TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What’s an email conversion rate?
2. What is a good email conversion rate?
3. What is the average email conversion rate?
4. How to calculate your email conversion rate
5. How to increase your email conversion rate
6. Common email marketing mistakes that’ll tank your conversion rate

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

» More blog posts by Josh Gallant

What’s an email conversion rate?

The email conversion rate is the rate at which your subscribers convert in response to an email. You can calculate it by dividing the number of conversions by one of three numbers:

• The number of people you sent the email to
• The number of people who opened your email
• The number of people who clicked through your email

Your conversion rate will vary based on which of these numbers you choose to use since the pool of people you’re analyzing will change.

The right formula to find your email conversion rate will depend on which aspects of your email you want to analyze. For the subject line’s effectiveness, you might wanna check how many people who received the email converted. To help understand how your landing page affects conversion, you could calculate the rate at which people who clicked through converted.

The conversion you’re measuring doesn’t always have to be a purchase or subscription signup either. You could also examine how many people take an action that happens before purchasing, like downloading a resource.

What is a good email conversion rate?

The short answer is, “It depends.”

The long answer takes a little more unpacking.

First thing’s first, how you define your conversion rate will significantly impact what “good” actually means. For example, if you’re counting click-throughs from your email to a landing page as a conversion, a 2% conversion rate wouldn’t be the best. On the flip side, if you’re counting completed purchases of a $1,000 product as the conversion, that same 2% conversion rate would be spectacular.

According to MailChimp, a good email conversion rate will typically fall between 2% and 5% across all industries. If you’ve read our Conversion Benchmark Report, then you’ll notice this falls in line with the industry-wide median average landing page conversion rate of 4.3%.

All this is to say: What constitutes a “good” conversion rate will vary pretty significantly depending on the industry in question.

The businesses in some sectors have longer sales cycles, so their conversion rate will reflect that—think B2B SaaS companies in this case.

Others, like ecommerce or retail sites, would ideally have a higher conversion rate to reflect how they do business.

What is the average email conversion rate?

So now that we understand the ins and outs of what a good conversion rate is, let’s look at some industry benchmarks to determine what the average email conversion rate is across different industries and types of email.

It’s also important to note that conversion rate is often, but not always, synonymous with click-through rate. In the context of an email, the action you’re most often trying to get a user to take is to click through, so be aware that a lot of datasets like to use those terms interchangeably. 

Average email conversion rate by industry

According to Campaign Monitor, the average email conversion rates and open rates of several key industries range from 17% to 30%.

Average email conversion rate by email type

The industry you serve isn’t the only benchmark to be aware of when it comes to email marketing. According to the same Campaign Monitor data, the average email conversion rates by email type range from 1% to 5%.

How to calculate your email conversion rate

Determining your email conversion rate is an easy process that follows the same principles as any other conversion rate. There’s an easy formula you can use to calculate it yourself: 

(Number of conversions / Number of delivered emails) x 100 = Email conversion rate

Pretty easy, right? 

Let’s use some quick napkin math as an example.

Say you’re running an email campaign for a sale on spring clothing styles. You send out 1,200 emails to promote this in a week, but 100 bounce back because they can’t be delivered to the addresses you have—so your number of delivered emails sits at 1,100. Great!

Of those 1,100, let’s say 250 take the desired action and convert.  

If we punch this all into our formula, we get:

(250 / 1,100) x 100 = 22.7% conversion rate

That’s a pretty great conversion rate, even if it is just a hypothetical, especially compared to the benchmarks above.

How to increase your email conversion rate

Moving beyond the hypothetical, what steps can you take to increase your email conversion rates in real life? 

Here are three ways to create more engaging emails that improve conversion rates: 

1. Align your emails with your readers’ funnel stage

You’ve got to understand the journey your readers take to get to your emails to get conversions. This perspective will help you deliver emails that feel valuable and convincing.

How do you meet your subscribers where they are? Align your emails with your intended reader’s conversion funnel stage. On the path to conversion, a lead starts with no awareness of your brand and ends with a purchase.

When you know how the conversion funnel impacts your readers’ experiences, you can tweak your conversion goals and emails to match. For example, you shouldn’t ask customers at the top of the funnel who have little awareness of your brand to buy your product right away. Instead, your conversion goals and emails should focus on lighter commitments like blog post click-throughs.

Peep how Typeform engages new customers by asking them to join their user community. Since Typeform has a multi-tier subscription model, newly subscribed customers go through another conversion funnel that moves them toward higher tiers.

This email keeps its ask low pressure—visit Typeform’s online community—while offering help to new users who haven’t become ride-or-die Typeform fans yet. It provides upfront value before asking customers to consider a higher-tier Typeform plan.

This trick also works well for top-of-funnel leads who have yet to convert. Offer free knowledge, such as quick tips and downloadable resources, without asking your customer to buy something right away.

2. Write engaging copy that grabs your audience’s attention

Your subscribers signed up for your emails to read content that provides value and catches their attention. So, your copy has gotta go beyond those expectations to impress them.

Start with your email subject lines. After all, this line of text will affect whether people will open your emails in the first place. MailChimp recommends these best practices for kick-butt email subject lines:

• Use personalization fields to include your reader’s name
• Keep them short but descriptive
• Limit your punctuation and emoji use

Try A/B testing your subject lines if your email service provider offers the feature. It’ll show you what your audience, not just any audience, wants from your subject lines.

Tip: If you don’t have the right tools to test your email subject lines, try landing page A/B testing to test different landing page headlines and apply the winning variant to your subject line. (This approach also helps ensure you’re message matching i.e. making sure the messaging in your email matches what’s on your landing page.)   

Now, it’s time to tackle your body copy. If you’re scratching your head wondering what to write, try an AI copywriting platform like Smart Copy.

Smart Copy has a few email-specific templates, but don’t be afraid to use a different template that describes your business or gives you a copywriting formula. For example, you could use the “Benefits” template to share what makes your company great or the “Pain Benefit Solution” template to pitch a product. Then, take the concepts the AI gives you and cut them down to the size of an email section.

Remember that AI copywriting is your first step to writing copy—not your last. Get some good ideas rolling and make them your own.

This email from The Hustle shows how much a human touch matters in email copywriting:

It starts with a goofy story to draw readers into the giveaway it advertises. How can you tell a story about your organization or product to hook readers on your email?

3. Wow your readers with social proof

Today’s customers need to know that people like them approve of your business before they’ll give it a chance. The average consumer needs to read 10 reviews before they can trust a company.

While you don’t have to add reviews to your email, you should start sprinkling social proof in them. Social proof is any proof that customers like your business, such as a testimonial, review, or social media post.

Some examples of social proof you can add to your emails include:

• Your products’ average star ratings
• Twitter or Instagram posts from customers who hype your product
• Logos of businesses that use your product
• Testimonials from happy customers
• Snippets of customer reviews

Look at how Bite sent an email totally focused on sharing social proof:

This email shows off reviews from the media and customers. The media reviews explain that people who know their stuff enjoy the product, while the customer reviews tell you that customers like you approve of it.

4. Build awesome, relevant landing pages

One of the best ways to enhance your email conversion rate? Match your emails with awesome landing pages. 

Whenever a user clicks through on an email you’ve sent them, they’ll get sent to some kind of landing page. 

Landing pages are a great way to optimize your conversion rate, and we could spend hours—days, even!—exploring all the ways you can use them.

We’ve touched on a few practices to follow already, but when in doubt, keep these best practices in mind to make the most out of your landing pages: 

Match your messaging

The first thing you want to keep in mind is user experience. When a user clicks through, they want as smooth a transition from email to webpage as possible. That means that any offer or discount promoted in your email should be front and center on your landing page. 

In short? Match your messages and keep things consistent. 

Personalize the experience

It’s equally important that you find those opportunities to tailor and adjust your message to personalize things for your audience. Avoid the generic and really dig into those opportunities to make the most of your offerings—you could even employ some dynamic elements to automate the process.

Guide users to convert

The design and layout of your pages matters, too. Keep relevant offers above-the-fold, use eye-catching imagery, and guide visitors through to convert. While it may seem easier said than done, this work is incredibly valuable for maximizing your CRO efforts. 

Remove distractions and friction

Great landing pages focus on a single offer, action, and outcome. If you have any elements on your landing pages that don’t contribute to that outcome, then you probably don’t need to include it. 

This includes elements like site navigation, links to other pages, or even just unnecessary information that’ll slow folks down.  

Need help building an awesome landing page? We’ve got you covered. Check out Unbounce’s drag-and-drop landing page builder to get started.

5. A/B test your efforts to optimize results

If you really want to boost your email conversion rate, then you’re going to have to put on your lab coat and start testing—don’t worry, though, you’re going to have a blast with this!

A/B testing, sometimes called split testing, is a sort of experiment marketers can run by comparing the results from two variants of a piece of content—in this case an email, but you’re just as likely to see folks running A/B tests on landing pages or ads. 

You take your variants and show them to different segments of your audience, collecting data to determine which one performs best. 

For an email, this is pretty straightforward: you split your mailing list and prep different copy to send to each segment. Whichever email leads to better results (such as CTR, open rate, and of course conversion rate) is the winner you can use for future testing and marketing.

The beauty of A/B testing is that it lets you make data-driven decisions. By comparing the performance of variant A against the performance of variant B, you can really drill into the elements that resonated with your audience. It could be that variant A’s got a catchier subject line, leading to more opens, or maybe variant B’s CTA drove that higher click-through rate. 

Regardless of the results you gather, there’s no denying they’ll give you incredibly valuable insights into what’s working and what isn’t. 

With all that in mind, though, A/B testing isn’t a one-and-done deal. 

It’s an ongoing process that depends on continuous refinement to deliver success. Whatever findings you get from your tests will give you a new set of variables to compare, contrast, and put to work in continued support of your CRO efforts. 

So, what exactly can you A/B test in email marketing? It’s actually a pretty impressive list: 

• Subject line: This is the first and most obvious element to test. What subject line performs best? Sometimes putting an awesome stat first will lead to better results, sometimes you rely on words alone. 
• Email length: There’s a time and place to really dig into a subject, and sometimes that means you stretch out and write something truly in-depth… but sometimes it means keeping things short and sweet. Experimenting with email length is a great factor to A/B test. 
• Copy: Continuing on from that note about email length, experimenting with copy in general is probably one of the most intensive elements to test, simply because emails are so reliant on writing and messaging. Whether you’re playing with tone, structure, length, or other elements of language, the possibilities are almost endless. 
• Personalized elements: There’s all sorts of opportunities to personalize email marketing campaigns. You could include dynamic elements that change depending on details you know about your audience, like geolocation, the channel they used to sign up for emails, or even the time of day you’re delivering your messages.
• Visuals: Not all emails will have visual elements—in fact, some of these design elements might get stripped out by your audience’s mail client—but that doesn’t mean you can’t try out different ideas. 
• CTAs: The CTA is one of the best elements you can A/B test because it’s something you can really fine-tune to get results. Try out a few variations on your CTA to see what hits home. 

To sum up, A/B testing in email marketing requires you to conduct mini-experiments to fine-tune your approach and maximize email effectiveness

 It’s all about learning from your audience’s behavior to figure out what resonates and why and to put it to work moving forward.

Recommended reading: 10 A/B testing examples and case studies to inspire your next test
Recommended reading: How a three-word A/B test led to triple-digit conversion growth 

Common email marketing mistakes that’ll tank your conversion rate

Email marketing is a huge topic to dig into, giving you a ton of new levers to pull on to fine-tune performance and success. But that also means it’s easy to make these common mistakes.

1. Poor subject line copy—keep it concise, get personal, offer an incentive, and test. 
2. Lack of segmentation—make sure you’re delivering the right message to the right segment of your audience.
3. Lack of automation—it goes without saying, but you want your emails to send based on preset triggers to maximize effort and reach.
4. Lazy list management—keep your mailing list up-to-date by regularly removing any email addresses that bounce your messages back, and make sure you’re collecting relevant data. 
5. Poor deliverability and engagement—if your messages are going to disinterested users, you’re not getting the most out of your email marketing. Consider extra opt-in steps, mailing list confirmation, and regularly checking in with your audience to keep them interested.

Wherever you are with your email marketing efforts, keep these 57 common email marketing mistakes in mind. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What is a PPC conversion rate?
2. How do you calculate your conversion rate for PPC campaigns?
3. What is a good PPC conversion rate?
4. Average PPC conversion rate benchmarks by industry
5. Average conversion rate for different PPC platforms
6. Why do you need to optimize your PPC conversion rate?
7. How can you increase your PPC conversion rate?
8. Tools to boost your PPC conversion rate
9. Boost your PPC conversions with Unbounce

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Banafshe Salehi

Banafshe is a writer and creator who loves long walks on the beach (kidding?). When she’s not selling you on her puns or her pop-culture analogies, she can be found at the busiest intersection in her city with her headphones. Which are totally not falling apart.

» More blog posts by Banafshe Salehi

If you’re braving the PPC jungle, you’re probably itching to know how to optimize your campaigns for the best possible results.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you with tips and best practices for making your PPC rates the best they can be. After reading this post, you’ll be a PPC alchemist, ready to turn those clicks into gold.

Ready?

What is a PPC conversion rate?

A PPC conversion rate is a metric that measures the percentage of clicks on your PPC ads that result in a desired action—think purchase, signup, or download. It’s a pretty important signifier of the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns.

Basically, your PPC conversion rate tells you how many of the people who clicked on your ad actually followed through with the action you wanted them to take. 

A high PPC conversion rate means that your ad and landing page are performing well together, while a low PPC conversion rate indicates that there’s… room for improvement.

How do you calculate your conversion rate for PPC campaigns?

Before we get to how you can improve your PPC conversion rate, you’ve gotta figure out how to calculate it in the first place. It’s time for some marketing math.

Calculating the conversion rate for your PPC campaigns is pretty straightforward. Here’s the formula:

(Number of conversions ÷ Number of clicks) X 100 = Conversion rate 

Put simply, your PPC conversion rate is the percentage of clicks that turn into customers. 

To calculate it, you have to divide the number of conversions (when someone makes a purchase or completes an action) by the total number of clicks on your ad, and then multiply by 100. And voila, you have your PPC conversion rate.

For example, if your ad received 500 clicks and resulted in 25 conversions, your conversion rate would be:

(25 ÷ 500) x 100 = 5 

This percentage tells you that 5% of the people who clicked on your ad completed the desired action.

Now that you have the formula, it’s time to do the brave thing. That means calculating your own PPC conversion rate *gasp*.

What if it’s not good? Well, before we consider that reality, let’s learn what makes for a good PPC conversion rate.

What is a good PPC conversion rate?

A “good” PPC conversion rate can vary widely depending on your industry, product, or service. 

We know, we know, trick question. However… if Unbounce’s Industry Benchmark report has anything to say about it, a conversion rate between 2% to 5% is typical. 

Exceptionally awesome campaigns may achieve rates above 10% and be truly considered good, but this still is a generalization and fully dependent on your industry and audience.

 A truly “good” PPC conversion rate is also often the result of highly optimized strategies and targeted efforts. (Which you’re fully capable of.)

Pssst. Don’t think we’ve forgotten about optimizing your landing pages for PPC. You shouldn’t either.

Average PPC conversion rate benchmarks by industry

Different industries see varying conversion rates due to differences in customer behavior, product types, and purchase cycles. It’s all relative.

That being said, there’s still a ballpark to play within. Here’s a snapshot of average conversion rates across some major industries:

Ecommerce: 3.5%

According to the Unbounce conversion rate by industry benchmark report, the median paid search conversion rate for ecommerce is about 3.5%.

Some pointers to increase PPC conversion rates in ecommerce? Use positive language (and avoid negative emotions in your copy) and make your copy shorter and simpler. 

SaaS: 2%

The average PPC conversion rate for the SaaS industry sits at about 2%. Paid search is the primary traffic source for all types of SaaS landing pages.

A couple of tips to get your SaaS PPC conversion rates up: 

Having copy with high readability 

SaaS PPC ads perform best when they’re short and easy to understand. This especially applies to anyone marketing mobile apps.

Across the industry, our analysis shows that short, easy-to-read copy tends to correlate with higher conversion rates.

Consider your audience—who’s reading your copy and what do they need to know to convert? If you’re promoting something affordable and straightforward, like an app, keep the language simple and clear. However, if you’re marketing complex software, a more detailed explanation might be necessary to convey its value and functionality. Tailor your approach to match the product and your audience’s needs.

Forget the scare tactics. Try pumping up your visitors with lively, value-focused language that emphasizes the awesome results of your product.

Agencies: 2.4%

Digital marketing agencies are often so busy crafting killer PPC ads for their clients that they forget about their own needs. But hey, you need to drum up leads too! It’s time to put on your professional hat and show the world what you can do.

Here are some tips on how to improve your PPC conversion rates as an agency: 

Make the best pitch you can (without worrying about readability) 

In most industries, as your PPC copy becomes shorter and more understandable, the conversion rate goes up. Makes sense, right?

Things are a bit different with agency PPC ads. While easy-to-read copy makes your visitors somewhat more likely to convert, you only really see the benefit at the very far end of the spectrum. 

For agencies, it’s more key to make the best pitch you can, regardless of simplicity or reading level.

Business Services: 3.5%

Good news: If you’re converting over 3.5%, you’re doing better than most business services.

And if you’re not, well, here are some pointers to get you across that line: 

Try social ads instead of search to double your reach.

If you’re trying to increase your PPC conversion rate, consider moving some of your paid search budget over to social ads. 

For business services, paid search reigns supreme, driving half of the click-through traffic (50.0%) and about two-thirds of the form-fill traffic (68.8%). Next in line are referrals, followed by social traffic, which brings in just under 10% of visitors (8.6% for form pages and 9.3% for click-through pages).

Visitors from platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn have conversion rates twice as high as those from Google or Bing. If you’re running a lead gen campaign, prioritizing social traffic over search could lead to better results.

Average conversion rate for different PPC platforms

Now that we’ve got some key industries covered, let’s break down average conversion rates across popular PPC platforms. 

Every PPC platform is like its own little universe, with a unique crowd and quirky ad dynamics that can totally shake up your conversion rates.

Search platforms

Google Ads

Google Ads is one of the most widely used PPC platforms. It offers robust targeting options and a vast network, making it a go-to for many advertisers.

Having said that, Google Ads can also be a bit of a rollercoaster, depending on your industry. 

For most businesses, the average PPC conversion rate for Google Ads is 2.85%.

These benchmarks can shift based on keyword bids, target audience, location, match types, and even how well you’ve set up your negative keywords on Google Ads. 

Bing Ads

Bing Ads often outshine Google Ads when it comes to PPC conversion rates, but the difference can vary wildly depending on the industry. On average, Bing (Microsoft search engine) boasts a conversion rate of 2.94% across all sectors.

Bing’s audience isn’t just a carbon copy of Google’s—they’re a whole different crowd with unique search habits. While Google is dominated by mobile searches, Bing is still rockin’ a hefty share of desktop searches. 

This means Bing can capture a different slice of the market, potentially leading to better conversion rates for certain types of campaigns. So, if you’re looking to shake things up and tap into a fresh audience, Bing Ads might just be your new best friend.

Amazon Ads

Amazon Ads are a goldmine for ecommerce, boasting an average conversion rate of 9.89%. This platform is particularly effective, but like all others, its average is influenced by competition, campaign timeframe, and other factors.

Social platforms

Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads are the social butterflies of PPC, boasting conversion rates ranging from 9% to 10%, higher than most Google Ads averages. However, yet again, these rates can vary across industries. 

For example, fitness products and services enjoy the highest conversion rates at 14.29%, while the technology industry sees a more modest 2.31%. Even apparel lags behind the network average with a CVR of 4.11%.

LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn Ads might seem a bit expensive, but they’re like a secret weapon for awesome conversion rates if you play your cards right.

Imagine this: LinkedIn Ads can score conversion rates between 5% and 15%! The range is so wide because “conversions” can mean different things for different businesses on LinkedIn, whether it’s a PDF download, a product signup, or a demo request.

Instagram, Pinterest, and X (Twitter)

Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter) are also valuable PPC platforms. Instagram pulls in an average of 1.08%, Pinterest is at 0.54%, and X is at 0.77%.

Why do you need to optimize your PPC conversion rate?

Before you start striving for that good PPC conversion rate, do you even need to? Optimizing your PPC conversion rate is crucial for several reasons:

It helps you maximize your ROI

Every dollar spent on PPC advertising should bring you closer to your business goals. Higher conversion rates mean you’re getting more value from your ad spend, leading to better return on investment (ROI).

