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Newsletter #933: The “A/B Test Results” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

Our friend Anne Holland is behind the fascinating blog at WhichTestWon.com, a publication that gives some great insights on A/B testing (and one that we read all the time). She was nice enough to share these great examples with us and give us a pass to her conference in Austin: Which Test Won’s The Live Event. (There’s also a $100 discount code for everyone below.)

Here are Anne’s suggestions for three easy A/B tests to get more conversions with the same traffic:

1. Rewrite your “submit” button wording
2. Make your thumbnail images bigger
3. A/B test your offer headline
4. Check it out: Which Test Won’s The Live Event

1. Rewrite your “submit” button wording

When it comes to A/B testing a button, a lot of marketers automatically think of testing button colors. And while these tests can have a high impact, it can work even better with the right wording. (Hint: buttons that say, “submit” never win A/B tests.) For example, to get more business leads, solar panel installation firm Real Goods Solar tested buttons that said, “Click for Your Solar Consultation” against “Get a No Obligation Quote Now.” Both buttons led to the same contact form, but 74% more of the visitors who clicked on the “Quote” request button filled out the form.

The lesson: If you’re still using “submit” in your sales forms, consider testing some more compelling content.

Learn more: Click here for screenshots and details on this case study.

2. Make your thumbnail images bigger

If your site has a picture of your product, whether it’s an item for sale or a white paper for download, you can get more visitors to click it by making it bigger. How much bigger? Anne suggests at least 25%. When Skinner Auctioneers of Antiques Roadshow fame tested enlarging their photos of online auction items by nearly 30%, they were a bit worried, because the bigger images pushed important marketing copy below the fold. But the results were fantastic: 63% more visitors clicked to start the bidding process and 329% more of these visitors actually placed a bid.

The lesson: You can get much more attention from your visitors by making your photos larger.

Learn more: Click here to check out Skinner Auctioneers’ case study.

3. A/B test your offer headline

Your offer headline (or call to action) is the copy at the top of an offer form, “contact us” form, or above an ecommerce add-to-cart button — and it’s pretty important. Even the smallest changes can make a huge difference in how many visitors take your offer, as one BtoB publisher, Business & Legal Resources, found out. To get more visitors to sign up for a trial subscription, they tested two different headlines on the order form. Both offered the same thing, but one headline had a total of three words, while the other used eight. Stunningly, the longer headline convinced 113% more visitors to sign up.

The lesson: If just five words can make this much difference, what else can you test in your call to action?

Learn more: Click here to see screenshots of this test plus more on the results.

4. Check it out: Which Test Won’s The Live Event

Want to get serious about A/B testing? Which Test Won is hosting a live event in Austin, Texas this May 8-10th. Speakers include marketers from Wyndham Hotels, Motorcycle USA, LegalZoom, Trusted Hands Network, eBay, Autodesk, Groupon, IdentityGuard, VistaPrint, Wayfair, and many more.

Anne was nice enough to share this discount with all of us. Just use the code ThanksAndy to get $100.00 off of your ticket.

Check it out: For the agenda, who’s coming, location, and ticket reservations go to: http://whichtestwon.com/tle

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