Sunday, August 11, 2024
Trick question: how do you know that your landing page is converting? Trick answer: every landing page converts. It converts people off, or it converts them on. They either see that you can solve their problem, or they see your irrelevance.
The real question is how can you be sure that your landing page converts as best as it can. And the answer is a staple of every digital marketer – the A/B test. Yet what does this really mean? And are there aspects of a simple A/B test that we may be missing, but can make a significant impact on conversion?
Clearly, the answer is yes. (Otherwise, what’s the purpose of this Tipsheet?)
The most basic A/B test will change a particular element on the page, or even an entire user interface. The more click-thoughts, (register/subscribe/purchase, etc.), the better the page will be. A more sophisticated A/B test will test multiple options – sometimes dozens – simultaneously, in order to more quickly figure out the best converting page.
There are several additional factors that can impact conversion:
Time: Does the same A/B test give the same results at different times of the day and night? Or weekdays vs weekends? Assuming that time plays no impact on the A/B test results may mean far lower conversions.
User geographies: Does customization for location impact the A/B test result? For example, do users in San Francisco, Montreal, and New York all react to the landing page in the same way? Using the results of a generic A/B test may mean being very suboptimal in key individual markets.
Prior knowledge: The ultimate mechanism for A/B testing is one where you actually are able to bring your knowledge of the user to bear. Many marketing and web experience platforms can recognize when a particular user returns to a website, and are then able to serve content that takes into account previous visits. Or even more powerfully, are able to serve customized content based on attributes within their CRM. A/B testing can be exceptionally powerful when what is being tested is a function of real prospect or client knowledge – not just knowledge of what ad they clicked before they got there.
This week’s action plan:
The degree of sophistication for A/B testing ranges exceptionally broadly. This week, re-look at how you are doing A/B testing on your landing pages, and decide whether it makes sense to do some experimentation.
Marketing Insight:
For sophisticated marketers, it always makes sense to test. But sometimes there is overkill. At the beginning, simple A/B tests yield huge improvements to conversion. Then smaller improvements, and then even smaller. When the cost of testing for improvements is higher than the return, it’s time to start looking for changes elsewhere. And sometimes it is by testing for Time, User geographies, and Prior knowledge.
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