It helps you increase profitability

Higher conversion rates translate to more customers and sales without increasing your advertising budget. This boost in efficiency directly impacts your bottom line, making your campaigns more profitable.

It helps you spend more efficiently

When you optimize your conversion rate, you’re making the most out of every click. By improving how well your ads convert, you ensure that your budget is spent on strategies and tactics that yield the best results. This means fewer wasted clicks and more budget available for scaling successful campaigns.

It gives you a competitive advantage

In a crowded market, small improvements in conversion rates can set you apart from competitors. Optimized campaigns can outperform others, capturing more market share and establishing your brand as a leader in your industry.

It gives you valuable insights

The process of optimizing conversion rates involves analyzing user behavior and testing different strategies. This data-driven approach yields valuable insights into what works best for your audience, informing not only your PPC efforts but also your overall marketing strategy.

How can you increase your PPC conversion rate?

Improving your PPC conversion rate involves a combination of strategic ad placement, compelling ad copy, and optimized landing pages. Here are some actionable tips to boost your conversion rates.

1. Create better landing pages

Your landing page is where the magic happens. It’s where your potential customer decides whether to complete the desired action. Here’s how to make your landing pages more effective:

• Design for speed: A slow-loading page can turn visitors away. Ensure your landing page loads quickly.
• Clear CTAs: Your call to action should be prominent and persuasive. Use compelling language and make it easy for visitors to take the next step.
• Mobile optimization: Ensure your landing page is mobile-friendly. A significant portion of traffic comes from mobile devices, and a poor mobile experience can hurt conversions.

And what better way to create your high-converting PPC landing pages than a trustee landing page builder? 

With Unbounce’s landing page builder, you get pixel-perfect design control, dynamic text replacement to match visitors’ search intent, and the flexibility to create custom elements with JavaScript and CSS for a tailored, high-converting experience.

Recommended reading: Landing page best practices

2. Write conversion-centered copy 

Conversion copywriting is a persuasive writing technique that entails carefully framing and structuring information so more readers take the desired action.

By bringing conversion-centered copywriting to the forefront of your PPC ads and landing pages, you’ll be going the extra mile to make sure you’re not missing any conversions. 

We’ve got just the AI copy generator tool for you to get all the help you need with writing copy that converts.

3. Align your ad copy with your landing page copy

Consistency is key. Your ad copy sets expectations, and your landing page should deliver on those promises. If your ad promotes a discount, make sure the landing page prominently displays that discount. Mismatched messaging can confuse and frustrate visitors, leading to lower conversion rates.

4. A/B test your PPC ads

Testing is vital and can help you uncover your best-performing variant.

A/B testing involves creating two versions of a landing page with slight variations to see which performs better. Test different headlines, images, CTAs, and layout elements to determine what resonates best with your audience. Continuous testing and optimization can lead you to significant improvements in conversion rates.

Looking for the right tool to get started? Unbounce’s A/B testing tool empowers you to optimize your marketing efforts with precision and ease. 

By allowing you to build, launch, and analyze landing page experiments all in one platform, it ensures data-driven decisions lead to peak performance without the guesswork. 

So whether you’re validating new products, experimenting with offers, enhancing user experience, or pushing creative boundaries, Unbounce’s A/B testing tool is your secret weapon for growth at any stage.

5. Use high-quality images and videos

Visual content can significantly impact your conversion rates. High-quality images and videos can make your landing page more engaging and persuasive. Use relevant visuals to your product or service and complement your overall message.

6. Leverage social proof

Testimonials, reviews, and case studies can build trust and credibility. Showcase positive feedback from satisfied customers to reassure potential buyers that your product or service delivers on its promises.

7. Simplify forms

If your conversion action involves filling out a form, make it as simple as possible. Ask only for essential information to reduce friction and increase the likelihood of completion.

Tools to boost your PPC conversion rate

1. Unbounce

Unbounce is a powerhouse for landing page creation, copywriting, and A/B testing (and we’re not just saying that because it’s us). Our platform allows you to build high-converting landing pages without needing a developer. 

With Unbounce, you can quickly test different versions of your landing pages to see what works best, ensuring your campaigns are always optimized. 

Here are only a few of the features that can help you improve your PPC conversion rates. 

• You can build relevant, high-converting landing pages for Google Ads
• You can A/B test your pages to optimize for maximum conversions using the built-in A/B testing tool
• You can get more conversions over time using AI with our Smart Traffic feature.
• You can connect your pages to almost any marketing automation or CRM tool by choosing from a wide selection of integrations
• You can build tailored landing pages to match every ad group
• You can quickly clone your work for other campaigns. When you find an ad-to-landing-page combo that delivers, it’s like hitting the PPC jackpot.

2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is essential for tracking and analyzing your PPC campaign performance. It provides insights into user behavior, helping you understand how visitors interact with your landing pages and where improvements can be made.

3. SEMrush

SEMrush is a comprehensive tool for keyword research, competitor analysis, and PPC campaign management. It helps you identify high-performing keywords, monitor your competitors’ strategies, and optimize your ad copy for better performance.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Pre-A/B testing mistakes
2. Mid-A/B testing mistakes
3. Post-A/B testing mistakes
4. Which A/B testing mistakes are you going to avoid?

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Paul Park

Paul is a writer on Unbounce’s content team who lives and breathes storytelling. (It’s like oxygen but with better plotlines!) Ask him what he’s up to at any given moment and you’ll get answers ranging from folding paper dragons (y’know, origami) to catching up on the latest cool tech, and finding other ways to channel his inner geek.

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Vincent Barr

Vincent Barr is curious. He performs online marketing, web analytics, and split testing at MongoDB. He teaches digital marketing at General Assemb.ly. If you’re curious, you can Visit VincentBarr.com and join his mailing list.

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Pre-A/B testing mistakes to avoid: how to plan properly

A/B testing might sound like a straightforward game of comparing A to B, but if you’re not careful, you could end up with a big ol’ mess of useless data. Here’s the lowdown on some rookie mistakes that can happen before you even launch your test.

1. Not having a clear hypothesis

Ah, the gut feeling. It’s as tempting as that third cup of coffee, but just as risky. Starting an A/B test solely on a hunch or guess is very likely to lead to untrustworthy results and a heaping pile of disappointment.

How to do it right

To nail useful A/B testing results you need a rock-solid A/B test hypothesis, which is a clear, testable statement that predicts how changes to a landing page or element will impact user behavior. Here’s how to create a good hypothesis:

• Dig into your web analytics: Look for patterns in user behavior that you’d like to make changes to.
• Guess what’s stopping them: Use your Sherlock skills to speculate why users aren’t converting.
• Craft your hypothesis statement: Make it clear what you’re testing and why it matters.

And always ask yourself the golden questions: 

• Who’s visiting my landing page? 
• Where did they come from? 
• Why are they here, and why should they care about what I’m offering? 
• What’s the secret sauce that could convert them? How do I sprinkle that sauce to boost conversions?

Recommended reading: How to formulate a smart A/B test hypothesis (and why they’re crucial)

2. Failing to segment your audience properly

One of the most common pre-testing blunders is failing to segment different populations in your A/B test. It’s tempting to lean on the overall conversion rate (CVR) as your go-to metric because it’s straightforward. But this shortcut can lead to skewed results and misguided decisions, leaving you with a pile of unqualified leads and wasted resources.

When you focus on the overall CVR, you ignore the nuances of your diverse audience. Different segments—new visitors, returning users, mobile users, and so forth—each have unique behaviors and preferences. 

Without segmenting your traffic, you might end up optimizing for visitors who aren’t your primary target, boosting conversion rates among less valuable segments while missing out on potential gains from your target audience. This misalignment means your optimizations won’t drive the impactful results you’re aiming for.

How to do it right

• Build or identify the landing page: Whether you’re creating a new page or using an existing one, ensure it’s ready for testing.
• Determine segmentation criteria: Based on your hypothesis, decide how you will segment your audience. This could be based on demographics, behavior, geography, device type, etc.
• Set up at the ad level or marketing list: Make sure your test runs exclusively with your chosen subset. This setup is crucial for gathering relevant data.

After you’ve taken those steps, get even better results with our AI-powered optimization tool Smart Traffic. It can automate and deepen personalization by considering variables like device type, location, and more. It dynamically routes visitors to the page variant most likely to convert, taking the guesswork out of audience segmentation.

By focusing on specific audience segments, you’ll gather stronger insights that lead to more effective optimizations. Plus, with Smart Traffic, you can sit back and let the automation work its magic, ensuring each visitor gets a personalized experience that drives conversions.

3. Running A/B tests on pages that aren’t impactful

Sure, your “About Us” page is awesome, filled with delightful designs and fun, informative copy. But is it worth your time running an A/B test on? If it isn’t directly driving any conversions, then the answer is “no.” You’re plenty busy already, so it’s best to spend your time and effort on pages that will actually make some magic happen.

How to do it right

• Focus on impactful pages: Test high-traffic pages directly tied to your sales funnel, like product, checkout, or registration pages. These pages are crucial touchpoints in your customer journey.
• Use your customer journey map: To ensure you’re testing the right pages, review your customer journey map. Identify the steps leading to conversion, such as clicking an advert, reviewing a product page, or reading shipping information, and create hypotheses with this journey in mind.
• Evaluate page importance: Ask yourself key questions about the page you’re testing: What decisions has the user already made? Are they even on the path to conversion yet?

By aligning your A/B tests with the customer journey, you’ll focus your efforts on the most impactful areas, driving meaningful improvements in your conversion rates. 

4. Running a test before you’ve got enough users

If your page is a ghost town, your A/B test results will be spookily unreliable. Without significant traffic, you’re not going to hit that sweet 95% statistical significance mark, meaning your results are about as trustworthy as a fortune cookie prediction. (The 95% statistical significance is an industry standard, and it means that if you ran the experiment 20 times, you would likely get the same results 19 times.)

How to do it right

Check your traffic and conversions using a sample size calculator (we’ve got a pretty good one). If you’re running low on visitors, remember: A/B testing isn’t the only trick in your CRO (conversion rate optimization) toolbox. Try using surveys or heatmaps instead, or do holdout experiments where a small group isn’t exposed to changes, helping you spot long-term effects.

5. Forgetting that customers are connected

Standard A/B testing operates on the assumption that users don’t influence each other, but this isn’t always true in the online world. Users interact, share experiences, and even sway each other’s decisions. 

These interactions can mess with your results, leaving you scratching your head over misleading data. Imagine running a test where Group A sees a new feature and Group B doesn’t. If Group A users rave about it on social media or through word of mouth, Group B users might get influenced, skewing your test results.

Ignoring these interactions can lead to inaccurate conclusions and flawed optimization strategies. If you think your test results are solely based on isolated user behavior, you might miss out on understanding how social influence and network effects impact your data.

How to do it right

To get a clearer picture of user behavior, use network A/B testing to account for group interactions or avoid them altogether. Here’s how you can do it:

• Isolate test groups: Ensure that users in Group A don’t interact with users in Group B. This might mean creating separate environments or communication channels for each group.
• Analyze network effects: Use tools that allow you to measure the extent of group interactions. Understanding how much influence users have on each other can help you adjust your strategies.
• Adjust for social influence: If isolating users completely isn’t feasible, factor in the social influence when analyzing your results. Look for patterns that suggest cross-group interactions and adjust your conclusions accordingly.
• Monitor social channels: Keep an eye on social media and other communication platforms to see if your test is being discussed across groups. This can give you insights into how users might be influencing each other.

By accounting for these interactions, you’ll gain a more accurate understanding of user behavior, leading to better, more reliable optimization decisions.

6. Not involving your team in A/B tests

One of the most overlooked aspects of A/B testing is failing to involve your colleagues from different departments. When only a few individuals handle the testing process, you miss out on valuable insights and innovative ideas that could significantly impact your results. Collaboration across departments brings in fresh perspectives and diverse experiences, which can lead to more effective and creative testing strategies.

Another reason why it’s beneficial to keep other teams in the loop is because your test might impact different areas of marketing or down-funnel activities. For example, you might soft launch a feature that other teams weren’t aware was available to customers, leading to possible confusion.

How to do it right

Involve team members from different departments in the A/B testing process. Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Cross-department collaboration: Bring in colleagues from SEM, SEO, content, design, and development. Their unique insights can shape more well-rounded and impactful tests.
• Shared understanding: Help your team understand the A/B testing process by working together on a single test from start to finish. This builds a shared knowledge base and fosters better cooperation.
• Encourage enthusiasm: When team members see the direct impact of their contributions—such as a significant increase in conversions—they’re more likely to be enthusiastic and supportive of future tests.

Recommended resource: Paid media experiment brief—use this template to plan, build, and optimize your experiments so you can run more experiments, more efficiently.

Mid-A/B testing mistakes to avoid: how to build better

Now let’s dive into the common mistakes that happen during the testing process and how to avoid them like a pro.

7. Prioritizing beautiful design over conversion

It’s tempting to think that a stunning design will naturally lead to higher conversions. But a beautifully designed page won’t always take the cake. Design is important, but only if it supports the real star of your page: the copy. A visually appealing page might not necessarily resonate with your audience or drive them to take action.

How to do it right

Start with strong, persuasive copy and then create a design that complements it. Always prioritize functionality and clarity over aesthetics. Test different design elements to see which ones truly enhance user experience and drive conversions.

• Write persuasive copy first: Ensure your message is clear and compelling.
• Design to support the copy: Create visuals that enhance the user’s understanding and engagement.
• Test design elements: Validate assumptions about design impact through A/B testing.

8. Assuming testimonials are a magic bullet

Testimonials can be powerful, but they aren’t a guaranteed win. It’s a common mistake to assume that adding testimonials will always boost conversions without testing them. Even elements as trusted as testimonials need to be tested to ensure they’re effective for your specific audience and context.

How to do it right

Approach testimonials with the same scrutiny as any other content. Test different formats, placements, and styles to find out what resonates best with your audience.

• Test testimonials rigorously: Don’t skip testing just because they’re trusted elements.
• Experiment with variations: Try different types of testimonials to see which works best.
• Measure their impact: Use analytics to determine the actual effect on conversions.

9. Losing track of your company’s voice

In the pursuit of higher conversions, it’s easy to lose sight of your brand’s unique voice and personality. Over-optimizing for conversion can sometimes dilute what’s special about your brand, leading to a disconnect with your loyal customers.

How to do it right

Maintain a balance between optimizing for conversions and preserving your brand’s voice. Use A/B testing to find the sweet spot where your brand’s personality shines through while also driving conversions.

• Preserve your brand’s voice: Don’t sacrifice your unique identity for higher conversion rates.
• Test language and tone: Find the right balance between engaging your audience and optimizing for conversions.
• Focus on quality conversions: Optimize for leads that align with your brand values and have long-term potential.

10. Running the test for too short a time

We get it—waiting is hard. But cutting your test short is like leaving a cake half-baked. Without enough time, your results won’t reach statistical significance, and you’re just gambling with your data.

How to do it right

Stay disciplined. Don’t stop your test before hitting the 95% significance mark. Let your A/B testing tool declare a winner, or better yet, wait until you’ve reached your pre-calculated minimum sample size. Patience is a virtue, especially in A/B testing.

11. Using a testing tool that slows down site speed

Some A/B testing tools can slow your site by up to a second. It may not sound like much but it’s actually a big deal since, according to Google, 53% of users abandon mobile sites that take more than three seconds to load. If your site slows down, your conversion rate will likely drop, skewing your test results.

How to do it right

Run an A/A test first—test your tool without any changes to see if it impacts your site’s performance. This will help you identify any performance issues before your real test starts. 

Tools with server-side loading (just like our own A/B testing tool) can help avoid delays and flickers, so you’ll get the cleanest, most accurate results.

12. Running too many tests at once

Simplicity is key. Running multiple tests simultaneously can muddle your results. While it’s okay to test different versions of a single element, running too many tests at once demands a larger sample size and complicates your analysis.

How to do it right

Limit yourself to just the number of tests that you and your team can handle without getting overwhelmed, and focus on significant elements like your CTA button or headline. By keeping things streamlined, you’ll gather clearer, more actionable insights.

13. Comparing different time periods

Traffic fluctuates, and comparing results from different periods can mislead you. Comparing a high-traffic Wednesday to a low-traffic Tuesday is like comparing apples to oranges. Seasonal events or external factors can further distort your results.

How to do it right

Run your tests over similar and comparable time periods to get consistent data. For instance, if you’re an ecommerce retailer, don’t compare holiday season traffic with post-holiday slumps—instead, try comparing similar holiday seasons across different years. Consistency is crucial for reliable insights.

14. Changing parameters mid-test

Tweaking your test mid-way is the quickest route to invalid results. Whether it’s adjusting traffic allocation or altering variables, mid-test changes can skew your data and lead to false conclusions.

How to do it right

Set your parameters and stick to them. If you absolutely need to make changes, start a new test. Consistency ensures that your results are valid and actionable.

Post-A/B testing mistakes to avoid: how to optimize and improve

You’ve run your A/B test, collected your data, and declared a winner. But hold your confetti, because the end of the test doesn’t mean the end of your work. There are several common mistakes that can mess with your results after the test is over, if you don’t know how to avoid them.

15. Leaving too little documentation

Between waiting for statistical significance and making incremental changes, A/B tests demand high maintenance. That’s why thorough documentation is crucial to squeeze every drop of learning from your experiments. Without proper records, you miss out on valuable insights, waste resources, and lack direction for future tests.

How to do it right

Create a template for documenting internal A/B tests and ensure everyone sticks to it. Your documentation should include:

• The analytics data that inspired your hypothesis
• Your assumptions about why this data looks the way it does
• Audience targeting and segments
• Your hypothesis, formed as a clear statement and goal
• The KPIs and metrics you decided to measure
• The stakeholders who need to be involved
• Timelines (e.g. how long the tests will run)
• Your test results, including a discussion and a list of further actions

Recommended resource: Paid media experiment brief template

16. Not iterating on the test

It’s easy to shrug off a failed hypothesis and move on, especially if you’ve been waiting weeks for the results. But giving up too soon means you’re not fully digesting your learnings.

How to do it right

If your hypothesis was grounded in data but the test didn’t achieve the desired result, tweak your approach and try again. Here are your options:

• Iterate on the test: Conduct further tests on the page, fine-tuning the original hypothesis.
• Test new research opportunities: Use your results to identify new hypotheses.
• Investigate further: If the results are unclear, dig deeper before deciding on your next steps.
• Pivot: If your data clearly indicates a wrong hypothesis, look for other issues on the page.

17. Making too many changes based on your results

Convincing A/B test results can be persuasive, but overestimating their implications can lead to trouble. For example, if adding a sign-up pop-up increases your mailing list on one page, it doesn’t mean you should plaster pop-ups everywhere. Overdoing it might annoy users and increase your bounce rate.

How to do it right

Go slow and steady with your changes. Remember, an A/B test answers a specific question. Implement changes gradually and monitor their impact carefully before rolling them out site-wide.

18. Measuring results inaccurately

Accurate measurement is as crucial as accurate testing. If you don’t measure results properly, your data becomes unreliable, making it impossible to make informed decisions.

How to do it right

Ensure your A/B testing solution integrates with Google Analytics for better control and insights. This way, you can track your test results accurately and gain actionable insights.

19. Blindly following A/B testing case studies

It’s tempting to copy what worked for others, but what works for one company might not work for yours. Every business is unique, and blindly following case studies can lead you astray.

How to do it right

Use case studies as a reference point to generate ideas, but develop your own A/B testing strategy tailored to your audience. This approach ensures that your tests are relevant and effective for your specific needs.

Recommended reading: How a three-word A/B test led to triple-digit conversion growth

20. Not considering small wins

A 2% or 5% increase in conversion might seem insignificant, but small gains add up over time. Ignoring them is one of the biggest A/B testing mistakes you can make.

How to do it right

Embrace small wins. Look at them from a 12-month perspective—even a small percentage of steady, continuous growth can lead to huge returns over a full year.

21. Not running your A/B tests strategically

Without a clear plan, A/B tests can become a random guessing game. It’s challenging to draw significant conclusions without a strategic approach, leading to wasted resources and fleeting wins.

How to do it right

• Document learnings: Maintain a record of your test results and insights.
• Test sequentially: Run one test at a time, analyze results, and build on your learnings.
• Establish a feedback loop: Regularly share insights with your team to inform product enhancements.

