will want as much data as possible, but the simpler you can keep your form, the more conversions you will receive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re debating whether to make the form longer (to better qualify your leads), or whether to keep them shorter (to get more leads), an A\/B test can be useful. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19182\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38.png\" alt=\"wireframe A\/B testing long and short form\" width=\"900\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38.png 1790w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38-1024x295.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38-768x221.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.31.38-1536x443.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The original page with a much longer form (left), and the test page with a shorter, quicker form (right).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider these statistics:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mean conversion rate for online forms is roughly 21.5% (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wpforms.com\/online-form-statistics-facts\/#Form_Conversions_Stats_and_Facts\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WPForms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average form length in 2019 was five fields. In 2023, most experts recommend three (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/state-of-email-lead-capture\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hubspot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On average, only 66% of users will complete a form, with the time they are willing to spend on that form varies depending on the offer (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zuko.io\/blog\/25-conversion-rate-statistics-you-need\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zuko Analytics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forms can come in many shapes and sizes, but don\u2019t reinvent the wheel. Keep forms as simple as possible, balancing the needs of your lead qualification process and sales team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Navigation<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quick question: <\/span><b>Why would you want a user to leave your landing page?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is <\/span><b>you don\u2019t<\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/landing-page-navigation-ht\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Hubspot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only 16% of landing pages leave off navigation links, even though they cost leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vwo.com\/blog\/a-b-testing-case-study-navigation-menu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kitchen tool distributor Yuppiechef conducted an A\/B test on their navigation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they found that <\/span><b>removing their navigation increased signups by over 100%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If your users only have one button to click, guess what? More of them will click the button.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This seems to be a no-brainer, but if you\u2019re currently using navigation, a quick split test utilizing a page without such navigation will probably show you the wonders of removing the navbar and keeping your readers on your landing page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19184\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43.png\" alt=\"wireframe A\/B testing nav bar\" width=\"900\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43.png 1790w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43-300x55.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43-1024x189.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43-768x142.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.35.43-1536x283.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You\u2019ve spent time and money to get your users to your landing page. Don\u2019t waste it. You already know that dropping navigation links will improve landing page performance. But, if you want to test for efficacy, A\/B test one page with and one without.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Imagery and Videos<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visual elements evoke emotional responses that text cannot, potentially influencing how a visitor perceives your product or service. Often, images are the first (and primary) element a reader will react to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.gitnux.com\/a-b-testing-statistics\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A report from Gitnux Market Data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> even showed that adding a single image to a landing page in A\/B tests increased purchasing by up to 60%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The opportunity from split testing imagery is that there are plenty of ways to address potential conversion issues. Image placement can be a factor, but so can something as simple as the color grade, or the inclusion of people versus animations or stock photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19185\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03.png\" alt=\"wireframe A\/B testing imagery\" width=\"900\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03.png 1818w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03-300x89.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03-1024x303.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03-768x227.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.37.03-1536x455.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An A\/B test between a small image (left), and a large hero image spanning the entire page (right).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When testing image variables, only do so on a single image, not every image on your page. You want to isolate single elements if possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That being said, if you\u2019re testing layout (see below), you will most likely manipulate multiple images. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to determine what you\u2019re testing, and for what purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, while you can test an image against a video clip or animation, consider the difference in media. Your readers might prefer video, but the test doesn\u2019t tell you what <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the video they like. Which means more A\/B testing of your video.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Content<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content is subjective, so basic language, tone, style, length, or placement changes can greatly impact how the landing page converts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content, like any element on your page, is also subject to placement issues. More text upfront can turn off a reader before they even read anything. Poor formatting (color choices, font choices, etc.) can make reading difficult, creating friction where you want to reduce it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19186\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30.png\" alt=\"wireframe A\/B testing content blocks\" width=\"900\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30.png 1818w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30-300x113.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30-1024x384.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30-768x288.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.38.30-1536x576.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\/B test with the original page containing large blocks of content (left), vs. the test page with trimmed, punchier content.