How to increase the conversion rate of your website with A/B tests

March 13, 2023

This article explains how to use A/B testing to improve a website's conversion rate by pitting different variations of a web page against each other....

How to increase the conversion rate of your website with A/B tests

The conversion rate of a website indicates how many visitors actually become customers. A low conversion rate can have many reasons, but it's often difficult to figure out what exactly the problem is. This is where A/B testing comes into play. With A/B testing, you can test different versions of a website or landing page against each other and find out which one works better. In this article, you'll learn what A/B testing is, how it works, and how to do it correctly.

What are A/B tests?

A/B tests are a method of testing two or more variants of a website or landing page against each other. Two groups of visitors are randomly selected, one of whom sees one variant and the other the other. It is then measured which variant performs better by comparing the conversion rate or other metrics. The advantage of A/B testing is that it allows you to systematically find out which version of the page works better and which elements should be optimized.

How do A/B tests work?

To perform an A/B test, two or more variants of the page to be tested must first be created. In particular, these can be different headlines, images, call-to-action buttons or colors. The two variants should only differ in one element, so that we can later find out exactly what makes the difference.

The website is then set up so that visitors are randomly assigned to one of the variants. The assignment can be made either via cookies or via special software. After enough visitors have seen both variants, the conversion rates are compared. The variant with the higher conversion rate is then the winning variant and is adopted as the new standard version of the page.

What are the benefits of A/B testing?

A/B tests offer many advantages for website operators. On the one hand, one can specifically find out which elements of the page influence the conversion rate. On the other hand, it is possible to test whether changes have a negative impact on the conversion rate. A/B testing can also help improve the user experience and thus increase visitor engagement. Ultimately, a higher conversion rate can also generate more revenue.

Examples of successful A/B tests

One example of a successful A/B test is Moz's website. The company tested whether changing the headline on the home page would lead to a higher conversion rate. A version with the headline "The All-in-One SEO Toolset" was tested against a version with the headline "SEO Software for Smarter Marketing". The version with the second headline was able to increase the conversion rate by 69.97%.

Another example comes from HubSpot, who tested which color of the call-to-action button on the landing page works most reliably. Three variants were tested: green, blue and orange. The orange variant was able to increase the conversion rate by 21%, which shows that even small changes can have a big impact.

Tips for conducting A/B tests

In order for an A/B test to be successful, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, you should only change one element per test to find out what makes the difference. Also, it is important to have enough visitors to get meaningful statistics. A size of at least 1000 visitors per variant is recommended.

Another important point is choosing the right metrics. While the conversion rate is an important factor, there are other metrics that can be meaningful, such as the time spent on the page or the number of page views. It is also important to conduct the test over a sufficiently long period of time to compensate for seasonal fluctuations or other factors.

Conclusion

A/B tests are an effective method to improve the conversion rate of a website. By systematically testing different variants, it is possible to specifically find out which elements of the website should be optimized. With the right tips and careful planning, A/B tests can be carried out successfully and thus improve user experience and sales.