22. Not being aware of validity threats

Even with a decent sample size, confidence level, and test duration, your test results can be invalid due to several threats like the instrumentation effect (when a flawed instrument skews the data), the selection effect (when you incorrectly assume that a small portion of the traffic represents all of the traffic), and the broken code effect (when the page didn’t display properly on certain devices or browsers).

• Monitor every metric: Ensure all goals and metrics are correctly recorded.
• Watch external factors: Be aware of events that could skew your data.
• Ensure quality assurance: Test your variations across all browsers and devices.

23. Assuming that “wins” apply across all customer segments

A winning variation for one segment might not work for another. It’s crucial to segment your audience and understand different user behaviors.

How to do it right

Like we mentioned before, it’s crucial to segment your users by demographics, behavior, and source when analyzing data. This approach helps you understand how different groups interact with your changes and ensures you’re optimizing for the right audience.

24. Not watching out for downstream impacts

Changes that improve one metric might negatively impact another. It’s essential to consider the overall effect on your site’s performance.

How to do it right

Monitor downstream impacts carefully. Ensure that improvements in one area don’t lead to declines in another. This holistic approach helps maintain a balanced and effective optimization strategy.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What is a hypothesis in A/B testing?
2. What are the key components of an A/B testing hypothesis?
3. How to generate a hypothesis for multiple tests
4. A/B testing hypothesis examples
5. 6 best practices for making a winning hypothesis

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

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Michael Aagaard

Michael Aagaard has been working full time with CRO since 2008. He has helped companies all over the world, including Unbounce, improve their online businesses. Michael’s approach to CRO revolves around research and consumer psychology. He is a sought-after international keynote speaker and is generally known as one of the most passionate and enthusiastic people in the industry. Get in touch with Michael via http://michaelaagaard.com.

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In this article, you’ll learn:

• What makes a good A/B testing hypothesis
• The components of an A/B testing hypothesis
• Best practices for better hypotheses
• How you can start testing with confidence

Ready? Let’s dig in.

What is a hypothesis in A/B testing?

An A/B testing hypothesis is a clear, testable statement predicting how changes to a landing page or element will impact user behavior. It guides the experiment by defining what you’re testing and the expected outcome, helping determine if the changes improve metrics like conversions or engagement.

Zooming out a bit, the actual dictionary definition of a hypothesis is “a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.”

Wordy…

Put simply, it’s an educated guess used as a starting point to learn more about a given subject. 

In the context of landing page and conversion rate optimization, a test hypothesis is an assumption you base your optimized test variant on. It covers what you want to change on the landing page and what impacts you expect to see from that change.

Running an A/B test lets you examine to what extent your assumptions were correct, see whether they had the expected impact, and ultimately get more insight into the behavior of your target audience.

Formulating a hypothesis will help you challenge your assumptions and evaluate how likely they are to affect the decisions and actions of your prospects.

In the long run this can save you a lot of time and money and help you achieve better results.

What are the key components of an A/B testing hypothesis?

Now that you’ve got a clear definition of what an A/B testing hypothesis is and why it matters, let’s look at the ins and outs of putting one together for yourself.

In general, your hypothesis will include three key components:

• A problem statement
• A proposed solution
• The anticipated results

Let’s quickly explore what each of these components involves.

The problem statement

Your first task: Ask yourself why you’re running a test. 

In order to formulate a test hypothesis, you need to know what your conversion goal is and what problem you want to solve by running the test—basically, the “why” of your test.

So before you start working on your test hypothesis, you first have to do two things:

• Determine your conversion goal
• Identify a problem and formulate a problem statement

Once you know what your goal is and what you presume is keeping your visitors from realizing that goal, you can move on to the next step of creating your test hypothesis.

The proposed solution

Your proposed solution is the bread and butter of your hypothesis. This is the “how” portion of your test, and will outline the steps you take to run and achieve your test. 

Basically, if you’re looking at an A/B test, start thinking of the elements you want to test and how those will support you reaching your goal. 

The anticipated results

This is the final component of a good A/B test hypothesis and is your educated guess at what results you anticipate your test delivering. 

Basically, you’re trying to predict what the test will achieve—but it’s important to remember you don’t need to worry about accuracy here. Obviously, you don’t want your results to be a total surprise, but you’re just trying to outline a ballpark idea of what the test will achieve. 

Putting these three components together is how you develop a strong hypothesis, outlining the why, how, and what that will shape your test. 

How to generate a hypothesis for multiple tests

Generating a hypothesis for multiple A/B tests, or even multivariate tests, follows the same logic and process as a single test. You identify a problem, propose a solution, and predict your results. 

The challenge in this instance, though, is that it can be really tempting to create a hypothesis and try to apply it to multiple different variables on a landing page. If you’re testing multiple things at once, it’s harder to determine what’s causing the results.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t have options. 

Multivariate testing allows you to compare multiple variables across multiple pages (not just the single variable over two different pages you get with an A/B test). These tests are a bit more complicated than an A/B test, but they can still deliver incredible insights. 

Generating a hypothesis for a multivariate test follows the same principles as it always does, but you need to pay closer attention to how altering multiple elements on one or more pages will impact your results. 

Make sure to track those variables closely to ensure you can measure effectiveness. 

A/B testing hypothesis examples

Let’s look at a real-world example of how to put it all together.

Let’s say there’s a free ebook that you’re offering to the readers on your blog:

Image courtesy ContentVerve

Data from surveys and customer interviews suggests you have a busy target audience who don’t have a lot of spare time to read ebooks, and the time it takes to read the thing could be a barrier that keeps them from it.

With this in mind, your conversion goal and problem statement would look something like this: 

• Conversion goal: ebook downloads
• Problem statement: “My target audience is busy, and the time it takes to read the ebook is a barrier that keeps them from downloading it.”

With both the conversion goal and problem statement in place, it’s time to move on to forming a hypothesis on how to solve the issue set forth in the problem statement.

The ebook can be read in just 25 minutes, so maybe you can motivate more visitors to download the book by calling out that it’s a quick read—these are your expected results. 

Now say you’ve got data from eye-tracking software that suggests the first words in the first bullet point on the page attract more immediate attention from visitors. This information might lead you to hypothesize that the first bullet is thus the best place to address that time issue. 

If you put the proposed solution and expected results together, you get the following A/B test hypothesis: 

“By tweaking the copy in the first bullet point to directly address the ‘time issue’, I can motivate more visitors to download the ebook.”

Great! Now, it’s time to work on putting your hypothesis to the test. To do this, you would work on the actual treatment copy for the bullet point. 

Image courtesy ContentVerse

Remember: until you test your hypotheses, they will never be more than hypotheses. You need reliable data to prove or disprove the validity of your hypotheses. To find out whether your hypothesis will hold water, you can set up an A/B test with the bullet copy as the only variable.

6 best practices for making a winning hypothesis

Working with test hypotheses provides you with a much more solid optimization framework than simply running with guesses and ideas that come about on a whim.

But remember that a solid test hypothesis is an informed solution to a real problem—not an arbitrary guess. The more research and data you have to base your hypothesis on, the better it will be.

To that end, let’s look at six best practices you can follow for making a winning A/B test hypothesis:

1. Be clear and specific 

The more specific you can get with your A/B test hypothesis, the stronger it will be. 

When you’re developing your hypothesis, avoid any vague statements. Make sure your hypothesis clearly states the change you’re making and the outcome you expect to see. 

As an example, a statement like “changing the button color will increase clicks” is broad and vague. Instead, try specifying the color you’re changing your CTA button to and creating a clearer estimate on how much you think clicks will increase by. 

Your amended statement could look something like: “Changing the CTA button to blue and updating the copy will increase the amount of clicks by 20%.” 

2. Focus on a single variable  

A/B testing is all about comparing the performance of a single variable across two versions. Introducing more variables changes the nature of the test and thus the nature of your hypothesis.

Don’t muddy the waters by trying to do too much in one test. This will make it much harder to spot what change led to any observed effect, let alone whether it confirmed your hypothesis. 

Remember, you can always continue to test additional variables—pick one to start and focus on getting results there before you dig in elsewhere. 

If you’re not sure where to start, we put together a list of 18 elements on a landing page you can test to help you get started. 

3. Base it on data and quantifiable insights 

Like we said above, the more data you have, the better. Any hypothesis you develop should be based on quantifiable data and insights to get the most out of your test.

Google Analytics, customer interviews, surveys, heat maps and user testing are just a handful of examples of valuable data sources that will help you gain insight on your target audience, how they interact with your landing page, and what makes them tick.

Look at past data, user feedback, and market research to inform your hypothesis. This ensures that your experiment is grounded in reality and increases the likelihood of meaningful results. 

As an example, if previous data suggests that users prefer blue buttons, your hypothesis might be that changing the button color from green to blue will increase engagement.

Not sure what data you should be focusing on? Here are a few metrics and KPIs to keep in mind: 

• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate
• Form abandonment rate
• Time on page
• Page load time
• Exit rate
• Click-through rate

4. Make sure it’s testable

You need to be able to measure the results of your test. Defining specific metrics and KPIs—such as click-through rates and especially conversion rate—is a great way to make sure what you’re doing is testable and measurable. 

If the best practices you’ve read to this point are sounding familiar, that’s because they broadly align with the concept of SMART goals—that is, making sure that your hypothesis is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. 

Making sure your hypothesis is clear and testable will also ensure you can easily interpret your results, removing or reducing the risk of subjective interpretation. 

5. Don’t ignore context

How does your test fit into your broader conversion rate optimization goals and strategies? As much as you’re hypothesizing about the specific results of your test, a strong hypothesis also acknowledges how your experimentation will benefit your efforts at large. 

Whenever you’re developing a hypothesis, consider other potential interactions with elements on your website, your email marketing, or even the products and services you’re offering. Changing an element in one location may have different effects depending on where it sits in the overall buyer’s journey. 

6. Keep it realistic

The final best practice to keep in mind when developing a strong A/B test hypothesis is to aim high but keep a level head—no matter how ambitious you may be, it’s important to keep your expectations realistic and grounded. 

An overly ambitious goal could lead to disappointment at best and missed targets at the worst. This is why it’s critical to benchmark and refer to past performance. 

Even so, that doesn’t mean you need to be constantly doubting your efforts. Just because you’re being realistic about your expectations doesn’t mean you have to scale down tests and initiatives. 

Take, as an example, travel company Going, who ran a simple A/B test around CTA phrasing that led to a 104% increase in conversions. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Which factors influence ecommerce sales the most?
2. 22 ways to increase your ecommerce sales
3. Product presentation and product page tips
4. Checkout and sales process tips
5. Customer feedback and review tips
6. Customer loyalty and engagement tips
7. Marketing and social media tips
8. How to put these ideas into practice

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

» More blog posts by Josh Gallant

Which factors influence ecommerce sales the most?

Several factors play a crucial role in the success of ecommerce sales.

Things like the overall user experience on your website, the attractiveness and clarity of your product presentations, the ease of the purchasing process, and more can make or break your ecommerce engine.

The good news is, there are plenty of levers you can pull across each key area to increase your ecommerce sales—22 of which we’ll be covering in this post.

In short, here are the most important factors that influence how well-oiled your ecommerce sales machine:

• How you present your product to visitors
• How potential customers purchase your product online
• How you tap into customer reviews and feedback
• How well you build customer loyalty and retain customers
• How you market your products and drive (high-quality) traffic

22 ways to increase your ecommerce sales

Let’s get down to business.

We’ve outlined 22 different tactics you can use to drive more ecommerce sales, split into the five buckets we mentioned above. If you’d like, you can use those links to jump straight to a specific section.

To be clear here too:

You don’t need to do ALL 22 of these to see success.

As you scroll through this post, jot down the ideas that jump out to you and feel most relevant to your ecommerce business. For example, if you know your product pages need some TLC, write down and experiment with the product page tips. If your pages are in good shape but you’re not driving enough (or the right) traffic, skip to the PPC and marketing tips.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

Product presentation and product page tips

First, your products need to be presented well. If your product pages look sloppy and aren’t properly optimized to convert visitors, your sales charts aren’t going to be as up-and-to-the-right as you’d like.

In this section, we’ll cover some practical ways to improve the layout, design, and performance of your product pages by leaning into some ecommerce landing page best practices.

• Apply landing page best practices to your product pages
• Write compelling product descriptions
• Use high-quality product images
• Choose the right ecommerce and landing page platforms
• Experiment with popups and sticky bars
• A/B test your product pages, pricing, marketing messages, etc.

1. Apply landing page best practices to your product pages

Applying landing page best practices to your product pages is essential for boosting ecommerce sales. These strategies ensure potential customers have a seamless and engaging experience, making them more likely to convert.

• Use clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs): Your CTAs should be visually prominent and use action-oriented language like “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart” to guide visitors toward making a purchase.
• Simplify navigation and minimize distractions: A clean and simple layout helps online shoppers find what they need quickly, reducing the likelihood of abandonment. Remove any unnecessary elements that could distract from the purchasing process.
• Use trust signals like security badges and customer reviews: Displaying security badges, guarantees, and positive reviews reassures potential buyers that your ecommerce business is reliable, encouraging them to complete their purchase.

Most ecommerce product pages already do a good job of this, but Branch is a good example because they also use high contrast to make their simple “Add to Cart” button stand out.

2. Choose the right ecommerce and landing page platforms

Selecting the right ecommerce tool and landing page platform is crucial for your ecommerce business’s scalability and success. If you’re trying to grow sales with less-than-stellar tools in your toolbelt, all you’re doing is making the job far tougher than it needs to be.

• Evaluate platforms based on scalability, customization, and ease of use: Choose a platform that can grow with your business, offers customization options, and is user-friendly. This makes sure your site remains functional and attractive as your business expands.
• Consider integration with marketing tools and payment gateways: Your platforms should integrate seamlessly across marketing tools, payment options and tools, inventory management tools, etc. This makes it easier to manage campaigns and transactions efficiently.
• Use platforms with built-in A/B testing: No matter how your product pages or landing pages are set up, you will be A/B testing at some point (and if you ask us, you should be A/B testing yesterday, today, tomorrow, and every day beyond that). Make sure your landing page and product page tools come with A/B testing features.

We may be slightly biased here, but Unbounce has helped countless store owners, operators, and marketers grow ecommerce sales.

And to be crystal clear, you absolutely do not need to ditch Shopify, BigCommerce, or whichever ecomm platform you’re running on. You can still use Unbounce alongside these tools to build and A/B test campaign-specific ecommerce landing pages, new product pages, popups and sticky bars, and more. All without needing in-house dev or design resources (shoutout to the drag-and-drop builder).

Here are a few examples and success stories to check out:

• How ecomm startup, DYPER, brought their brand to life with landing pages
• How new balance doubled in-store sales with mobile landing pages
• See the landing pages these shopify merchants used to scale ad revenue 33x
• How a three-word a/b test led to triple-digit conversion growth

3. Write compelling product descriptions

Crafting compelling product descriptions is a key component in driving ecommerce sales. Well-written descriptions not only inform but also engage and persuade potential buyers.

If you’re struggling to come up with good ideas or stuck staring at a blank page, you can use Smart Copy inside Unbounce to work alongside your very own AI copywriting assistant.

• Highlight unique features and benefits: Clearly outline what makes your product special and how it can meet your customers’ needs or solve their problems. This helps potential buyers understand the value of your product.
• Use persuasive and emotive language: Create a vivid picture of the positive experience your product offers. Instead of just listing features, describe how it will enhance the customer’s life or solve a specific issue.
• Include keywords naturally to improve SEO: Integrate relevant keywords seamlessly into your descriptions. This boosts your product’s visibility in search engines, making it easier for potential buyers to find you.

Jinx sells healthy puppy food and uses their product descriptions to explain exactly what makes their food unique.

4. Use high-quality product images

High-quality product images are essential for creating a positive first impression and convincing potential buyers to make a purchase. Visuals play a crucial role in online shopping, where customers cannot physically interact with products.

• Showcase multiple angles and details: Provide a comprehensive view of your product by including images from different angles and highlighting key features. This helps potential buyers feel more confident in their purchase decisions.
• Include zoom functionality and lifestyle images: Allow customers to zoom in on product images to see fine details. Additionally, use lifestyle images to show the product in use, helping customers envision how it fits into their lives.
• Ensure images are optimized for fast load times: Optimize your images to maintain high quality while ensuring quick loading times. Slow-loading images can frustrate online shoppers and lead to higher bounce rates.

Italic uses a minimalistic style across their site, with large, elegant-looking images to illustrate a luxurious vibe that matches how they’re positioning their products.

5. Experiment with popups and sticky bars

Using popups and sticky bars can effectively capture customer attention and drive ecommerce conversions. These tools provide timely, relevant information or offers that can nudge potential customers towards making a purchase.

• Use popups for exit intent or special offers: Implement exit intent popups to capture customers about to leave your site, offering them discounts or special deals to encourage them to stay and complete their purchase.
• Implement sticky bars for important announcements or promotions: Sticky bars remain visible as customers browse, ensuring they see important messages like ongoing sales or free shipping offers. This keeps promotional information front and center.
• A/B test different designs and messaging: Experiment with various designs and messages for your popups and sticky bars. Analyze which combinations yield the highest conversion rates and adjust accordingly.

Caraway uses a clean full-screen popup that doesn’t necessarily share a novel, never-seen-before offer—everyone does free shipping these days—but still keeps things simple and straightforward.

The headline is clear—free shipping—as is the call to action. Bonus points for not using unnecessarily negative copy like “No I hate saving money” on their decline button too.

6. A/B test your product pages, pricing, marketing messages, etc.

A/B testing is a powerful tool for optimizing your ecommerce site. By comparing different versions of your pages, you can identify what resonates best with your audience and drives conversions. Of course, you can use the Unbounce platform to A/B test anything and everything on your product landing pages, too.

• Test different layouts, headlines, and CTAs: Experiment with different elements like page layouts, headline styles, and CTA buttons. Determine which combinations lead to higher engagement and sales.
• Analyze results and implement the most effective variations: Regularly review the performance data from your tests. Implement the variations that perform best to continuously improve your site’s effectiveness.
• Continuously optimize based on data-driven insights: Use the insights gained from A/B testing to make informed decisions. Continually refine your product pages, pricing strategies, and marketing messages to enhance user experience and conversion rates.

Checkout and sales process tips

Once your products are displayed in a way you’re proud of on your product pages and you’ve been able to successfully get visitors to hit the beautiful “add to cart” button, the next step is simple:

Close the sale.

Simple, but not easy, of course.

WIth products in the cart already, the focus here is all about how you can strengthen your checkout experience. The easier and more compelling you make it for visitors to complete their purchases, the more likely they’ll be to… complete their purchases.

Let’s run through a few tips you can experiment with.

• Optimize your checkout process
• Add upsells and down-sells to your sales funnel
• Offer multiple payment options

7. Optimize your checkout process

Optimizing your checkout process is vital for reducing cart abandonment and boosting sales. A streamlined and user-friendly checkout can make the difference between a completed purchase and a lost customer.

• Get creative with your copy and checkout experience: Checkout doesn’t always need to be boring and basic. Sometimes, adding some creativity and customization for each user can boost the likelihood of them purchasing.
• Simplify the checkout steps to reduce friction: Reduce the number of steps required to purchase. A single-page checkout or a clear, multi-step process can help maintain customer focus and reduce drop-offs.
• Offer guest checkout options: When customers can complete their purchase without creating an account, you remove a significant barrier, especially for first-time buyers who prefer a quicker checkout experience.
• Use a mobile-friendly design: Make sure your checkout process is optimized for mobile devices. A responsive design and easy-to-use interface are crucial as more customers shop on their smartphones and tablets.

One great example of a personalized checkout process is BarkBox—a dog toy and treat subscription box.

They use a multi-step, quiz-style checkout process that asks for info about your pup like their name, size, and birthday, then present you with custom-tailored subscription box options. And throughout the process, they’re using dynamic text replacement to add your puppy’s name to the pages.

Here’s how the process looks:

Step 1: Share their name and if they’re a “good girl” or “good boy”.

Step 2: Share how much your pup weighs (with their name in the question).

Step 3: Share the breed of your pup, again with their name in the question.

Step 4: Choose a subscription option tailored to your puppy.

Step 5: Start the checkout process. Notice their guarantee is automatically personalized with your pup’s name, as is the name of the product you’re buying.

8. Add upsells and down-sells to your sales funnel

Integrating upsells and down-sells into your sales funnel can significantly boost your revenue per transaction. By offering related products or higher-end options, you can maximize the value of each sale.

