The Best Practices of A/B Testing Landing Pages
After you have some landing pages live and running, you can optimize these landing pages so that they each can bring in as many leads as possible. In HubSpot, your method of testing depends on your product type:
When optimizing your landing page, it's recommended that you make one tweak at a time so that you can tell which optimization effectively increased the conversion rate. Here are some things you might consider tweaking:
1. Landing Page Headline
The headline is the most important part of any landing page, and it should make it crystal clear what the offer is. It should also begin with a verb to make the headline action-oriented, and include the primary benefit for receiving the offer.
Also make sure that your landing page headline matches the ad copy you have linking to your landing page, particularly when running a paid search campaign. By doing so, you can bring down your cost-per-click and reduce your cost-per-lead
2. Conversion Form
If the form on your landing page is below your content (and therefore probably below the fold), try a variation that moves the form above the fold, to the right or left of the main content.
You can also try reducing the number of form fields. The more fields you have, the more effort it takes for your site visitor to convert. This will also depend on the stage of the buying cycle your offer is for; if you're offering a free whitepaper download, you probably don't need company size or mailing address information quite yet.
3. Navigation and Links
Distracting your visitors with too many outbound links or related pages can negatively impact conversions. Remove the top and/or side navigation from the page, as well as any links on the page leading to other website pages or external sites. Any links you currently have might be distracting visitors from the goal of completing the conversion form.
4. Content
There are a few things you can do to optimize the content on your landing page:
- Use bullet points to convey the benefits of the offer, such as saving money, reducing costs, or saving time
- Make the content more concise, avoiding dense paragraphs of text
- Proofread; your grammar should be impeccable
- Bold key points you'd like to emphasize on the page
5. Images and videos
Images and videos can make a big impact on your landing page's effectiveness, as it will strengthen your message to your visitors. Include screenshots of the downloadable offer, or a short video showing the value-proposition of your offer or product. Make sure that whatever image or video you choose directly relates to your content on the page.
A/B testing is an effective way to test and optimize everything about your landing page until you receive the conversion rate you're looking for. There's no universal right answer for what type of landing page works best, but testing can ensure that your landing page is the most effective at converting your unique target audience.
