7 B2B A/B tests you should try in 2021

One of the fundamental techniques behind success in website conversion rate optimisation is A/B testing. But where do you start?

What are the most useful and effective A/B tests you can try out today?

In this blog, we list some of the key A/B tests you should try in 2021!

First, What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing is the process of testing an idea or theory by creating two different versions of something and pitting them against each other. This could be a webpage, an email, call-to-action, anything you feel is a valuable conversion point.

In order to produce the most valuable, actionable results, A/B testing should be conducted in the most scientific manner possible. That means you should have a certain theory you want to test in mind, as well as a hypothesis of what you think is going to happen, and you need to know exactly what you’re measuring and how you’re going to measure it.

Because of this, both your A and B variants of your test matter should ideally be identical, apart from the one aspect you’re testing. This helps ensure that the data you capture can be attributed to your testing focus, and not be affected by other differences in the versions. 

So, let’s get down to some A/B tests you can try!

1. Landing page layout

One of the most important, but easiest to forget aspects of your website’s landing pages is the layout. A lot of people spend most of their time on the copy and content of a landing page, whilst simply choosing the template or layout that they like the look of the best. But in truth, your landing page layout can have a huge effect on your conversion rate.

Because landing pages are at their best when they’re concise and appealing, you’ll probably want to choose a layout that makes the conversion point as obvious and as easy to access as possible. This creates a better user experience (UX), as it makes it easier for the users to understand what they need to do, where they need to click, to get what you're offing them.

Try thinking of an area where you think the layout of your landing page can be improved, for example, you can look at; 

• The position/visibility of your form
• If the form is on the page or a pop-up
• Can your use of space be optimised? 
• What content is visible when first landing on the page without scrolling?
• Is this content the most important?
• Can the overall hierarchy of your content be improved?

Choose one aspect and test it out! You might be surprised to find that changing something as simple as the position of your form can have a big effect on your landing page’s conversion rate!

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2. Landing page copy

As we mentioned, landing page copy is one of the main areas of focus for most marketers, and rightly so. Even minute changes in landing page copy can have a huge effect on how the user sees your offering. This is particularly important due to the fact that landing pages need to be as snappy and purposeful as possible. 

Experiment with your landing page copy. This can be by trying different phrasing, going for a different approach in the way you pitch your offering, or by adding more copy or making the copy shorter. Landing page quite long and not converting? Maybe you could try making the copy shorter, removing any copy that’s lower priority. And the same applies vice versa - if your page is very short, it might be that you're not saying enough to appeal to your users - try adding more valuable copy!

Want to make sure your landing pages are optimised for B2B conversion? Learn everything you need to know in our blog here.

3. CTA colour & text

It’s easy to fall into a bad habit of using the same style and format for your website’s calls-to-action, and to some extent, it makes sense to have consistency throughout your site. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with your CTAs. After all, your CTAs are one of the most important tools for conversion. 

A/B testing CTAs is a relatively quick and easy way of testing out some new ideas on your website to improve conversion. Take a look through your CTAs and take into consideration what’s working and what’s not. The important thing is to really try and put yourself in your ideal user’s shoes and think about the language they use, what appeals most to them.

For example, is every CTA on your site blue? Try A/B testing a red version to stand out more. Colour choice can be surprisingly effective when it comes to creating appealing offers. Another good idea is to mix up the type of phrasing you use. If you use a lot of direct, functionally-worded CTAs such as “Download now” and “Read more”, you could try using more active, 1st person language to help engage with your user more, such as “I want to download the eBook” or “I want to learn more about [subject]”. 

4. Form style & fields

Talk about how important it is to experiment with forms and strike a balance between data you need and barrier to entry. Think about whether people would be happy giving that info for what they get in return. You can always get more information later you don't have to get it all at once. Also use different form language in the intro and the button, experiment with intro text to a form and form styles

Another good experiment is to test different types of forms and form fields. When looking at your website forms, try and think about the information you’re asking for from your users. Would you be eager to give away that information? What are they getting in return? You need to consider whether what you're asking from them is a reasonable trade for the offer their receiving in return. Essentially, nobody wants to fill out a ten-field form to get an infographic! 

Try experimenting with form fields and form layouts to reduce the barrier to entry for your users - make it as easy as possible for them to convert. Remember that you can always ask for more information at a later point in time through email marketing or smart content, you don’t have to get every bit of information at the first point of contact. 

5. Email subject lines

As we mentioned, A/B testing isn’t limited to just website pages, it also applies to off-site activities such as email marketing.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to email marketing, and the specifics of an effective marketing email will depend entirely on your recipients, your business, how engaged they are, how often they’re contacted, etc. That’s why it’s important to experiment as much as possible - so you can get a good idea of what works best for your business.

One of the easier and more effective A/B tests you can try with your emails is changing the subject line. 

The subject line is the first bit of information your audience sees, and it can make or break your email. Without a good subject line, you’re not going to even get people opening your email, never mind clicking through. Try out different styles of email subjects, for example, you could test a content-preview based subject (“We studied the effects of SEO strategy on website traffic, here are the results”) versus a benefits based one  (“Reading this will help you improve your site visitors by 150%!”). 

Find out more on what you need to know about email marketing and best practices in our blog.  

6. Pop-ups

Pop-ups not working? It happens to the best of us.

Pop-ups are notoriously hard to master, as they require you to tow the line between non-invasive and annoying. You want them to be noticed by your users at the right time, but also to not annoy them and harm overall UX. 

Fortunately, there's a lot you can A/B test with pop-ups to try and find that perfect balance that works for your website. Consider testing aspects such as;

• Timing (appear after 15 seconds, or on exit intent etc)
• Colour
• Positioning (slide in the bottom left, appear in the centre above content, etc)
• Wording
• Pages they appear on

7. CTA offers

Tried different CTA styles and wording on a blog post or webpage and still not getting the CTA click rates you want? It might be time to test a new offer. Sometimes, the offer you choose simply isn’t the right fit for the page, which means it’s worth trying out a completely different offer altogether. 

Think about whether you have another piece of content you can offer that’s relevant to the page and your user journey’s. If not, could you make one? Don’t be scared to test out something new if your current offer isn’t working even after trying other tests out. After all, it’s better to re-evaluate and switch gears than to risk continuing to lose valuable visitors’ engagement by sticking with an offer that’s not going to work.  

Want to know what a day in the life of a conversion rate optimisation specialist looks like? Check out our video.