• Recommend higher-end products or complementary items: Suggest premium versions of products or items that complement the original purchase. This can encourage customers to upgrade or add more to their cart.
• Use personalized suggestions based on customer behavior: Use data from previous purchases and browsing history to make personalized recommendations. Tailored suggestions are more likely to resonate with customers and result in additional sales.
• Display offers prominently during the checkout process: If you have upsell and down-sell offers, make sure they’re clearly visible at strategic points in the checkout process, such as on the cart page or during payment. This increases the chances of customers considering these additional options.

Quip adds an upsell directly on their cart page—a subscription offer for $20/year that also adds discounts throughout the year. They make it as simple as pressing the “Add to cart” button too. Just like that, you can turn a $25 purchase into a $45 purchase, with an even greater likelihood of future purchases given that it’s a subscription service.

9. Offer multiple payment options

Providing multiple payment options is essential for accommodating your customers’ diverse preferences. Plus, a flexible and secure payment process can enhance trust and convenience, leading to higher conversion rates.

• Offer common payment methods like major credit cards and Apple Pay: Try to support as many widely used payment options as possible to cater to a broad audience. This includes major credit cards like Visa and Mastercard, PayPal, and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Consider financing options: Financing or installment plans can make higher-priced items more accessible, encouraging customers to make larger purchases. This won’t be the right fit for every brand, so make sure to evaluate if it’s worth experimenting with on your specific store.
• Use a secure and seamless payment experience: Use trusted payment gateways and display security badges to reassure customers. It may seem small, but a smooth, secure checkout process that feels familiar to customers will build trust, decrease purchase anxiety, and reduce cart abandonment.

Customer feedback and review tips

Social proof is still the name of the game.

In fact, 92% of consumers hesitate to buy when no customer reviews are available, and 66% say positive reviews are most important when purchasing.

So the questions are: How can you get more positive reviews, and what should you do with them when you do get them?

Here are the answers:

• Collect and analyze customer feedback
• Feature customer reviews on your product pages to build trust
• Encourage user-generated content

10. Collect and analyze customer feedback

Gathering and analyzing customer feedback is crucial for understanding your customers’ needs and improving your offerings. This process helps identify areas for improvement and boosts customer satisfaction.

• Use surveys, feedback forms, and social media listening: Implement various methods to gather feedback from your customers. Surveys and feedback forms can provide direct insights, while social media listening can reveal customer sentiments and trends.
• Analyze feedback to identify common pain points and opportunities: Regularly review the collected feedback to spot recurring issues or suggestions. This analysis can highlight areas where your products or services can be enhanced.
• Implement changes based on customer insights: Use the insights gained from feedback to make informed adjustments to your products, services, or website. Addressing customer concerns shows that you value their input and are committed to improvement.

11. Feature customer reviews on your product pages to build trust

Featuring customer reviews on your product pages is a powerful way to build trust and influence potential buyers. Positive reviews act as social proof, reassuring visitors about the quality and reliability of your products.

• Highlight positive reviews and testimonials: Promote happy customer reviews on your product pages. This can help potential buyers feel more confident in their purchase decisions.
• Display star ratings prominently: Use star ratings to give visitors a quick visual indication of product quality. High ratings can significantly boost a potential buyer’s confidence.
• Allow users to filter and sort reviews: Enable filtering and sorting options for reviews so customers can easily find the most relevant feedback. This can enhance their shopping experience and help them make informed decisions.

Brooklinen does this well on their product pages in a few ways. First, above the fold, they show reviews and a star rating (as most pages do) but also a live tracker of how many people have the product in their cart right now.

Second, below the fold, they have a dedicated section with customer reviews. They show the overall rating and number of reviews (a trust signal on its own), and a complete list of filterable reviews with a few positive reviews featured at the top.

12. Encourage user-generated content

Encouraging user-generated content (UGC) can greatly enhance your ecommerce site by adding authentic, relatable content created by your customers. UGC builds trust and engagement, providing social proof that can influence potential buyers.

• Run campaigns to solicit reviews, photos, and videos: Encourage customers to share their experiences with your products through reviews, photos, and videos. Offer incentives like discounts or rewards to motivate participation.
• Share user-generated content on social media and product pages: Feature customer photos and videos on your social media channels and product pages. This not only showcases real-life use cases but also fosters a sense of community.
• Reward customers for contributing content: Implement a rewards program that recognizes and rewards customers for their contributions. This can include discounts, loyalty points, or special recognition.

Customer loyalty and engagement tips

Loyal and engaged customers make repeat purchases and tell their friends about you. If the goal is to increase ecommerce sales, both of those things are right on the money.

Easier said than done, though.

What can you do to increase customer loyalty and build an army of raving fans?

There are some simple levers you can pull on your website, and some more complex initiatives you can launch to do exactly that. Let’s get into it.

• Enhance customer loyalty by launching loyalty programs
• Improve customer lifetime value through repeat purchase campaigns
• Prioritize customer engagement initiatives
• Provide excellent customer service

13. Enhance customer loyalty by launching loyalty programs

Building customer loyalty is essential for sustaining long-term success and driving repeat purchases. Loyalty programs can help you retain customers and increase their lifetime value by offering incentives and rewards.

• Create loyalty programs with tiered rewards: Design a loyalty program that offers different reward levels based on customer spending or engagement. This encourages customers to continue purchasing to reach higher tiers and earn better rewards.
• Offer exclusive discounts and early access to sales: Reward loyal customers with exclusive discounts, special offers, or early access to sales events. This makes them feel valued and appreciated, fostering a stronger connection to your brand.
• Personalize loyalty rewards based on customer preferences: Use data to tailor rewards to individual customer preferences. Personalized rewards are more meaningful and can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Harry’s uses a simple subscription-based loyalty program that unlocks greater and greater savings as you stay longer and purchase more.

You can of course get more creative than this depending on the product, but this is a good example that simple isn’t a bad thing when you’re just getting started with a loyalty program.

14. Improve customer lifetime value through repeat purchase campaigns

Increasing customer lifetime value (CLV) through repeat purchase campaigns is crucial for maximizing revenue. You can boost profitability and build lasting relationships by encouraging customers to return and buy again.

• Use email marketing to promote repeat purchases: Send personalized emails with product recommendations, special offers, and reminders to encourage previous buyers to return. Highlight new arrivals or complementary products to spark interest in the process.
• Offer incentives for recurring purchases: Provide discounts, loyalty points, or other rewards for repeat purchases. These incentives can motivate customers to choose your store over competitors for future needs.
• Highlight related products or services: Show related or complementary products on your website and email campaigns. This helps customers discover new items they might need, increasing the likelihood of additional purchases.

15. Prioritize customer engagement initiatives

Focusing on customer engagement initiatives is key to building strong, lasting customer relationships. Engaged customers are more likely to be loyal customers, make repeat purchases, and advocate for your brand.

• Use personalized interactions through email and social media: Tailor your communications to each customer’s preferences and behaviors. Personalized emails, social media messages, and targeted ads can make customers feel valued and understood.
• Create engaging content that resonates with your audience: Develop content that addresses your customers’ interests and needs. This can include blog posts, videos, webinars, and interactive social media posts that encourage participation and sharing.
• Host events, webinars, or live chats: Organize events and live interactions to engage directly with your customers. These activities provide a platform for real-time feedback, questions, and discussions, fostering a deeper connection.

Glossier runs a ton of local community events all over the world, and these events lead to massive amounts of user-generated content through TikTok.

16. Provide excellent customer service

Providing excellent customer service is essential for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. A positive customer service experience can turn one-time buyers into repeat customers and advocates for your brand.

• Train support teams to handle inquiries efficiently: Make sure your customer support team is well-trained to address questions and resolve issues quickly and effectively. Empower them with the knowledge and tools needed to provide top-notch service.
• Use chat options for real-time assistance: Implement live chat on your website to offer immediate help to customers. This can reduce wait times and improve the overall shopping experience.
• Follow up with customers: After resolving an issue or completing a purchase, follow up with customers to make sure they are satisfied. This extra step shows you care about their experience and are committed to their happiness.

Marketing and social media tips

With your product pages in a good place, your checkout process now well-oiled, positive reviews and ratings all over the place, and loyalty programs in place to drive repeat purchases and referrals… What’s left?

Feed the machine.

How you present your brand and products to the market can massively influence how well your ecommerce sales engine runs. If potential customers already know and love your brand from what they’ve been seeing you share on your social channels or in your ads, the chances of them converting when they do reach your website will be much higher than if they came in completely cold.

Plus, there are some specific “marketing optimization” levers you can pull that relate to SEO and PPC specifically that’ll help you reach your target audience as they’re looking for what you sell.

• Use social media platforms effectively
• Send promotional emails strategically
• Offer exclusive discounts to drive sales
• Focus on search engine optimization on your product pages
• Run targeted PPC ads and marketing campaigns
• Run retargeting ads or “win back” campaigns

17. Use social media platforms effectively

Social media platforms are essential for reaching a wider audience and driving engagement. By effectively using these channels, you can boost brand awareness, foster customer relationships, and increase sales.

• Choose platforms that align with your target audience: Focus on social media platforms where your potential customers are most active. This ensures that your efforts are reaching the right people and maximizing engagement.
• Post regularly and engage with followers: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged. Respond to comments, messages, and mentions to build a sense of community and show that you value their input.
• Use influencer marketing to expand reach: Partner with influencers who align with your brand values and have a strong following. Their endorsement can introduce your products to new potential customers and lend credibility to your brand.

Magic Spoon Cereal has built an Instagram audience of 400K+ that perfectly matches its brand vibes with fun, vibrant colors and product visuals. It’s also using its highlights section to share where you can buy, which flavors it has, an “us vs. them” comparison (which is awesome), and FAQs.

18. Send promotional emails strategically

Strategic email marketing is a powerful tool for driving sales and nurturing customer relationships. Well-timed and personalized promotional emails can encourage repeat purchases and keep your brand top-of-mind.

• Segment your email list for targeted messaging: Divide your email list into segments based on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. This allows you to send more relevant, personalized emails that resonate with each group.
• Personalize email content and offers: Use customer data to tailor your email content. Personalized subject lines, product recommendations, and special offers can increase open rates and conversions significantly.
• Track and analyze email performance metrics: Monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Use this data to refine your email marketing strategy, ensuring your campaigns are effective and engaging.

19. Offer exclusive discounts to drive sales

Offering exclusive discounts is an effective strategy to attract new customers and reward loyal ones. Special promotions can create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate purchases.

• Promote time-sensitive discounts to create urgency: Use limited-time offers to encourage potential buyers to act quickly. Countdown timers and clear expiration dates can help emphasize the urgency.
• Use discount codes for specific customer segments: Tailor discount codes for different customer groups, such as first-time buyers, loyal customers, or those who have abandoned their carts. Personalized offers can increase the likelihood of conversions.
• Track the effectiveness of discount campaigns: Monitor the performance of your discount campaigns to see which ones drive the most sales. Use this data to optimize future promotions to boost the likelihood of them being successful and cost-effective.

20. Focus on search engine optimization (SEO) on your product pages

Optimizing your product pages to rank well in search engines like Google is crucial for driving organic traffic and increasing visibility in the places where your buyers are actively searching for what you sell. Effective SEO strategies help potential buyers find your products more easily, increasing sales.

• Optimize product titles, descriptions, and images: Use relevant keywords naturally in your product titles, descriptions, and image alt texts. This helps search engines understand your content and improves your rankings.
• Use relevant keywords throughout your content: Research and incorporate keywords your target audience will likely search for. This increases the chances of your product pages appearing in search results.
• Monitor and improve page load times: Make sure your product pages load quickly to provide a positive user experience and reduce bounce rates. Faster loading times can also improve your search engine rankings.

A good example of this tactic done well is Bonobos.

Their men’s dress shirts category page is ranking in Google for over 6,000 unique keywords organically—some of which are driving hundreds of organic visitors to the page every single month.

21. Run targeted PPC ads and marketing campaigns

Running targeted PPC ads and marketing campaigns can significantly boost your ecommerce sales by reaching potential buyers actively searching for products like yours. These campaigns allow you to drive high-quality traffic to your site and landing pages quickly and efficiently.

• Use Google Ads to reach potential buyers: Create targeted ads on Google to capture search traffic. Tailor your ads to specific keywords your potential customers use, increasing the chances that your products appear at the top of search results.
• Create ad campaigns that align with your marketing goals: Define clear objectives for your PPC campaigns, whether they’re increasing sales, generating leads, or boosting brand awareness. Align your ad copy, visuals, and landing pages with these goals for maximum impact.
• Track ROI and adjust campaigns based on performance: Continuously monitor your ads’ performance to understand which ones deliver the best return on investment. Use this data to optimize your targeting, ad copy, and budget allocation.

There’s so much nuance to PPC strategies for ecommerce that we couldn’t possibly cover in this one section, but one simple way to think about it is this:

When someone is searching for what you sell, it’s best to be there as an option.

For example, if someone is searching Google for adjustable standing desks, there’s plenty of ad real estate you could be bidding on to try to win visibility.

22. Run retargeting ads or “win back” campaigns

Retargeting ads and “win back” campaigns are powerful tools for re-engaging customers who have interacted with your site but haven’t purchased. These strategies help bring back lost customers and encourage repeat business.

• Use retargeting ads to re-engage abandoned cart users: Display ads to customers who have added items to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase. Highlight the items they left behind and offer incentives, such as discounts or free shipping, to encourage them to return and finalize their purchase.
• Create “win back” campaigns for inactive customers: Identify customers who haven’t purchased in a while and reach out with personalized offers to reignite their interest. This could include special discounts, new product announcements, or personalized product recommendations.
• Personalize messaging to entice return purchases: Tailor your retargeting and “win back” messages based on customer behavior and preferences. Personalized messages are more likely to resonate and prompt customers to return to your site.

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Explore our resource library

Get actionable insights, expert advice, and practical tips that can help you create high-converting landing pages, improve your PPC campaigns, and grow your business online.

Landing pages

Conversion optimization

Digital marketing

Lead generation

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What are PPC metrics?
2. Primary PPC advertising metrics
3. Ad efficiency metrics
4. PPC campaign management metrics
5. Ad quality and performance metrics
6. Competitive and relative PPC metrics
7. Landing page experience and “micro-conversion” metrics
8. How to choose the right PPC metrics to measure

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

» More blog posts by Josh Gallant

Jacob Baadsgaard

Jacob Baadsgaard is the Founder & CEO of Disruptive Advertising, a Utah-based PPC agency that uses PPC, CRO and ROI-focused analytics to grow businesses. When Jacob’s not working, you’ll find him hanging out with his beautiful wife and three daughters or on the river fly fishing. Connect with him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

» More blog posts by Jacob Baadsgaard

What are PPC metrics?

PPC metrics are the data points you track to evaluate the performance of your ads, such as click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), and ad impressions. These metrics give you insights into how well your ads are resonating with your target audience and help you make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.

On the other hand, PPC KPIs are the specific metrics that are most important to your business goals, such as conversion rate, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS). By focusing on these high-level KPIs, you can assess the financial impact of your PPC marketing and make informed decisions on where to allocate your advertising budget.

Why are PPC metrics and KPIs important?

One common quote sums it up perfectly:

“What gets measured, gets managed.”

The best way to run an ineffective, inefficient, and poor-quality campaign is to launch it with zero tracking and no plans to analyze the performance data available to you.

Metrics and measurement are essential for running winning ad campaigns. Without visibility into how everything is performing—at a deeper level than just broad impressions or click numbers—you’ll constantly be left guessing whether your efforts are working.

In this post, we break down 40 different PPC (and PPC-adjacent) metrics to help you optimize your campaigns and get the most bang for your buck. We’ve grouped the metrics into the overall buckets they fit within.

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• Primary PPC advertising metrics
• Ad efficiency metrics
• PPC campaign management metrics
• Ad quality and performance metrics
• Competitive and relative PPC metrics
• Landing page experience and “micro-conversion” metrics
• How to choose the right PPC metrics to measure

Primary PPC advertising metrics

These are the most common PPC metrics, which you’re likely already familiar with. We’ll define each and offer some suggestions on how to improve it.

Impressions

Impressions in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising refer to the number of times your ad is shown to potential viewers. It indicates the reach and visibility of your ad. The more impressions your ad gets, the higher the chances of capturing the attention of your target audience. Impressions are an important metric for measuring the initial exposure of your ad campaign.

How can you improve impressions?

• Increase your budget: Allocating more funds can increase the number of auctions your ads participate in.
• Expand targeting: Widen your geographical targeting and consider adjusting your target demographics.
• Add or optimize keywords: Incorporate broader or more keywords to increase the likelihood of your ads being shown.

Clicks

Clicks in PPC advertising refer to the number of times users click on your ad. It measures the level of interest and engagement generated by your campaign. The more clicks your ad receives, the more traffic you drive to your website. Clicks are a vital metric for assessing the success and effectiveness of your PPC campaigns.

How can you improve clicks?

• Optimize ad copy: Make your ad copy more enticing with strong call to actions and compelling messaging.
• Use ad extensions: Add extensions like site links, callouts, and structured snippets to enhance your ad visibility and provide more value.
• Test different ad formats: Experiment with image ads, video ads, or rich media ads to see which gets more engagement.

Free Unbounce tool: URL to ad copy generator

Conversions

Conversions in PPC advertising refer to the desired actions taken by users after clicking on your ad, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter. It measures the effectiveness of your campaign in driving user engagement and achieving your specific goals. To see if your PPC efforts are working, the key metric to measure is conversions.

How can you improve conversions?

• Improve landing pages: Ensure your landing pages are relevant, quick to load, and easy to navigate.
• Use strong CTAs: Make sure your call to action buttons are visible and persuasive.
• Test and refine: Continuously test different elements of your ads and landing pages to optimize for conversions. Start by building your landing pages with conversion-centered design principles in mind.

Recommended reading: How to create a landing page in 10 easy steps

Ad efficiency metrics

These metrics measure how efficient your ad campaigns are, typically expressed as a rate or percentage (i.e., cost per X or X per click).

Cost-per-thousand (CPM)

Cost-per-thousand (CPM) is a metric that measures the cost of reaching one thousand impressions with your ad. It helps you understand how much you pay to reach a large audience. A lower CPM means you’re getting better value for your money, while a higher CPM may indicate the need for optimization or targeting improvements.

How can you improve CPM?

• Target high-value audiences: Focus on demographics or user behaviors that have a higher likelihood of engagement.
• Improve ad relevance: Enhance the alignment between your ads and the target audience to boost the likelihood of impressions.
• Optimize ad placements: Choose ad placements wisely based on historical data to get better value for your impressions.

Click-through rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the rate at which users click on your ad after seeing it. It calculates the percentage of impressions that result in a click. A higher CTR indicates that your ad is compelling and generating interest, while a lower CTR may signal the need for improvement or optimization.

How can you improve CTR?

• Refine targeting: Sharpen your targeting to reach a more relevant audience that is more likely to engage with your ads.
• A/B testing: Regularly A/B test different ad elements (like headlines and descriptions) to determine what resonates best with your audience.
• Improve ad relevance: Tailor your ad content to match the search intent more closely, increasing the likelihood of clicks.

Cost per click (CPC)

Cost per click (CPC) is a metric that tells you how much you’re paying each time a user clicks on your ad. It’s calculated by dividing the total cost of clicks by the total number of clicks. The average CPC for Google Ads in B2B is $3.33, but it can vary greatly based on factors like keyword competitiveness and ad quality.

How can you improve CPC?

• Keyword optimization: Focus on lower-cost, high-performance keywords to reduce average CPC.
• Improve Quality Score: Enhance ad relevance, landing page quality, and expected click-through rate to lower costs.
• Adjust bidding strategies: Experiment with different bidding strategies, such as Enhanced CPC or manual bidding to find the most cost-effective option.

Conversion rate (CR or CVR)

Conversion rate, abbreviated as CR or CVR, is a crucial metric in online advertising that measures the percentage of people who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, after clicking on an ad. It helps businesses understand the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and the readiness of users to engage with their offerings. For a full breakdown of average conversion rates by industry to help you establish a benchmark, check out our Conversion Benchmark Report.

How can you improve your conversion rate?

• Enhance user experience: Ensure that your landing pages are optimized for quick loading and ease of navigation.
• Clarify call to actions: Make your CTAs clear, compelling, and easy to find.
• A/B testing: Continuously test different elements of your ads and landing pages to optimize for higher conversion rates.

Recommended reading: How to score double-digit conversion rates—a marketing hero’s journey

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition (CPA) is a metric measuring the cost of acquiring a new customer through advertising efforts. It is calculated by dividing the total cost of advertising efforts by the number of conversions. This helps businesses track the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and optimize their spending for better ROI.