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When A\/B testing content, consider density and placement first:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there too much?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does it distract from other important elements like the CTA?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is it crowding out other elements?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does it intimidate the reader?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following that examination, you can drill down into wording choices and messaging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Layout and Design<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A cluttered or confusing layout may discourage interaction, whereas a clean, intuitive design can improve it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some A\/B tests for layout can include radically altering color schemes, changing hero banner types, manipulating navigation placement, and other steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others will involve smaller changes, like switching the placement of content and images or increasing padding around different elements to determine how easy it is for the viewer to take in the page.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19189\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29.png\" alt=\"wireframe A\/B testing layout\" width=\"900\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29.png 1922w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29-1024x638.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29-768x479.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Screen-Shot-2023-09-01-at-10.42.29-1536x957.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The original page with a \u201cZ\u201d style layout (left) and the test page with an \u201cF\u201d style layout (right).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Marketer\u2019s Protip<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unbounce.com\/conversion-centered-design\/#2__build_structure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research has shown<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that we read pages left-to-right in either an \u2018F\u2019 shape or a \u2018Z\u2019 shape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F-shaped layouts tend to support more dense or content-heavy pages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Z-shaped layouts support smaller pages with less text and alternating image-text structures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a good idea to follow these rules of thumb but test different layouts to see if user engagement has marked differences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Best Practices for A\/B Testing<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19166\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"girl on a laptop\" width=\"780\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg-1024x488.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg-768x366.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/20.jpeg-1536x731.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the test you are running, there are some basic best practices to ensure that you\u2019re actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">testing <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elements of a landing page rather than just running two different pages (and splitting your results).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some practices to consider are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Start with a Hypothesis: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should know what you want and how to achieve it. Have an idea of what you want to accomplish and the elements that can support or hinder that goal. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Limit the Number of Variables: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only test one thing at a time. The clarity of your variables determines the clarity of your results. Note, however, that if you\u2019re testing your layout or cutting content size, you may have to adjust multiple components to see how your test works. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sample Size and Duration: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are disagreements about how long to run an A\/B test, but opinion seems to circle <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/neilpatel.com\/blog\/how-long-to-run-an-ab-test\/#:~:text=As%20a%20rule%2C%20you%20should,always%20better%20than%20not%20enough.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abtasty.com\/blog\/how-long-run-ab-test\/#:~:text=The%20average%20recommended%20A%2FB,that%20will%20meet%20your%20goals.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> weeks. It\u2019s more important, however, that you get a sample size commensurate with your audience size to draw good conclusions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use Consistent Metrics: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/landing-page-analytics\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick metrics that directly relate to your goals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Keep it simple: if you\u2019re measuring conversions, focus on pageviews, clicks, and conversions. Avoid getting sucked down reporting rabbit holes. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Analyze and Act on Data: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not just collecting data but interpreting it that brings value. Use your best marketing and UX experts to provide reasoning for your results and, if necessary, suggest further testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Marketer\u2019s Takeaway<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know, as a marketer, you probably didn\u2019t go into science for a reason. But when you\u2019re ready to roll up your sleeves, the science of landing page A\/B testing can be rewarding and profitable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once customers hit the landing page, the rubber meets the road\u2013and your pages need to deliver. Optimization of these pages drives your marketing results, and optimization only comes with testing, testing, and more testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking for a creative partner who can help you optimize landing pages and deliver the content needed to stick the landing for conversions, consider Media Shower.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/user\/free_trial?__mscta=2850_97621_162\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try Media Shower for free. The award-winning content platform.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mediashower.com\/user\/free_trial\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17809 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MediaShower-CTA-1-1.png\" alt=\"Free trial CTA\" width=\"680\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MediaShower-CTA-1-1.png 680w, https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MediaShower-CTA-1-1-300x106.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> It\u2019s time to optimize your landing page. Learn about A\/B testing best practices and how to get those conversions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":19150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[459],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19149"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19149"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23667,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19149\/revisions\/23667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediashower.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}