Do you like feedback? How about facts that tell you exactly what’s working best on your website and what isn’t? Would you rather pay for a marketing campaign that’s based on someone’s gut feeling or one that’s based on data that shows what is actually successful every time? If you A/B test, the results can tell you all of this.
A/B testing will show you what elements of your popups deliver conversions. It’s like having your own focus group, but without having to select people, interview them and set things up. A/B testing turns elements that seem subjective like which color choice, how big to make the signup boxes, which photo is the most appealing into cold, hard facts. You will know which color your customers and leads actually prefer. The size of the signup box that people actually fill in will be revealed. The photo that entices more users to click through will be obvious, no longer a matter for speculation.
What to A/B Test
Since you can A/B test every element on the page, there’s a big list available to customize depending on your particular product and market. But there are core elements of a popup that you should pay special consideration to.
A/B Test Your Headline
Like headlines for everything online–the titles of your blog posts, the titles of your web pages, the subject lines of your emails, etc.–the headline for your popup is one of its most important elements. You want to make sure it is as effective as possible. Here are some easy ways to A/B test your headline:
- Add a relevant word
- Take out a word that feels like filler
- Add the word FREE
- Add a dollar value to your free offer. For example, “Our Free Offer! (Valued at $X)
A/B Test Your Images
Like headlines, the use or lack of images is a vital component to your popups. In this case study from behave.org, Hubspot increased email signups by 24% by removing the image.
On the other hand, there are plenty of popup campaigns that will see better results by adding an image. The type of image will change things as well. Is there a person in it? Does a serious expression fare better than a smiling one? Are the colors of the image warm or cool? All these details can impact conversions but you won’t know which unless you A/B test them.
A/B Test Your Buttons
There are a number of elements you need to A/B test on your buttons including;
- Size
- Color
- Shape
- Placement
Above all, the text you use on your popup buttons is a crucial detail to A/B test. In a famous example, the Obama campaign increased clickthrough by 18.6% by A/B testing the words “Learn More” “Join Us Now” and “Sign Up Now” on the button on their website they wanted to lead to more subscribers. The winning combination was “Learn More.”
A/B Test the Offer Itself
Maybe the very thing you’re offering in your popups is not as effective in leading to conversions as it could be. Try changing it up. Offer prospective leads two different rewards and see which one performs better!
A/B testing is a lot of work but it can really pay off. If you have further questions about how to start an A/B test for your popups, give ViralWolf a call: 888-285-3445 or drop us an email: info@viralwolf.com.
IMAGE: Gerd Altmann / CC0 Public Domain