How can you improve CPA?

• Optimize conversion paths: Streamline the process from ad click to conversion to reduce drop-offs.
• Use remarketing: Target users who have previously engaged with your site but haven’t converted with remarketing ads.
• Refine ad targeting: More precise targeting can lead to higher-quality leads that are more likely to convert, lowering your CPA.

Recommended reading: The AI guide to conversion rate optimization (CRO)

Cost per lead (CPL) or cost per conversion

Cost per lead (CPL) is the amount you invest to capture each potential lead for your business. It shows how much you’re spending to turn website visitors into actionable leads. By measuring CPL, you can evaluate the cost-effectiveness of your ad campaigns and ensure you’re investing wisely to acquire valuable customers.

How can you improve CPL?

• Refine ad targeting: Improve targeting to reach individuals more likely to convert, reducing wastage.
• Streamline the conversion process: Remove unnecessary steps from your conversion funnel to lower drop-off rates.
• Enhance lead quality: Focus on capturing higher quality leads that are more likely to convert, which can ultimately lower your CPL.

PPC campaign management metrics

These metrics are more high-level than the other granular ad-specific KPIs. When measuring each of these metrics, you’ll likely be assessing them across campaigns rather than solely across individual ad groups.

Conversion value

Conversion value is the total monetary worth of all your conversions. It helps you understand the quality of your leads, not just the quantity. By assigning a value to each conversion action, you can see how much each conversion is worth to your business. This metric is crucial for determining the overall success of your campaigns.

How can you improve conversion value?

• Focus on high-value conversions: Prioritize and optimize for actions that offer the most value to your business.
• Upsell and cross-sell: Implement strategies to increase the value of each conversion, such as suggesting complementary products or services.
• Track and analyze: Use data tracking to better understand which aspects of your ads are driving the most valuable conversions and focus on these elements.

Ad spend (cost)

Ad spend, also referred to as total cost, is the amount of money a company invests in advertising campaigns to reach potential customers. It includes expenses on platforms like Google Ads or social media ads. Understanding ad spend helps businesses track their marketing budget and measure the effectiveness of their advertising efforts.

How can you improve ad spend?

• Budget optimization: Regularly review and adjust your ad spend based on campaign performance and ROI.
• Cost-effective ad strategies: Shift focus towards more cost-effective channels and ad formats.
• Negotiate better rates with smaller ad networks: For sponsored content or private ad placements, try to negotiate better rates or placements to maximize your ad spend efficiency.

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Return on ad spend (ROAS) is a metric that measures how much revenue a company generates from its advertising efforts compared to the total amount spent on those ads. Essentially, it tells you how effectively your ads bring in money. The higher the ROAS, the better your campaign is at driving revenue.

How can you improve ROAS?

• Optimize for high-performing keywords: Focus on keywords that generate the most revenue relative to their cost.
• Improve conversion rates: Enhance the user experience on landing pages to convert more visitors into customers.
• Monitor and adjust bids: Regularly adjust bids to ensure you are investing in ads that provide the best return.

Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is the amount of money a business spends to acquire a new customer. It’s calculated by dividing the total campaign cost by the number of new customers gained. To reduce CAC, refine your target audience, improve conversion rates, and enhance ad quality. Keeping CAC low is crucial for maximizing profits.

How can you improve CAC?

• Enhance targeting efficiency: Sharpen your ad targeting to reach users more likely to convert, thus lowering your CAC.
• Streamline the conversion path: Reduce friction in the conversion process to increase the conversion rate and decrease acquisition costs.
• Leverage organic strategies: Complement paid campaigns with organic strategies like SEO to reduce reliance on paid media.

Ad quality and performance metrics

These metrics are mainly focused on the quality of individual ads or creatives within your campaigns. Improving these metrics often has a cascading effect that improves multiple other related metrics.

Frequency

Ad frequency is a measure of how often people see your ad. It’s calculated by dividing the total number of times your ad is shown by the number of unique people who see it.

How can you improve frequency?

• Cap frequency: Implement frequency capping to limit how often the same person sees your ad, preventing ad fatigue.
• Target new audiences: Expand your targeting to reach new segments, reducing the frequency of ad impressions among the same users.
• Optimize campaign duration: Adjust the length of your campaigns to avoid overexposing your ads to the same audience.

Quality score

The Quality Score in Google Ads is a rating that shows how relevant your ads are to users compared to others. It takes into account factors like past click-through rates, landing page quality, and keyword relevance. A higher Quality Score can lead to better ad positions and lower costs, making your campaigns more effective and efficient.

How can you improve quality score?

• Improve ad relevance: Ensure your ads, keywords, and landing pages are highly relevant to each other.
• Enhance click-through rate (CTR): Write compelling ad copy and use strong call to actions to improve your CTR.
• Optimize landing pages: Make sure your landing pages provide a good user experience, are relevant to your ads, and load quickly.

Recommended reading: How to create a high-converting landing page

Engagement rate

Engagement rate is a metric that shows how actively users are interacting with your ads. It measures the percentage of users who click, like, share, or comment on your ad. A high engagement rate indicates that your ad is resonating with your audience, leading to increased brand awareness and potential conversions.

How can you improve your engagement rate?

• Create engaging content: Use high-quality visuals and compelling copy that resonates with your audience.
• Use interactive elements: Incorporate interactive ad features like carousels, polls, or quizzes to boost engagement.
• Segment your audience: Tailor your ads to specific segments of your audience to increase relevance and engagement.

Recommended reading: Learn how this SaaS collected 100k+ leads using gated content & landing pages

Invalid clicks

Invalid clicks in Google Ads refer to clicks that Google deems as spam, fake, or from bots. These clicks are not counted towards your total clicks as they are considered questionable. Monitoring this metric can help detect click fraud or competitor targeting. Google provides a complaint form to address any inappropriate activity.

How can you improve invalid clicks?

• Use automated filters: Most ad platforms have automated systems to identify and filter out invalid clicks. Ensure these are activated.
• Monitor click patterns: Regularly review your click reports for unusual patterns that could indicate fraudulent or spam activity.
• Refine targeting: Narrow your targeting to avoid low-quality traffic sources that may result in higher invalid clicks.

Video views

Video views are the number of times your video ad has been watched by viewers. This metric shows you how many people have seen your content, giving you insights into the reach and engagement of your video campaign. It helps you understand the effectiveness of your video content in capturing the audience’s attention.

How can you improve video views?

• Optimize video content: Create compelling and relevant content that resonates with your target audience to encourage more views.
• Promote your videos: Use multiple channels to promote your video content, including social media, email newsletters, and other digital marketing platforms.
• Optimize for search: Use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve visibility on search platforms and within video hosting services.

Recommended reading: The benefits of using video on landing pages

Video view rate

Video view rate is the percentage of viewers who watched your video ad compared to the total number of times it was shown. This metric shows how engaging your video content is and can help you optimize your ads for better results. It’s a key indicator of how well your video resonates with your audience.

How can you improve your video view rate?

• Improve the first few seconds: Grab attention quickly within the first few seconds to keep viewers watching.
• Target accurately: Ensure your videos are shown to users who are most likely to be interested in your content.
• Test different ad placements: Some placements may perform better in terms of viewer engagement than others. Experiment to find the most effective placements for your videos.

“Video played to” or video completion percentage

The “Video played to” metric shows how much of your video ad viewers actually watched. It breaks down the percentage of viewers who watched 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of your video. This helps you understand how engaging your video content is and optimize it for better viewer retention.

How can you improve “video played to” percentages?

• Keep it concise: Shorter videos tend to hold attention better and are often watched to completion more frequently.
• Enhance the storyline: Develop a compelling narrative that maintains viewer interest throughout the video.
• Include a call to action: Encourage viewers to watch until the end with teasers about what’s coming up, especially if there’s a strong call to action at the end.

Competitive and relative PPC metrics

These metrics compare your campaigns either directly to competitor campaigns or to the total “size of the pie” that your ads could be winning. Some of these metrics are less in your control than the metrics above, but are still worth monitoring so you can adjust budgets or bid strategies accordingly.

Impression share

Impression share is the percentage of times your ad is shown compared to the total number of times it could be shown. It’s like a measure of how visible your ad is to potential customers. The higher the impression share, the more exposure your ad is getting. So, it’s important to track and improve it to reach more people.

How can you improve your impression share?

• Increase bids: Boosting your bid amount can help your ad compete better in auctions, potentially increasing your impression share.
• Expand your reach: Consider broadening your targeting criteria to include more locations, times, or demographics.
• Optimize ad quality: Improve the relevance and quality of your ads to score better in ad rankings, which can help increase your impression share.

Click share

Click share is the percentage of clicks your ads receive out of the estimated total number of clicks you were eligible to receive. This metric is crucial for understanding how effectively your ads engage users compared to their potential. A higher click share indicates your ads capture more of the available traffic, suggesting they are well-optimized and relevant to searchers’ needs.

How can you improve your click share?

• Enhance ad creatives: Make your ads more attractive and compelling to encourage more clicks.
• Expand your keywords: Adding more relevant keywords can help increase the potential pool of clicks your ads can receive.
• Adjust your bidding strategy: Consider using strategies like maximizing clicks to potentially increase your click share.

Search top impression rate

Top impression rate shows how often your ad appears in the top results above the organic search listings. It’s measured by dividing the number of your top impressions by the total number of impressions your ad received. This metric helps you assess the prominence of your ads on search pages, aiming to optimize for visibility where users are most likely to engage. Enhancing this can significantly increase your ad’s potential to attract clicks.

How can you improve your top impression rate?

• Increase your bids: Raising bids can help your ads appear more frequently in the top search results.
• Improve ad quality: Enhance the relevance and performance of your ads to increase their likelihood of appearing at the top of the page.
• Use ad extensions: Adding extensions can make your ads larger and more noticeable, improving their position.

Absolute top impression share

Absolute top impression percentage is the metric in Google Ads that indicates how often your ad appears in the very first ad position above all organic search results. It’s calculated by dividing the number of your “absolute top” impressions by the total number of impressions your ad received. This metric is key for understanding how often your ad is the first thing potential customers see, maximizing visibility and click opportunities at the highest spot on the page.

How can you improve your absolute top impression share?

• Optimize your bids: Bid more aggressively to compete for the absolute top position in search results.
• Enhance Quality Score: Focus on improving your ad relevance, landing page experience, and CTR to improve your Quality Score, which can influence your ad position.
• Target high-intent keywords: Focus on keywords closely related to conversions or sales, as these can often yield better positioning when competition is high.

Position above rate

Position above rate tells you how often your ad appeared above another advertiser’s ad in the paid search results. It’s calculated by dividing the number of times your ad was positioned above a competitor’s by the total number of times your ad and the competitor’s ad were shown. This metric helps you understand your ad’s competitive advantage in auction placements, guiding you to make strategic adjustments to improve your ad positioning.

How can you improve your position above rate?

• Analyze competitors: Understand your competitors’ ad strategies and adjust yours to better compete against them.
• Adjust targeting and scheduling: Optimize when and where your ads appear to outperform competitor ads more frequently.
• Refine your ad copy: Create more compelling and targeted ad copy to improve your ad’s performance and ranking.

Recommended reading: How ecommerce marketers can successfully compete with Amazon

Top-of-page rate

Top-of-page rate measures how often your ad appears at the top of the search results page, just above the organic listings. This metric is calculated by dividing the number of your top-of-page impressions by the total number of times your ad was eligible to be shown. Monitoring this rate helps you assess and optimize the effectiveness of your bids and the relevance of your ad to improve its visibility at the most impactful spots on the search results page.

How can you improve your top-of-page rate?

• Refine bids and budgets: Ensure your bids are competitive enough to win top-of-page placements without overspending.
• Improve ad relevance and Quality Score: As with many metrics, a better Quality Score can lead to better ad placements.
• Use responsive search ads: These can improve your chances of achieving top-of-page rates by automatically adjusting content to match search queries.

Overlap rate

Overlap rate is a Google Ads metric that measures how often your ad is shown at the same time as another advertiser’s ad in the same auction. It’s calculated by dividing the number of times your ad overlapped with another ad by the total number of times your ad was displayed. This metric helps you understand how frequently you are competing with other advertisers for the same audience, offering insights into the competitive landscape of your ad placements.

How can you improve your overlap rate?

• Broaden your keyword strategy: Include a wider range of keywords to reduce direct competition on highly competitive terms.
• Adjust your ad schedule: Schedule your ads for different times of the day or week when your competitors’ ads may not be as prevalent.
• Segment your audience more precisely: Narrow your target audience to reduce the overlap with competitors targeting broader audiences.

Outranking share

Outranking share indicates how often your ads rank higher in the search results, or appear when another advertiser’s ad does not. It’s calculated by dividing the number of times your ad ranked higher than a specific competitor’s ad by the total number of auctions in which both ads were eligible to appear. This metric helps you gauge your competitive position and can guide strategies to improve your ad ranking relative to your competitors.

How can you improve your outranking share?

• Implement aggressive bidding: Temporarily increase bids to outbid competitors and monitor the impact on your outranking share.
• Focus on ad quality and relevance: Improve your ads’ appeal to boost their competitiveness in auctions.
• Target different keywords: Sometimes, targeting less competitive keywords where you can dominate can be more effective than battling for highly contested terms.

Lost impression share (budget)

Lost impression share (budget) shows the percentage of times your ad didn’t appear on the search results page due to insufficient budget. This metric is calculated by dividing the number of times your ad was eligible to appear but didn’t, by the total number of times it was eligible to show. It helps you understand if increasing your budget could potentially lead to more impressions, thereby increasing opportunities for clicks and conversions.

How can you improve your lost impression share due to budget?

• Increase your budget: The obvious, of course. If feasible, increase your daily budget to reduce the chances of your ads being limited by budget constraints.
• Optimize your ad schedule: Focus your budget on peak times when potential customers are most active.
• Implement campaign budget optimization: Use tools like Google’s campaign budget optimization to automatically adjust spending for maximum impact.

Recommended reading: How to better allocate your PPC spend with the cost per lead calculator

Lost impression share (rank)

Lost impression share (rank) reveals the percentage of times your ad didn’t appear in search results due to poor ad rank. It is calculated by dividing the number of missed impressions due to rank by the total number of times your ad could have been shown. This metric helps you identify if improvements in bid amounts, ad quality, or keyword relevance might increase your ad’s chances of being displayed, thereby enhancing visibility and potential engagement.

How can you improve your lost impression share due to rank?

• Improve your bid strategy: Consider raising your bids or using bid adjustments to improve your ad rank.
• Enhance your Quality Score: Improve ad relevance, CTR, and landing page quality.
• Review and refine your targeting: Make sure you’re targeting the most appropriate audiences and using the most effective ad formats and content.

Landing page experience and “micro-conversion” metrics

These are your post-click metrics. Once a visitor has clicked through from your ad, optimizing these metrics will help maximize the number of high-value actions they take. A more efficient landing page means more efficient ad campaigns.

Call to action (CTA) button clicks

CTA clicks are the number of times a user clicks on a call to action button or link in an advertisement or webpage. This metric measures how effective your CTA is in prompting users to take the desired action, such as purchasing or filling out a form. It helps track engagement and conversion rates.

How can you improve CTA clicks?

• Make CTAs visible and compelling: Place your CTAs prominently on the page and use persuasive text that incites action.
• Use contrasting colors: Make your CTA buttons stand out with colors that contrast well with the rest of the page.
• A/B test different CTAs: Experiment with different phrases, sizes, and placements to see which gets more clicks.

Recommended reading: 15 irresistible call to action examples that’ll get results

“Add to cart” events

“Add to cart” events refer to the number of times users have added items to their online shopping cart while browsing a website. This metric is important for measuring user interest and potential conversions. The more “add to cart” events, the higher the likelihood of a successful sale.

How can you improve your “add to cart” events?

• Streamline the process: Reduce the number of clicks needed to add items to the cart.
• Highlight the button: Make the “Add to cart” button large, colorful, and easy to find.
• Offer incentives: Use promotions or limited-time offers to encourage users to add items to their carts.

“Added payment info” events

“Added payment info” events refer to the actions taken by users when they input their payment details during an online transaction. This metric helps businesses track the number of times customers provide their payment information, indicating a step closer to completing a purchase.

How can you improve your “added payment info” events?

• Simplify the payment process: Make the payment entry as simple and straightforward as possible.
• Use trust signals: Display security badges and use SSL to reassure users that their information is safe.
• Offer multiple payment options: Provide various payment methods to cater to different preferences.

Form starts

Form starts is a metric that shows how many times users have initiated filling out a lead form attached to your ad. It indicates user interest in your products or services.

How can you improve form start rate?

• Design user-friendly forms: Make forms easy to start with clear instructions and a clean layout.
• Limit the number of fields: Reduce the number of fields to the minimum necessary to decrease perceived effort.
• Engage users immediately: Place forms prominently and consider using engaging elements like sliders or interactive steps to draw attention.

Recommended reading: 5 types of forms that will improve your landing page (with examples)

Form abandonment rate

Form abandonment rate is the percentage of users who start filling out a form on your website but leave before completing it. This metric shows how many people show interest in your offering but don’t follow through.

How can you improve your form abandonment rate?

• Optimize form length: Keep forms short and straightforward; ask only for essential information.
• Provide progress indicators: Let users know how far along they are in the process and how much is left.
• Implement auto-save features: Ensure that users can pick up where they left off without losing data if they get interrupted.

Calls received

Calls received is a metric that tracks the number of phone calls your business receives from a phone number displayed on your landing page. It helps you understand how many potential customers are reaching out to you via phone. This metric is important for measuring the effectiveness of your landing page in generating leads.

How can you improve calls received from your landing pages?

• Promote your contact number: Make sure your phone number is visible and prominent on all landing pages.
• Use click-to-call buttons: On mobile versions, use click-to-call technology to simplify making a phone call.
• Offer incentives for calling: Sometimes, offering a special deal or discount for phone inquiries can increase calls.

Recommended reading: See how clever call tracking helped this agency get 219% more leads for their client

Scroll depth

Scroll depth measures how far down a visitor scrolls on your landing page. It helps you understand whether people are engaging with your content or quickly bouncing off. This metric can give you insights into the effectiveness of your page layout and content.

How can you improve your scroll depth?

• Improve content quality: Offer valuable and engaging content that compels visitors to keep reading.
• Use visual cues: Incorporate interesting images, infographics, or videos encouraging users to scroll down.
• Optimize page layout: Arrange content so that important and engaging elements appear progressively as the user scrolls.

Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on your website but leave without interacting further. A high bounce rate could indicate a poor user experience or that visitors didn’t find what they were looking for.

How can you improve your bounce rate?

• Match content with expectations: Ensure that the content on your landing page closely aligns with what your ads promise.
• Improve page load speed: Optimize images and streamline code to ensure the page loads quickly.
• Test user experience: Regularly check and update the landing page design to optimize for usability and appeal. Following basic landing page best practices here can go a long way.

Average time on page

Average time on page is exactly what it sounds like—the average amount of time visitors spend on your landing page. It’s a key metric for measuring engagement and interest in your content. The longer the average time on page, the more likely visitors are to find value in what you have to offer.

How can you improve the average time on your page?

• Engage with media: Use videos, audio, or interactive content to keep visitors engaged longer.
• Improve content readability: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings to make content easy to digest.

How to choose the right PPC metrics to measure

Okay, that was a lot.

The overarching question you’re likely asking yourself right now is this:

“Which metrics actually matter, and which can I ignore?”

Unfortunately, the true answer is this:

It depends.

It will depend on where you’re running ads, how competitive your industry is, what a conversion is worth to you, and how much budget you’re working with. Fortunately, though, we can offer you a simple framework to keep top-of-mind when narrowing down the list of PPC metrics you plan to monitor closely.

Good PPC metrics are traffic-focused

Many advertisers will default to looking at the click-through rate or cost per click when determining the success of a campaign. Google Ads provides a lot of traffic-focused metrics that are incredibly useful, including underused gems like device segmentation and impression share.

And while those are definitely a good start, it’s important not to get so distracted that you lose sight of your basic business goals: generating a profit.

Far too many advertisers still don’t have conversion tracking in place.

Conversion tracking allows you to measure conversion actions like a purchase or a lead submission in your ad platform, usually by placing a code snippet on a thank you or order confirmation page.

Without that piece of code, the only metrics you can measure are related to traffic, such as search impressions, clicks and click-through rates. Let’s look at an example to see why this is problematic.

What traffic-focused metrics tell you

Imagine you’re a mortgage company and each new paying customer is worth on average $3,500 in revenue with 50% in gross margin.

