A/B Testing

HubSpot conducted an A/B test on button color and discovered that changing the CTA button color from green to red increased the number of clicks by 21%.

That is the power of good A/B testing experiments. 

With A/B Testing you can compare different versions of your ad creative—such as headlines, images, videos, or calls to action—and identify which combinations perform best. Once you have the data, you can implement the highest-performing elements across your campaign.

Here are a few things that you must test for: 

1. Headline

The headline is the first thing visitors see on your webpage, use A/B testing to optimize your headlines for social media, articles, and other content. For example, try these changes to see how they affect click-throughs, website traffic, or engagement:

• Shorter vs. longer headlines
• Headlines with or without numbers, emojis, or special symbols
• Headlines focused on benefits vs. features
• Headline position (e.g., left vs. right)

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For example, Supergoop's homepage headline ‘We're the experts’ emphasizes a feature or characteristic of the company. They could alternatively test with ‘Protects your skin effortlessly’ focusing on the benefit to the customer. Visitors could be directed to two websites with different headlines, and then click-through rates and conversions could be tracked, to understand what works better.

2. Images

• Backgrounds and Angles: Feel free to try out different angles, backgrounds, or lifestyle images to see what works best for your audience. 

• Hero Images: Test various hero images on your landing pages to find out which ones capture attention and prompt action. 

• Infographics: Also, try different designs, layouts, and content for infographics to improve information retention and sharing.

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For example: Black Star Pastry's website uses playful, high-contrast digital illustrations as hero images for each menu category. They could test these against more realistic product photos to see which style captures more attention and drives higher click-through rates to specific menu items. By comparing user engagement metrics between the two image styles, they can determine which visual approach resonates better with their audience and potentially increases conversions.

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3. Call-to-action

An effective call-to-action (CTA) can make a big difference in getting someone to take action, such as purchasing your product or signing up for your email newsletter. 

To optimize your CTA, it's crucial to experiment with various elements like button size, how your CTA is placed, copy and what color you use. For example, you might compare the performance of a CTA that says "Buy Now" against one that says "Get Yours Today," or test the effectiveness of a green button versus a red one. 

For example, Colourpop's ‘Get 'em Before They're Gone For Good’ call-to-action creates urgency with its scarcity-driven language. They could test this against a more direct CTA like "Shop Now" to compare which drives more immediate action. By tracking click-through rates and conversion rates for each version, they can determine whether the urgency-based or straightforward approach is more effective in prompting purchases from their audience.

4. Product Descriptions

Compare brief versus detailed descriptions to determine which yields more conversions. Test formal language against casual language to match audience preferences. Experiment with bullet points versus paragraphs to enhance readability and engagement.

For Example: Casper uses a brief, casual description for their mattress, highlighting its "Responsive & lively feel" and how it addresses common sleep issues. They could test this against a more detailed, technical description of the mattress's construction and materials. By comparing engagement metrics and conversion rates between these two approaches, Casper can determine whether their customers prefer concise, benefit-focused language or more in-depth product information when making purchasing decisions.