If you haven’t set up conversion tracking, you’ll mostly end up looking at reports like this:

If we’re only looking at traffic-focused metrics, our top campaign seems to be Campaign 5, which has the most clicks, the best click-through rate and the lowest cost per click.

Meanwhile, Campaign 4 has expensive clicks—which looks like a red flag.

But the truth is this data alone can’t really tell us whether the campaigns are successful to a company’s bottom line. For our mortgage company, we need to know whether the clicks are actually translating into useful leads.

Better PPC metrics are conversion-focused

If you’re already using conversion tracking, pat yourself on the back: you’re better off than much of the competition.

If you’re not, then get conversion tracking set up immediately. It’s easy to set up on most platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads (and if you’re using Unbounce you can put the tracking code right on a built-in thank you page).

Think beyond web conversions

Conversion tracking is more than just web leads and sales: among new accounts we’ve seen, approximately 75% of advertisers who take phone leads don’t track them as conversions.

For many industries, phone calls are the main source of leads, so it’s critical to include calls in your conversion tracking. Many call tracking platforms have built-in ways of setting this up.

Call leads are more valuable for some businesses than for others, so you’ll want to keep in mind that not all types of conversions are necessarily equal—but the first step is making sure everything is tracked and measured.

What conversion-focused metrics tell you

Let’s say our mortgage company joins the big leagues and sets up conversion and call tracking. Here’s how that report looks:

Now we can start identifying our top-performing campaigns using cost-per-lead data (cost per conversion in Google Ads). You’ll notice that Campaign 5 has the best cost per conversion, so it still looks like our top performer. Campaign 4 still looks like trouble.

But while conversions are great, what really matters is whether leads become paying customers.

Conversions tell us how many leads our company got, but not how many actually signed up to refinance their homes or how much revenue they brought in.

The best PPC metrics are ROI-focused

Let’s move to the golden metric for marketers who want to use the most meaningful data: actual ROI.

That means tracking leads from click to close and measuring revenue on a per-lead basis. When you understand which campaigns, ads, and keywords are actually generating revenue, you’ll be way ahead of competitors who have no idea where they’re making or losing money.

What ROI-focused metrics tell you

Let’s say our mortgage company decides to figure out exactly which leads are earning revenue. We can track specific leads in our CRM back to each campaign, set up separate phone numbers for each campaign, and record which calls led to sales.

Using our customer value numbers from above, we can calculate the following report:

Suddenly Campaign 4, which looked so bad before, is now our hero. Not only does it have the best ROI, it brings in the most revenue and the most sales — and that’s with the fewest conversions and second-fewest clicks.

Now we know something much more useful than cost per conversion — we know how valuable a conversion is. We know where to focus our marketing efforts to maximize revenue, and where we can make improvements that impact the bottom line.

We could then respond by allocating more budget to Campaigns 4 and 5.

Meanwhile, Campaign 3 gets a lot of traffic and conversions but has a poor ROI, so we can get to work at rewriting ads and landing pages to better qualify those leads.

Those are the kinds of changes that have meaningful results.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 10 A/B testing examples to spark inspiration
2. How to do A/B testing
3. A step-by-step guide for A/B testing with Unbounce

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Paul Park

Paul is a writer on Unbounce’s content team who lives and breathes storytelling. (It’s like oxygen but with better plotlines!) Ask him what he’s up to at any given moment and you’ll get answers ranging from folding paper dragons (y’know, origami) to catching up on the latest cool tech, and finding other ways to channel his inner geek.

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10 real-world examples of A/B testing that made an impact

A guy named Isaac Newton (you may have heard of him) once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” To help you see the benefits of A/B testing and how it can get you closer to achieving your goals (and, hopefully, that promotion you’ve been eyeing), here are some A/B testing giants whom you can stand on examples that’ll help spark inspiration.

1. Going
2. Campaign Monitor
3. First Midwest Bank
4. Electronic Arts
5. Performable
6. TechInsurance
7. Grene
8. Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store
9. HubSpot
10. Vestiaire Collective

1. Going: How a three-word change led to a triple-digit conversion boost

In the bustling world of online travel deals, convincing potential customers to dive deeper into your offerings can sometimes feel like trying to spot a suitcase on a crowded baggage carousel. Going, a company dedicated to offering unbeatable travel deals, faced the challenge of converting visitors into premium plan subscribers. Despite having compelling offers, their conversion rates just weren’t hitting the desired targets.

So Going turned to Unbounce (hey, that’s us!) and used our A/B testing solution to find a better path forward.

Problem:

Going’s main hurdle was how they presented their subscription plans. The standard approach encouraged visitors to sign up for a free, limited plan, hoping they would upgrade later. This method was not effectively showcasing the full value of Going’s premium offerings, leading to underwhelming conversion rates.

Solution:

To address this, Going leveraged Unbounce’s A/B testing tools to tweak their call to action (CTA). They tested two variations on their homepage: “Sign up for free” versus “Trial for free”. 

This simple, three-word-change aimed to better highlight the benefits of the full-featured premium plan by offering a free trial period, making the value proposition clearer and more immediate to potential customers.

Check out the two variants below:

Variant A

Variant B, which turned out to be the winner, as you can tell from the trophy and confetti

Results:

The results were nothing short of spectacular. The new “Trial for free” CTA led to a 104% increase in trial starts month-over-month. This significant uplift not only improved conversion rates through paid channels but also surpassed the performance of organic traffic for the first time. 

The success of this A/B test provided Going with valuable insights, driving them to further optimize their marketing strategies and use Unbounce’s capabilities to continually refine and improve their customer acquisition efforts.

Read the full Going case study here.

2. Campaign Monitor: How dynamic text enhancement led to a 31.4% conversion lift

When it comes to digital marketing, aligning every element of your campaign to the user’s intent can make a big difference in boosting conversion rates. This was precisely the challenge and opportunity faced by ConversionLab, a digital agency from Norway, working with their client, Campaign Monitor. Their experiment sheds light on the impact of fine-tuned message matching in PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns, particularly through A/B testing.

Problem:

ConversionLab noticed that despite well-designed PPC campaigns, there was still room to increase the relevance of Campaign Monitor’s landing pages to potential customers. 

Their hypothesis centered around a crucial detail: the verb used in the user’s search query. They theorized that aligning this verb on the landing page to the one used in the search would increase the page’s perceived relevance and, by extension, its conversion rates.

Solution:

To put their hypothesis to the test, ConversionLab employed Unbounce’s dynamic text replacement (DTR) feature. This enabled them to dynamically change the text on the landing page to mirror the exact verb used in the user’s search query. 

For example, if a user searched for “design on-brand emails,” the landing page would automatically adjust its headline and CTAs to include the verb “design” instead of alternatives like “build” or “create.”

Then they used A/B testing to release this hypothesis into the wild and measure the results:

Variant B used DTR to send prospects through to signup and helped lift conversions to trial by 31.4%

Results:

The A/B test ran for 77 days, during which the landing pages accumulated a total of 1,274 visits. The variant employing DTR demonstrated an enormous 31.4% increase in conversions, which in this case meant signing up for a trial of Campaign Monitor’s software (and, hopefully, earning the marketing team some well-deserved high fives).

Read the full Campaign Monitor case study here.

3. First Midwest Bank: Using A/B testing to explore new approaches

In conservative sectors like banking it’s often expected that organizations stick to traditional methods. First Midwest Bank challenged the status quo by exploring creative ways to build trust with their customers and stand out from their competitors. 

This case study explores their innovative approach to A/B testing on their landing pages, which not only defied industry norms but also significantly boosted their conversion rates.

Problem:

The banking industry is often bound by stringent brand guidelines and a conventional aesthetic that leaves little room for creativity. This environment can make it pretty darned hard to test and adopt new methodologies that could potentially increase conversions. 

Also, the need to collect more personal information from customers adds another layer of friction, making trust a crucial part of any successful conversion strategy.

Solution:

First Midwest Bank took creative liberties with their landing pages to stand out and build trust with potential customers, pushing the boundaries of typical industry practices. They started by using Unbounce’s A/B testing feature to examine a well-known best practice: the use of human photos on landing pages. 

Predictably, photographs of people did increase conversions, but the bank didn’t stop there. They delved deeper, customizing the imagery to reflect the demographic nuances of different states. For example, while a landing page featuring a smiling man boosted conversions by 47% in Illinois, it underperformed in Indiana, leading to a 42% decrease.

This insight propelled them to A/B test 26 different landing pages tailored to each state’s audience. Additionally, they questioned the “best practice” rule of placing crucial elements above the fold. They challenged this notion and positioned a form below the fold, resulting in a surprising 52% increase in conversions. (So much for the conventional wisdom that users are reluctant to scroll, eh?)

Variant A: Keeping the form above the fold

Variant B: Moving the form below the fold outperformed Variant A by a whopping 52%

Results:

First Midwest Bank’s bold A/B testing strategies led to impressive outcomes, including a 195% increase in overall conversions (wowza!). By tailoring the imagery to local preferences and rethinking the placement of conversion elements like forms, they not only increased engagement but also demonstrated the potential of creative flexibility in a traditionally rigid industry. 

Read the full First Midwest Bank case study here.

4. Electronic Arts and SimCity 5: Using A/B testing to challenge assumptions

When Electronic Arts (EA) rolled out SimCity 5, they weren’t just playing games with their marketing strategy—they were playing to win. Known for their blockbuster releases, EA was all set to make a splash with SimCity 5. But they knew that even in the world of gaming, it’s the little tweaks that can spawn epic wins or losses.

Problem:

In the modern age of gaming, gamers can bypass traditional retail and download games directly, which is a win-win because it cuts down on costs for EA and ups the convenience for players. Yet, EA faced a pivotal challenge: How to maximize these digital downloads right from the game’s release. 

The standard move? Toss in a pre-order incentive like a discount on future purchases. But was this really the way to gamers’ hearts, or just an unnecessary extra life that wouldn’t get used?

Solution:

To find out, EA put their hypothesis to the test with a straightforward A/B test on their sales page. The control version promised a classic 20 percent off a future purchase for those who pre-ordered SimCity 5, banking on the charm of a good deal to boost sales. The variant, however, scrapped the discount and presented a clean, straightforward offer to buy the game, no strings attached.

Variant A with the discount offer

Variant B with no discount offer

Results:

The results were more shocking than a plot twist in a JRPG. Ditching the discount didn’t just work—it worked wonders, boosting sales by over 40 percent compared to the control. 

It turned out that SimCity enthusiasts weren’t in it for the savings—they just wanted to play the latest SimCity and probably weren’t interested in buying other games. Half of the game’s sales turned digital with this approach, proving that when you understand your players, you don’t just make sales—you make fans.

5. Performable: How a simple color swap painted a conversion masterpiece

If you’ve ever found yourself in a heated debate over the best button color for boosting conversions, you’re not alone. The team at marketing automation company Performable faced a similar dilemma, questioning whether the hue of a CTA button could truly influence user actions on our homepage. Spoiler alert: It can, and it did.

Problem:

The digital marketing realm is awash with opinions on the “ideal” button color—green, red, pink, you name it. Each has its champions, claiming it as the secret sauce for conversions. Performable decided to put these color theories to the test, specifically focusing on the two heavy hitters: green and red.

Solution:

They A/B tested two identical versions of their homepage, with one stark difference—the color of the CTA button. One sported a green button, blending seamlessly with their site’s palette and echoing the universal “go” signal. The other featured a bold red button, aiming to grab attention but traditionally signaling “stop”.

Would visitors prefer to “go” or “stop”?

Results:

The outcome was a game-changer. The red button led to a 21% higher click-through rate than the green. This wasn’t just a small win—it was a testament to the power of standout elements in driving user engagement. The red button, despite its conventional use as a stop signal, cut through the noise and captured more clicks, translating into significant gains across all downstream metrics.

This test was a vivid reminder that assumptions in marketing are just that—assumptions. They need to be challenged and tested. The red vs. green button experiment proved that sometimes, going against the grain with something as simple as a color change can yield unexpectedly powerful results.

6. TechInsurance: How landing page testing boosted PPC conversions

Sometimes the path to increasing conversions is not about attracting more traffic, but about optimizing the traffic you already have. TechInsurance faced a common challenge—maximizing the effectiveness of their PPC campaigns.6

Problem:

Originally, all PPC traffic was directed to TechInsurance’s general homepage. This approach was straightforward but lacked the targeted appeal that specific segments of their audience might prefer. The hypothesis was simple, yet powerful: Could a dedicated landing page, tailored to the nuances of their PPC audience, outperform the generic welcome mat of their homepage? 

Solution:

TechInsurance decided to put their hypothesis to the test by crafting a dedicated landing page designed specifically for their PPC campaign traffic. This page was fine-tuned to meet the expectations and needs of visitors coming from their ads, focusing on delivering a more relevant and engaging message. Then they A/B tested it against the homepage.

Variant A (homepage) and Variant B (dedicated landing page)

Results:

The results spoke volumes. The dedicated landing page outperformed the website’s homepage by a staggering 73% increase in conversion rate. This huge uplift not only demonstrated the value of specialized content but also highlighted the importance of aligning the landing page experience with the specific intentions and interests of the incoming audience.

Potential customers are more likely to convert when they land on a page that speaks directly to their needs and expectations, creating that instant “this is exactly what I was looking for” feeling. If you’re looking to enhance the performance of your ad campaigns, consider testing a dedicated landing page that resonates deeply with the demographics and desires of your target audience. 

7. Grene: How a mini cart makeover doubled purchases

At Grene, a powerhouse in the Polish agriculture ecommerce scene, a mini cart revamp was not just about sprucing things up—it was about seriously boosting those sales numbers. And they nailed it, big time.

Problem:

The mini cart on Grene’s site was like that one drawer everyone has at home—full of interesting stuff but a bit of a mess. Shoppers were getting tripped up by a “Free Delivery” label they mistook for a clickable button, squinting to see item totals, and scrolling way too far to find the “Go To Cart” button. It was clear—the mini cart needed a makeover, stat.

Solution:

Grene slapped a handy CTA right at the top of the mini cart to whisk users off to the main cart page without a hitch. They added a “remove” button next to each item to clear up any “oops” moments with accidental clicks, and they made the total cost of each item impossible to miss. Oh, and that “Go To Cart” button? They made it big, bold, and easy to spot, which reduced the chances of people accidentally scrolling right past it.

Variant A: the original

Variant B: the updated version

Results:

Post-makeover, not only did more folks click through to the cart page, but Grene also saw their ecommerce conversion rate jump from 1.83% to a snazzy 1.96%. The cherry on top? A whopping 2X increase in the total purchased quantity. That’s right—double the goods flying off the virtual shelves.

Grene’s mini cart transformation is a perfect reminder that sometimes, it’s the little things that count the most. Tweaking just a few elements in the user journey can dramatically ease the shopping process and lead to some pretty impressive gains.

8. Vancouver 2010 Olympic Store: One (checkout) page to rule them all

When it comes to the online shopping experience, the checkout process is often where the race is won or lost. The official store for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics put this crucial phase under the microscope to see if a simpler, streamlined approach could snatch more sales from the jaws of cart abandonment.

Problem:

The question was simple yet pivotal: Should the checkout process sprawl across several pages, or could it be condensed into a single page without causing shopper stress? Conventional wisdom suggests that fewer clicks could mean fewer opportunities for customers to bounce, but would this hold true for Olympic memorabilia?

Solution:

The store tested a bold hypothesis: By compressing the multi-step checkout into one sleek, single-page process, more customers would stick around to complete their orders. Through an A/B test they redirected 50% of their traffic to the new single-page checkout to test this theory against the traditional multi-step method.

Variant A: the original multi-step process

Variant B: the one-page process

Results:

After accumulating over 600 transactions, the results were clear and compelling. The single-page checkout didn’t just nudge the needle—it boosted completion rates by a solid 21.8% compared to its multi-step counterpart. This significant lift in conversions illuminated a strong preference among their customers for simplicity and speed in the checkout process.

This A/B test from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic store serves as a powerful reminder that the “best” checkout process can vary widely depending on your audience and product niche. What works for some might not work for others. 

Want to know what makes your customers tick? Put it to the test and let their behavior guide your optimizations.

9. HubSpot: Experimenting with email formats

Here’s an A/B testing email marketing example that shows that even the simplest elements like text alignment can influence user engagement. HubSpot, always on the lookout for ways to enhance user interaction, decided to tackle this head-on with a focused A/B test on their email campaigns.

Problem:

The goal was clear—boost the click-through rates on their weekly subscriber emails. HubSpot suspected that the alignment of the email text might be affecting how users interacted with their CTAs. The hypothesis was that tweaking text alignment could lead to a more user-friendly experience and, hopefully, higher engagement rates.

Solution:

To test this theory, HubSpot set up an A/B test comparing two formats:

• Variant A (control): Emails with centered text, the standard format they had been using.
• Variant B: Emails with left-justified text, a change aimed at enhancing readability and drawing more attention to the CTA.

Variant A: centre-aligned text

Variant B: left-aligned text

Results:

The experiment yielded some unexpected results. Contrary to their hypothesis, the emails with left-aligned text actually performed worse than the centered text, receiving fewer clicks overall. In fact, less than 25% of the left-justified email variants managed to outperform the control group.

This A/B testing email marketing example test from HubSpot serves as a valuable lesson in the nuances of email marketing. While it might seem that aligning text to the left—a format that generally enhances readability in longer texts—would work better, audience preferences can vary widely. This underscores the importance of continually testing even the smallest details and not making assumptions about user preferences. 

10. Vestiaire Collective: Trendsetting on TikTok

In the fast-paced world of fashion and social media, staying ahead of the curve isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. Vestiaire Collective, a second-hand luxury fashion platform, faced the challenge of capturing the elusive Gen Z demographic on TikTok while promoting their new direct shopping feature. Their approach? A clever blend of influencer creativity and data-driven decision-making.

Problem:

Vestiaire aimed to expand its brand presence on TikTok and engage Gen Z shoppers, a demographic that thrives on authenticity and fresh content. The brand needed to ensure their influencer collaborations were not only creative but also effectively aligned with their business goals of increasing brand awareness and driving app installs.

Solution:

To tackle this, Vestiaire’s influencer marketing agency orchestrated an A/B testing campaign that didn’t cramp the style of their creative partners. They enlisted eight influencers, granting them extensive creative freedom to develop a variety of TikTok posts, each embedded with specific CTAs that aligned with Vestiaire’s objectives. The content varied widely, giving the campaign a diverse range of creative angles.

An example of influencer creative freedom

After the initial content creation, the real magic of A/B testing came into play. The agency analyzed the performance metrics of these posts to identify which ones truly resonated with the audience. The top-performing content was then amplified through targeted paid advertising, optimizing reach and engagement.

Results:

The results were nothing short of fabulous. Vestiaire’s strategic use of A/B testing led to over 4,000 new app installs and halved the cost per install, demonstrating a significant improvement over their performance metrics on Instagram and YouTube. 

Vestiaire’s success story is a powerful testament to the impact of integrating A/B testing into influencer marketing strategies. It shows that allowing creative freedom, coupled with a methodical evaluation of content performance, can lead to stellar results in both engagement and cost efficiency. 

How to do A/B testing 

Now that you’ve seen what a big difference A/B testing can make in helping you achieve your marketing goals, you’re probably rarin’ to go with A/B testing your own landing pages. Here’s how to get started:

Create a hypothesis

By starting with a hypothesis you not only figure out what you want to test, but also how you’ll know if the test is successful or not. Make sure your hypothesis is:

• Focused on a single issue: Pinpoint exactly what you want to solve or understand.
• Testable: You should be able to prove or disprove it by the end of your test.
• Impact-driven: Aim for something that could significantly move the needle, like boosting conversion rates or reducing bounce rates.

Use the trusty “If, then” structure to shape your hypothesis. For instance, “If we use a more vibrant CTA button, then our click-through rate will increase.”

Set your variables: control and treatment

Identify what you’re testing:

• Control variable: This is your current champion, the original version of your landing page. (This can be the “A” in your A/B test.)
• Treatment variable: Introduce the challenger (“B”), a tweaked version of the page based on your hypothesis.

Decide what to test

The beauty of A/B testing is its versatility. You can test almost anything that might affect user behavior. Some common elements include:

• The copy of headlines or body text
• Call to action (CTA) button design or wording
• Images or video content
• Overall layout and navigation of the page

Check out our A/B testing ebook for a handy list of 20 elements you can test on your landing page.

Measure for statistical significance

Ensure your results aren’t just a fluke. Understanding the statistical significance of your findings is crucial. This fancy term just means making sure the changes in performance between your control and treatment are likely due to your modifications, not random chance.

Choose your goals

What’s your endgame? Increased site traffic, lower bounce rates, higher engagement? Your goals should align with your hypothesis and be clearly measurable. This focus will not only guide your experiment but also help you understand the outcomes.

Split your audience correctly

It’s generally best to divide your traffic between the control and treatment versions of your page equally and randomly. This way, each version gets a fighting chance to prove its worth under similar conditions.

Yes, there are situations where you might not want to divide the traffic evenly, like if you’re testing something that’s risky that you only want to expose to a small amount of traffic. But overall, an even split is your best bet.

Analyze and act

Once your test runs its course, dive into the data. Did your treatment outperform the control? Or was it a no-go? The data will tell you not just who won, but by how much. Based on these insights, decide whether to adopt the new version, run more tests, or head back to the drawing board.

Keep in mind that even a “failed” test can provide valuable insights, if only to show you what you shouldn’t be doing. As Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” (It’s up to you if you want to do 10,000 A/B tests, though…)

A step-by-step guide to A/B testing with Unbounce

The Unbounce landing page builder is not only one of the best tools for creating landing pages, it also includes built-in A/B testing functionality. For a fully detailed guide on how to use the A/B testing tool you can have a gander at this “How to run an A/B test” page, or just keep reading for a quick rundown:

1. After you’ve signed into the Unbounce builder, select the page you’d like to test. 

2. Make your way down to the Page Overview screen and look for the section called Page Traffic Mode.

3. Choose A/B Test Mode.

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Conversion optimization

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Why amplifying your conversion rates matters
2. 26 ways to increase conversion rates on your landing pages
3. Long-term strategies to boost sales beyond the landing page
4. How Unbounce can help boost conversion rates for your campaigns

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

» More blog posts by Josh Gallant

Not convinced? Check this out:

Back in 2011, Expedia increased profits by $12 million by making one change to their checkout form. By dropping a single field, they simplified the experience.

Need a more recent example? The travel company, Going, cut one word and added two new ones from their CTA. The results? A 104% month-over-month increase in their homepage conversion rate.

In this article, we’re going to cover:

• Why increasing your conversion rate matters
• 26 things you can do right now to increase landing page conversion rate
• Long-term strategies that’ll boost your sales beyond the landing page experience

Let’s get started.

Why amplifying your conversion rates matters

Amplifying your conversion rate is important because a higher conversion rate means more sales and more new business. Increasing your conversion rate can transform a low-performance campaign into a winner, getting better results from the traffic your landing pages already receive.

Not bad, right?

Here’s a quick example of what that looks like:

Say you’re putting $10,000 monthly into a PPC campaign at a $5 CPC. That means you’ll get 2,000 clicks every month your campaign is running.

Let’s say the landing page for this campaign has a 2% conversion rate. That’s a little below the 4.3% median average conversion rate across all industries we found in our Conversion Benchmark Report.

If we do some fast math:

• 2,000 clicks per month nets out to 40 leads per month
• This means a cost per lead of $250

What if you could boost your conversion rate to 5%, though? Let’s run the numbers:

• 2,000 clicks per month become 100 leads per month
• This means a cost per lead of $100

The only number that changes in this example is the conversion rate. You’ve got the same spend, but you’re seeing 2.5x the results you had before.

26 ways to increase conversion rates on your landing pages

Now that you see the difference a higher conversion rate can make, here are a bunch of useful ways you can make it happen.

1. Highlight your unique value proposition above the fold 

When a user loads your landing page, the first thing they’ll see is the above-the-fold section, so make sure you highlight your unique value proposition and remove anything that might distract from it. 

Your USP is the sizzle—the product or service you’re selling is the steak. The above-the-fold section lets you highlight what sets you apart from everyone else and grabs attention. 

That USP can be delivered with a punchy headline, but you should use other elements to support your message. That includes a hero image, the page layout, and supporting copy and forms.

Keep it short and sweet, and focus on your differentiators here. You’re trying to make a compelling case for why someone should click through and convert with you and not your competitors. 

2. Use compelling and clear calls to action 

Imagine a user hitting your landing page. They stick around because of a powerful above-the-fold section and love what they see about your product or service. 

But then they see a bland call to action that looks like it hasn’t been changed from placeholder text—a tired-out “Sign up” or “Get started” in a font that doesn’t match the rest of the page. 

In football terms, this is like fumbling the ball two yards from the goal line. It sucks.

Instead of relying on the same old CTAs, create something more compelling by: 

• Grabbing attention with eye-catching CTA design
• Zeroing in on a single, specific request
• Telling your audience what they’ll get when they click
• Using action-oriented language that motivates readers to click
• Trying out different points of view (try third-person instead of first-person)

3. Establish trust through social proof and testimonials 

Social proof is the positive influence created when people use and approve of your products and services, and testimonials alone can increase conversion rates by 34% when used properly. 

Whether it’s in the form of positive reviews, testimonials, or trust seals, social proof highlights how satisfied your customers and clients are with your offerings. 

Here are three great ways you can highlight social proof on your landing pages: 

• Highlight customer reviews and quotes: According to Northwestern University research, these can increase conversion rates by as much as 270% (see page 6). 
• Share positive social media support: Posting praise-filled social media posts about your product is a great way to add social proof and can even earn you 34% more purchases than a similar page without them.
• Showcase results-driven case studies: Case studies are a great way to highlight the claims you make while backing them up with concrete proof from your clients. What’s more, case studies highlight specific use cases that may resonate with your would-be customers. 

4. Keep it simple to avoid on-screen distractions 

If it doesn’t matter to the intended outcome (clicking your CTA), it doesn’t belong on the page. Every element you include on a landing page needs to guide the user towards that single outcome. 

Our Conversion Centered Design framework analyzed over 20,000 lead generation landing pages and found that conversion rate has an inverse relationship with the number of on-page links—the more links you have, the lower your conversion rate. 

Consider everything you put on your page. If there’s another link on there, it must be worthwhile. 

5. Capture attention with standout visuals 

No matter how strong your USP and headline are, words on a screen are nowhere near as impactful as eye-catching images. 

The right hero image at the top of your landing page can capture a visitor’s attention, get them to feel something, and communicate more about your brand, product, and services—all in moments. 

There’s fascinating psychology at work in our brains when we see a picture—research shows our visual cortex has serious decision-making power when we see eye-catching images. 

Here are a few quick tips for putting standout visuals to work on your landing pages: 

Use pictures of people

Our eyes are drawn to human faces, and we naturally follow what they look at. If you’ve got a shot of a person on your LP (landing page), make sure they’re looking where you want your visitor to go next. 

Pictures of people also help visitors identify with your products and services, letting them see themselves in what you offer—and be that much more likely to convert. Oyster (an HR tool) does exactly that above the fold on their homepage, using a real photo of a seemingly happy individual:

Showcase your products and services

If you’re selling basketball shoes like Nike, throw a pair of ’em on your landing page so users can see what they’re getting. Focused on the service side of things? Not to worry—highlight those services in action.

Get a little abstract

Sometimes, visuals need to play a more supporting role. Abstract designs—that is, elements that don’t feature people or products—keep things interesting while supporting your LP goals. 

You could use a colorful background that echoes the feeling you’re trying to convey or subtle lines and cues to draw the eye. This approach takes a bit more experimentation but still relies on the fundamentals of good design, so play around and test until you find the right fit. 

GoFundMe’s homepage uses some abstract visuals well to grab your attention:

PS: When in doubt, everyone loves pictures of puppies and kittens.

6. Improve page load speed to keep users engaged 

If your landing page is slow to load, then it’s more likely that a user will bounce. 

Three seconds to load?

Users are 32% more likely to bounce. 

Double that to six seconds, and that probability surges to 106%. 

This translates to a 12% drop in conversion rate for every second of load time. 

You’ve got to reduce your page load times and keep them lightning-fast to ensure your conversion rates don’t suffer. 

Boost page load speed by optimizing file sizes, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, limiting external HTTP requests, and using browser HTTP caching. 

Working with Unbounce’s landing page builder automatically improves your page speed by applying best practices for web performance without having to look under the hood. 

7. Ensure a seamless experience with responsive design on all devices 

Until someone hits your landing page, you don’t know whether they’re on a laptop, desktop, or mobile device, so you have to optimize for every experience. 

The push for mobile-first design took the marketing world by storm years ago. Nowadays, well, it’s just part and parcel of the landing page design process. Be sure the experience a user has is consistent across every device they may use to access your pages. 

8. Boost mobile conversion rates by designing with mobile in mind 

Mobile-friendly and mobile-first landing pages are a great way to boost conversion rates by reaching users on a device they’re probably using daily. 

There are three key tactics you should keep in mind when designing for mobile: 

1. Design with less space in mind: Mobile screens are smaller, so adapt your designs to fit on less real estate and prioritize the main copy, the CTA button, and a primary visual. 
2. Pick your words carefully: Space is at a premium. Less is more. Make each word and character count. 
3. Speed matters: Everyone’s picky about page speed, but mobile users will genuinely bail if a page takes longer than three seconds to load. You gotta be fast.

9. Align your landing page messaging with your ad copy 

Your ad copy needs to align with the copy on your landing page. 

That’s it, that’s the tip.

We call this “message match.”

When someone sees an ad in their Google search results, on a social platform, or on a website, the ad creates a promise. The user now expects what they’ll see when they click through. 

If the ad says, “Buy one pair of shoes and get one free,” people will expect to land on a page that will let them do exactly that. 

Make sure the language used in one message is reflected in the other and that the landing page experience delivers on the ad’s promises. 

10. Use visual hierarchy to guide the visitor’s eyes toward what matters most 

Visual hierarchy is a great way to guide users through a page. It uses the way design elements interact to signal significance.

Check it out: 

Visual hierarchy exploits how the eye is naturally drawn to certain elements, then works to guide you to the next most important item, and so on. All this is to say, the placement of any element on a landing page will help determine how much attention an audience pays to it. 

Here are a few visual hierarchy tips to keep in mind when laying out your landing pages: 

• The page’s top-left corner receives a lot of attention because we naturally scan pages in Z- or F-shaped patterns. 
• Left-aligned copy will also likely get more attention than centered or right-aligned copy.
• Keep CTAs on common view paths, and make CTA buttons larger than the body copy.
• Important copy should be in a larger font size. 
• The most important image should be the biggest one on the page. 
• Use a different color on titles and headings to draw more attention.
• Bold important words and phrases.

11. Enhance visitor interactions with AI chatbot technology 

Artificial intelligence tools and technology are quickly becoming game changers in marketing. AI chatbots are already common customer service tools, giving users a way to get answers to common questions and address any problems they encounter. 

When should you use AI chatbots on a landing page?

AI chatbots are a great fit for: 

• Guiding users to convert: AI chatbots can nudge users to buy or sign up with interactive dialogue that can streamline the user journey.  
• Increasing engagement: If users spend time on a landing page, they’re not bouncing, which gives you more opportunity to convert them. 
• Gathering additional information: Building buyer personas can help you nail messaging, but you need a lot of data and time speaking with customers. AI chatbots are a great way to gather exactly that sort of information on a landing page.
• Personalizing user experience: Generic experiences don’t make the sale. The more personalized the user experience on a landing page, the more likely a user is to convert. 
• Qualifying leads: Targeted questions are a great way to assess a user’s intent, but live chat with a human might not be really practical on a landing page. Instead, get an AI chatbot to do it, and you can ensure a lead who isn’t ready to convert yet stays in your funnel for when they are ready later on.

12. Customize the journey for each visitor segment 

One of the best ways to increase conversion rates on your landing pages is to customize the journey and experience for each visitor segment. You can do this by creating a customer journey map and identifying opportunities for personalization. 

But how do you hash out a customer journey map? 

Start with these four steps:

1. Get your customer data, and include any existing personas, feedback, and marketing you have. 
2. Determine every step a customer takes, from awareness to brand advocacy. Use all your customer knowledge and product info, and write down every action you think of.
3. List each touchpoint a customer has on their journey. This basically means every piece of content they interact with on the path to purchasing your product.
4. Record any potential challenges and solutions. 

Track all this info in a spreadsheet, and you’ve got a customer journey map before you know it. Use your map to identify personalization opportunities in your marketing efforts. 

13. Continuously experiment to find winning formulas with A/B testing 

A/B testing, aka split testing, is a great way to increase your conversion rates. By running tests on different content variants to determine performance, you can figure out what messages, images, and offers perform best to really boost your conversions. 

These tests are a low-cost, high-reward way to optimize your conversion rate. 

Continuously experimenting with them can help you collect a wealth of data about what works best. All that information will let you validate your decisions and properly measure your success to get the most out of your efforts. 

Recommended Reading: What is A/B testing? (The basics of marketing experimentation)

14. Offer multiple payment options 

Giving customers more ways to pay is a great way to reduce friction and increase conversion rates. 

If a customer is ready to check out and buy your products or services, you want to remove as many obstacles as possible from their path. 

You don’t need to support every payment option under the sun, but make sure you’re offering a few alternatives for your customers. It’s a small detail, but it can quickly become a major obstacle if a customer can’t pay you. 

15. Create a sense of (genuine) urgency to encourage action 

“Exclusive webinar—register for your spot today—don’t miss out!” 

What’s missing here? 

It’s not specific enough. 

It’s vague language that suggests that maybe, eventually, webinar spots will run out, but without any specifics, it’s not going to be a major motivator. 

Every year, Starbucks drops its buy-one-get-one-free offer on holiday drinks. It’s a hit, and Starbucks knows it—their ads for the offer are as specific as can be to make sure their customers don’t miss out: 

If you’re promoting a sale, a limited-time offer, or another time-sensitive deal, call attention to the timeframe. Appeal to FOMO. This is a great way to motivate interested customers to act fast. 

16. Enhance the value of purchases with upsells and cross-sells 

The point of sale isn’t the end of the customer journey. Beyond retention and advocacy, you’ve also got an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell. 

First, some quick definitions: 

• Upsell: Persuading customers to buy more expensive products, such as an upgrade or premium option. Think “Do you want to upgrade to business class?”
• Cross-sell: Persuading customers to buy additional products alongside your primary product or service. Think, “Would you like fries with that?”

These are great ways to boost your revenues and increase conversion rates, but there’s a right and a wrong way to go about this. Here are a few dos and don’ts to get you started: 

• Do focus on adding value. Whether upgrading or offering additional products, consider what will be most beneficial to your customers. 
• Do make it easy for your customers by narrowing their options. 
• Do personalize your offers to your customers based on their cart or shopping history.
• Don’t be pushy. Focus on offers that suit their needs and avoid bombarding them with too many upsells and cross-sells.
• Don’t offer too many options. Keep it focused on a few additional items to prevent decision overload. 

17. Make sure analytics are properly configured 

Measuring conversion rate is hard if your analytics aren’t properly set up.

When building conversion-centric content, take the time to ensure your analytics tools are properly configured. For example, if you’re using Google Analytics as your primary tool but data isn’t showing up there, you’re probably experiencing a hiccup with your integration. 

This is an easy fix in Unbounce—all you need to do is add your Google Analytics website tracking ID to the Unbounce Script Manager and you’re all set. 

18. Implement pop-ups (the right way) 

Popups can be a contentious topic for customers and marketers alike.

If you’re loading pages up with popups, you’re just as likely to send users running to the competition as you are to make any changes to your conversion rate. 

But when you do it right, popups can be a major source of leads and conversions—just ask Broomberg, who generated 72% more leads thanks to popups on key blogs. 

You could use popups to offer more information. This helps address one of the major issues most folks have with popups—they can come across as pushy. By focusing on education and information, you’re adding value for the customer. 

19. Leverage the psychology behind color choices and user action 

Color plays a remarkable role in landing page design and conversion optimization. Using color theory—the science and psychology behind color—on your landing pages can help guide user action and choice. 

There are two big ways this plays into conversion rate success: 

Color combinations and readability 

The color combinations you use on your landing page can greatly impact readability. As a rule of thumb, colors are more readable on a background they contrast with, like black text on a white page or vice-versa. 

Using a color wheel can help you pick colors that contrast well while still looking great. Remember, it’s not just about the contrast—you’ve got to create eye candy that’ll grab attention while you do it. 

Color associations 

This is where more abstract psychology comes into play. Think about the colors you see on the websites you visit. What do they use? How do those colors support what those pages are trying to accomplish? 

Some color palettes appeal to our sense of fun, others to safety, while certain tones evoke passion or a sense of calm. Using these colors can help you subtly appeal to emotion and reinforce what you have to offer. 

20. Use contrasting colors for your calls to action 

When it comes to calls to action, you need a real pop of color. 

You want to keep your button colors contrasting with the overall color of your page—but as we’ve discussed elsewhere, it still needs to be a complementary color for the overall page design. 

For example, suppose you’ve got a blue-themed landing page. In that case, the natural complementary choice is a strong yellow, gold, or orange. These hues still pop off the page and draw the eye, but they’re a natural fit with a blue page. 

21. Experiment with the number of form fields 

We know how tempting it is to squeeze as much information as possible out of a form. Everyone wants as much data as they can get on customers as fast as they can get it! 

It’s completely understandable, but you must be ruthless when building landing pages and conversion forms. 

You’re trying to remove points of friction, after all, so making it easier for customers to punch in their details and convert is critical. In fact, long forms can be a blocker preventing you from accessing true success: 27% of users will bail on a form if it’s too long. 

Expedia experimented with their form field way back in 2011, cutting a single non-essential field: 

They increased profits by $12 million with this one change. 

Remember, your goal is to increase conversions, not to collect data—as useful as it is—so focus on user experience and get out of the way. 

22. Optimize the overall form submission experience 

Some of the best online forms use the breadcrumb technique—asking questions a bit at a time—to create a less overwhelming customer experience. 

While we’ve discussed cutting unnecessary information from your forms, the breadcrumb technique is a great way to provide a better form experience that collects additional information without pressuring or overwhelming the user. 

Keep things streamlined and consistent.

Forms should adapt based on the info users have already provided. Collecting a mailing address? If someone lists they live in a house, the form should immediately skip any apartment number questions. 

23. Showcase security and trust, especially around payment calls to action 

If you’re selling online, security is critical.

Without the right security in place, you could face payment fraud issues, non-compliance fines, and more—and that’s not even getting into lost business from users who might bounce if they think something’s sketchy. 

To help put customers at ease and make sure everything’s above the board, keep your trust badges and payment logos visible on checkout pages. Also, make sure you’ve got an SSL certificate for your store—the “s” in “https”—which is a must-have for any online store. 

24. Trigger some FOMO (aka the fear of missing out) 

When it looks like a product will go out of stock, interested buyers start to feel the FOMO—the fear of missing out. 

How do you trigger FOMO, though? 

You need to create a sense of desire that’ll eat away at someone the longer they miss out on what you’re offering. If they see everyone else having a ton of fun or getting a ton of great results with the product you’re selling—they’re going to want it too.

Urgency, which we’ve covered already, is another great way to create FOMO.

25. Test “win back” tactics like exit-intent popups 

Not every visitor to your page will want to convert right away. Sometimes, folks get distracted, or they may want to shop around to compare prices. 

Win-back tactics are designed to help you capitalize on the relationship you’ve already built with visitors to make a sale. 

One of the best ways to do this?

Exit-intent popups.

These appear to users who are done browsing and starting to leave your site. These popups are a last-chance way to entice visitors into action, whether with a sale offer or by collecting their contact info. 

26. Deliver dynamic content based on user demographics or behaviors 

Dynamic content is content that adapts based on user behavior and preferences. Think of a landing page that displays a different message or offer depending on who sees it. 

This is a great way to zero in on customer needs and concerns. Tools like Unbounce’s Dynamic Text Replacement allow you to pull ad copy directly into your landing page for a one-to-one transition between both. 

Long-term strategies to boost sales beyond the landing page 

Those are all quick and easy tips, but what about some longer-term strategies for increasing your conversion rate? 

It just so happens that we’ve got six great strategies you can start implementing that will help you expand your CRO efforts beyond the landing page. 

Don’t sleep on your “thank you” pages 

Thank you pages are an overlooked part of conversion rate optimization. 

Think about it:

If a customer is on a thank you page, they’ve already converted, and you’ve got their attention. This is a great opportunity to deliver next steps and make additional, personalized offers. 

There’s a lot you can do to enhance retention and keep driving your conversion rate: 

• Offer additional resources.
• Ask for a follow on social media.
• Prompt a newsletter signup. 
• Invite them to a webinar or event.
• Provide a referral or promo code.

This is a great way to enhance customer retention, build social proof, and upsell or cross-sell. Don’t sleep on your thank you pages! 

Create “pipelines” for traffic acquisition (organic and paid) 

Creating pipelines for traffic acquisition is all about taking the ways you attract visitors to your pages and turning them into repeatable systems and processes. 

For organic, start by knowing your audience and developing content they’ll like. Next, publish this content using SEO and social media to help your audience find it. 

For paid pipelines, use ads to reach your audience, grab attention, and match their needs. Test and optimize your ads to improve performance, tracking results as you do so. 

For both approaches, make sure your landing pages are set up to collect as much data as possible (and are allowed to) about your customers, then feed their information into your marketing system for use in other areas. You may need to nurture leads that aren’t ready to convert. 

Nurture new leads with email marketing and automation 

So you’re generating traffic and acquiring leads with your landing pages—great! Now what? 

Once you’ve captured a lead, how do you get them to convert to a customer? 

It’s time to start a nurture campaign, which means diving into email marketing. A well-crafted nurturing email should be relevant to where a user is at in the buying process—here are a few tips to maximize your nurture email effectiveness: 

• Tailor your lead gen emails to audience segments. This is a great way to improve your campaigns and lets you deliver personalized content.
• Offer relevant resources to guide your customers through the conversion funnel. Remember, you’re building trust here. Focus on information to start before moving on to deeper topics when you can start bringing up sales.
• Focus on a single CTA in your nurture emails. Whether reading a blog post or buying a product, keep the CTA front and center so it’s clear what you’re trying to do.
• Keep it simple. If you’re going to include a form, keep it small and focus on using simple, short copy. You don’t want to bore your leads!

Build a vibrant community around your offerings 

This is a longer-term social play, but building a community around what you offer is one of the best ways to increase your conversion rates. 

Ideally, you’ll have a community content hub where your members can share what they’re working on and what they love about your products and services. If you can’t do this internally, don’t worry—you can easily create LinkedIn, Reddit, or other social media groups to create that shared space. 

Encourage users to participate in your community, highlight user-generated content, and listen to what folks say. This is a great way to develop more social proof and help your customers become advocates for your products and services. 

Unlock new opportunities through partnerships and collaborations 

Community building is also a great way to access new partnerships and collaborations. Think about other brands you can work with—what’s a natural fit, and what might surprise visitors? 

Run retargeting ad campaigns to win back visitors that don’t convert 

Are users not converting?

Don’t worry, you’ve still got a chance to win them back. That’s what retargeting ads are all about. Remember, only 4.3% of traffic converts across all industries on average, so there’s plenty of opportunity to hook those who aren’t fully convinced. 

Remember, these users have already engaged with your brand, so they’re familiar on some level. 

It’s up to you to figure out why they aren’t converting, so focus on intent and personalization to win back these visitors. Personalized calls to action are 202% more likely to convert, and by leaning on search intent, you can find excellent opportunities to message match and earn the conversion.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What is landing page optimization?
2. 10 landing page optimization examples and case studies
3. How will you write your landing page optimization story?

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Paul Park

Paul is a writer on Unbounce’s content team who lives and breathes storytelling. (It’s like oxygen but with better plotlines!) Ask him what he’s up to at any given moment and you’ll get answers ranging from folding paper dragons (y’know, origami) to catching up on the latest cool tech, and finding other ways to channel his inner geek.

» More blog posts by Paul Park

What is landing page optimization, and why does it matter?

Landing page optimization is the art and science of turning first glances into action (y’know, conversions). It’s all about tweaking and tuning your digital welcome mat so every visitor feels like it’s been rolled out just for them.

This process isn’t just about slapping on a fresh coat of paint. It’s a meticulous method of analyzing, testing, and refining the elements of your landing page to boost the likelihood that a visitor will convert—whether that be signing up, making a purchase, or downloading your latest ebook.

Landing page optimization tools can take many forms, including A/B testing, AI-powered traffic routing, heatmaps, and others. In the case studies below, you’ll see how different marketers choose the best tools for their particular situations.

Why is this optimization odyssey crucial for marketers?

In the bustling online marketplace, your landing page is like a storefront window. If the display doesn’t catch the eye, potential customers will just stroll on by. Optimizing your landing page ensures that once visitors land, they’re greeted with a compelling, persuasive, and user-friendly experience.

It’s about making every second count to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion rates. After all, what’s the point of driving traffic if it just drifts away like a tumbleweed through a ghost town?

Landing page optimization also lets you peek into your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and triggers. This isn’t just about changing button colors or changing layout templates (although those can definitely be part of the process). It’s about crafting an experience so tailored and tempting that clicking “Buy” or “Subscribe” becomes as natural as scrolling through a feed.

For marketers, it’s the closest thing to a mind-reading device, providing insights that fuel smarter, more effective marketing strategies across all channels. 

So, roll up your sleeves and dive deep into optimization—because in this game, the best setup wins the most conversions.

10 landing page optimization examples and case studies to spark inspiration

Okay, now let’s explore some examples (most of which were done through Unbounce) that show how marketers hit their goals and achieved greater levels of success through landing page optimization. 

1. Going: How a three-word change led to a 104% conversion boost
2. Campaign Monitor: How dynamic verb matching boosted conversions by 31.4%
3. Love Child Organics: How a shift in visuals and targeting improved results
4. Zola: Unlocking more “I do’s” with higher conversions
5. Hotjar: Popping up a way to increase trial signups
6. World of Wonder: Using AI to unlock new heights in conversion
7. CD Baby: How to regularly hit double-digit conversion rates
8. Truckers Report: Steering towards success with higher conversions
9. ClickMechanic: Fine-tuning the journey to optimization
10. Moy Consulting: Blowing the roof off with 5x growth in 6 months

1. Going: How a three-word change led to a 104% conversion boost

The challenge

Travel discount company Going’s business model hinges on giving potential customers a taste of their service through two primary methods: a free plan with limited features and a two-week trial of a premium paid plan. 

Historically, Going’s landing page prompted visitors to sign up for the free, limited plan. But the company had a hunch: If potential customers could directly experience the full benefits of the premium plan, they might be more likely to convert to paying members.

The solution

To test this theory, Going’s marketing team used Unbounce’s A/B testing tool. They crafted an experiment on the homepage by tweaking the call to action (CTA). The original CTA, “Sign up for free,” was pitted against a new variant: “Trial for free.” This change might seem minor—just three words—but it more directly invited users to experience the full value of Going’s offering without any commitment.

The result

The impact of this simple word swap was nothing short of spectacular. The A/B test revealed a 104% increase in the trial start rate month-over-month. This not only proved Going’s hypothesis but also marked a significant turning point for the company. 

“This experiment, as small as it was, legitimately changed the way that we’re able to spend on media,” reported Forrest Schaffer, Going’s Senior Manager of Growth. For the first time, Going’s conversion rate through paid channels surpassed that of organic traffic, marking a massive win for the company’s marketing strategy.

This success story from Going serves as a powerful reminder that the right words can make a world of difference. It underscores the importance of continually testing and refining every element of your landing pages—because you never know which small change could lead to your next big breakthrough.

Read the full Going story here.

2. Campaign Monitor: How dynamic verb matching boosted conversions by 31.4%

The challenge

Campaign Monitor, a San Francisco-based company that simplifies email marketing campaigns, faced a common challenge: increasing the effectiveness of their PPC landing pages. 

Their hypothesis? If the copy on a landing page dynamically matched the exact verb used in a visitor’s search query, it could significantly boost the page’s relevance and the likelihood of conversion.

For instance, if someone searched “design on-brand emails,” the word “design” would appear in the headline and CTAs, rather than alternatives like “build” or “create.”

The solution

To test this theory, Campaign Monitor set up an experiment using Unbounce’s dynamic text replacement (DTR) feature. This tool allowed them to change the text on the landing page to directly reflect the search terms used by potential customers. The setup involved creating two variants of the landing page to measure the effectiveness of the dynamic text replacement against a control version.

Before launching, they ensured the sample size and test duration were adequate to achieve statistical significance. With a total of 1,274 visitors across both variants over 77 days, they were set to see if dynamically matching the verb from the search query to the landing page content would indeed increase conversions.

The result

The outcome was clear and compelling. After the 77-day period, the variant with the dynamically changed verb saw a remarkable 31.4% increase in conversions, with signups for Campaign Monitor’s software trial significantly outperforming the original. This test not only reached 100% statistical significance but also affirmed the power of aligning landing page copy with user intent.

This example highlights the effectiveness of tailoring content to meet the specific needs and language of potential customers. By matching the landing page verb to the search query, Campaign Monitor made their offer feel more relevant and enticing, leading to an impressive lift in conversions. It’s a powerful reminder that sometimes, the right words are all you need to turn prospects into customers.

Read the full Campaign Monitor story here.

3. Love Child Organics: How a shift in visuals and targeting improved results

The challenge

Aiming to expand their email marketing reach, Love Child Organics faced high costs in acquiring subscribers through their initial coupon offer landing page, which had a conversion rate of 43% and a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) of $2.00.

The solution

Banan, the marketing agency hired by Love Child Organics, employed A/B testing on Unbounce to optimize their landing pages. They experimented with different imagery, swapping photos of babies for toddlers, and refined their ad targeting strategies to better align with their audience’s preferences and behaviors.

These are just two of the adorable photos Banan tested to see which performed better on their landing pages.

The result

These strategic changes significantly improved performance. After eight months of optimization, the conversion rate soared to 69% (from 43%) and the CPA decreased to $1.30 (originally $2.00), marking a significant 60% improvement in the conversion rate.

These optimizations not only cut costs but also better positioned the brand for its commerce transition, enabling them to showcase products more effectively through landing pages.

Read the full Love Child Organics story here.

4. Zola: Unlocking more “I do’s” with higher conversions

The challenge

Zola, a leading online wedding planning and registry service, needed to scale their digital marketing efforts to match their rapid growth and diverse product offerings. Their goal was to enhance user engagement and increase conversions through targeted advertising and personalized landing pages.

The solution

Leveraging Unbounce’s landing page builder, Zola’s marketing team developed over 300 landing pages tailored to very specific audience segments. These pages were designed to resonate with different types of visitors, from Pinterest users interested in building wedding websites to couples curious about how their home decor style could influence their registry choices. 

They utilized Unbounce’s capabilities to quickly launch and optimize these pages, ensuring a seamless alignment between ads and landing pages.

The result

This strategic approach resulted in a significant boost in efficiency and effectiveness. Zola saw an increase in conversion rates ranging from 5% to 20% across these new landing pages compared to their previous website pages. The insights gained from the highest-performing landing pages were so impactful that they were incorporated into the overall design and structure of Zola’s main homepage, further enhancing their marketing success and user experience.

Read the full Zola story here.

5. Hotjar: Popping up a way to increase trial signups

The challenge

Hotjar, known for its heatmaps and behavior analytics tools, faced the challenge of increasing trial signups from their website traffic. They needed a solution that would convert without being obtrusive, maintaining a positive user experience.

The solution

They decided to employ a targeted popup strategy on their pricing page. This popup was designed to trigger only for first-time visitors as they showed intent to leave the page. It offered a valuable ebook, effectively using an incentive to encourage visitors to sign up for a trial.

The result

The popup proved to be a game-changer. It achieved a 3% conversion rate, significantly boosting Hotjar’s trial signups by over 60 new users each month. Impressively, 75% of these new signups were from completely new customers. This strategic implementation not only enhanced their conversion rates but also offered insights into effective engagement techniques, demonstrating the power of well-placed, relevant offers.

Read the full Hotjar story here.

6. World of Wonder: Using AI to unlock new heights in conversion

The challenge

World of Wonder, the bustling media company behind RuPaul’s Drag Race, faced a common dilemma: How to optimize their landing pages for better conversion without getting bogged down in complexity. 

The team wondered if Smart Traffic, Unbounce’s AI-driven optimization tool, could enhance their campaign landing pages’ effectiveness. Their hypothesis was simple, yet ambitious: Test Smart Traffic on three different campaign landing pages over a four-week period to see if it could boost conversion rates.

The solution

Smart Traffic uses AI technology to analyze visitor attributes like location and device to direct them to the most suitable landing page variant, maximizing the likelihood of conversion. For Maggie, a designer at World of Wonder, the appeal was clear. Despite the company’s fast-paced environment, she recognized the potential of Smart Traffic to streamline their efforts. “It’s pretty quick,” Maggie said, “and it’s not like you have to change the whole page.”

With just a few clicks, new variants were created and deployed, leveraging historical conversion data to fine-tune each visitor’s experience. This approach not only addressed user needs more effectively but also allowed the team to remain agile—critical in their fast-moving industry.

The result

The results were nothing short of impressive. Over the test period, World of Wonder witnessed an overall conversion lift of 19.7% across the three tested pages. Some specific page variants even surpassed this average, highlighting the potent impact of targeted, AI-driven optimization.

This experiment not only underscored the effectiveness of Smart Traffic but also demonstrated its ease of integration into existing workflows. Even in an industry where conversion rates hover around 7.9%, using AI to enhance user experience proved to be a game changer.

Read the full World of Wonder story here.

7. CD Baby: How to regularly hit double-digit conversion rates

The challenge

CD Baby is an independent music distribution company that gives music artists a platform to release their music to the world while retaining full ownership. (And no, they don’t sell CDs anymore, in case you were wondering. These days it’s all digital.)

CD Baby operates in a niche, yet expansive, market, catering to artists at varying stages of their careers and across diverse geographical locations. The primary challenge was crafting targeted messaging that could resonate across such a fragmented audience, with the aim to boost traffic, lead generation, new accounts, and ultimately, ecommerce revenue.

The solution

To address this multifaceted challenge, CD Baby leveraged the power of highly specialized landing pages. These pages allowed the marketing team to have tailored conversations with specific segments of their audience. “Landing pages allow you to diversify and scale your messaging, so you can have custom conversations with specific audiences,” explained Daniel Parscale, marketing specialist at CD Baby.

The real game-changer was the integration of Smart Traffic, which used AI to automatically direct visitors to the most appropriate landing page variant. Each visitor experienced a version of the page that was most likely to appeal to them, whether they were more motivated by direct monetization benefits or social proof.

The result

The application of targeted landing pages combined with Smart Traffic led to staggering results: one of CD Baby’s campaigns has maintained a stable conversion rate of 37.17% over six months, drastically outperforming the industry median conversion rates of 3% for e-commerce and 5.2% for SaaS. This campaign was specifically designed for branded searches, aiming to capture the attention of users already familiar with CD Baby but uncertain if it was the right fit for them.

Read CD Baby’s full story here

8. Truckers Report: Steering towards success with higher conversions

The challenge

Truckers Report needed to revamp their landing page to better serve their community of truck drivers who use the platform to find job opportunities so they worked with CXL to make some improvements. 

The existing page was underperforming, as shown by lackluster engagement metrics and conversion rates. CXL’s initial assessments highlighted several areas for improvement: The page wasn’t fully optimized for mobile users, who constituted about 50% of the site’s traffic, and it lacked compelling content that resonated with the users’ needs and desires.

The solution

Armed with insights from Google Analytics, SessionCam, and targeted online surveys, they created a more engaging and responsive landing page. 

They focused on enhancing usability for mobile users and addressing the visual and textual elements that were falling flat. The stock photo of the generic handshake was replaced with imagery that truck drivers could relate to, and the headline was rewritten to clearly highlight the benefits of joining the Truckers Report community, specifically targeting key driver concerns like pay, benefits, and home time.

They also improved the overall design to make a better first impression while maintaining the page’s usability, which heat maps and user session videos showed was already effective. Importantly, CXL bolstered the page’s credibility by adding testimonials and trust signals to reassure drivers of the legitimacy and value of the opportunities presented.

The result

After six rounds of iterative testing, focusing on refining these elements without dramatically altering the layout, they achieved a conversion rate that was 79.3% better than the original. This significant improvement highlighted the power of responsive design, targeted content, and visual appeal in driving conversions.

The Truckers Report case study underscores that testing is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from each test. Remember, each round of testing provides valuable insights that can inform future optimizations, making it essential to view these efforts as ongoing campaigns rather than one-off attempts. 

Read the full Truckers Report story here.

9. ClickMechanic: Fine-tuning the journey to optimization

The challenge

ClickMechanic, a UK-based auto repair marketplace, used customer feedback and heatmap data to optimize their landing pages and drive impressive growth.

They faced two main obstacles in their quest for higher conversions: Potential customers were hesitant to book services due to pricing concerns and a lack of transparency about who would be performing their car repairs. The company needed to identify these barriers and find solutions that would not only encourage bookings but also enhance user trust and satisfaction.

The solution

With concrete data in hand, ClickMechanic took strategic steps to address the identified issues.

The team decided to adjust their pricing to be more competitive and aligned with market rates. Moreover, they implemented a feature that allowed customers to see mechanic profiles before booking, fostering a greater sense of trust and control among users.

Informed by heatmap data, ClickMechanic concentrated their redesign efforts above the fold, making sure that the most crucial information and CTAs were immediately visible without scrolling. This targeted redesign not only saved costs on unnecessary modifications but also ensured that the changes would have the maximum impact on the user’s first impression.

The result

Adjusting the pricing structure resulted in a 60% increase in revenue within just two months—a clear indication that they had successfully aligned their offerings with customer expectations. Also, by enhancing transparency around mechanic assignments, they achieved a 10% increase in conversions, proving that trust is a critical component of the customer decision-making process.

The strategic redesign of the landing pages, focusing on optimizing the above-the-fold content, paid off with an additional 15% increase in conversion rates. This approach not only made their landing pages more effective but also more cost-efficient, reducing the need for extensive redesigns and engineering work.

Read the full ClickMechanic story here.

10. Moy Consulting: Blowing the roof off with 5x growth in 6 months

The challenge

In the competitive world of digital marketing, particularly within niche industries like roofing, achieving high conversion rates can seem like scaling a particularly steep roof (see what we did there?). This was the exact challenge faced by Mats Moy, founder of Moy Consulting, who juggled multiple roles and responsibilities while trying to grow his business in an industry where every click costs a premium.

As a one-man band managing multiple clients and his own marketing, the pressure was on. In the roofing industry, where clicks can cost upwards of $60, maximizing the value of each visitor was crucial. Mats needed a strategy that could not only increase conversions but also manage this without requiring constant hands-on attention, allowing him to focus on expanding his business.

The solution

The breakthrough came when Mats decided to shift his business model from solely providing services to educating his clients. He launched a lead generation training course specifically for roofers, teaching them how to effectively use Unbounce landing pages to captivate their local markets. By empowering roofers with the skills to create and optimize their landing pages, Mats enabled them to drive their marketing autonomously.

The real game changer was his strategic use of Unbounce’s AI-powered Smart Traffic. By setting up multiple variants of his registration landing page, Mats could let the AI determine which version performed best for each visitor, eliminating the need for labor-intensive A/B testing.

The result

The impact of this innovative approach was dramatic. Within six months, Mats grew his client base from 15 to over 80 (over 5x growth!). The registration landing page for his training program boasted an 8% conversion rate, and with the help of Smart Traffic, he saw an overall lift of more than 35%. This efficiency allowed Mats to expand his team, bringing on four additional marketers to help manage the increased workload and continue scaling Moy Consulting.

This case study not only highlights the success of using AI and machine learning to enhance landing page performance but also demonstrates the power of educating clients to use these tools themselves. As Mats Moy has shown, giving clients the reins to their digital strategy, with some smart technology to guide them, can lead to exponential growth and sustainable business practices. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What should you A/B test?
2. Why landing pages are the best place to run A/B tests
3. What elements can you A/B test on landing pages?
4. What can you A/B test beyond your landing pages?
5. How to prioritize A/B testing ideas
6. Building a culture of marketing experimentation

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Josh Gallant

Josh is the founder of Backstage SEO, an organic growth firm that helps SaaS companies capture demand. He’s a self-proclaimed spreadsheet nerd by day, volunteer soccer coach on weekends, and wannabe fantasy football expert every fall.

» More blog posts by Josh Gallant

Oli Gardner

Unbounce co-founder Oli Gardner has seen more landing pages than anyone on the planet. He’s obsessed with identifying and reversing bad marketing practices, and his disdain for marketers who send campaign traffic to their homepage is legendary, resulting in landing page rants that can peel paint off an unpainted wall. A prolific international keynote speaker, Oli is on a mission to rid the world of marketing mediocrity by using data-informed copywriting, design, interaction, and psychology to create a more delightful experience for marketers and customers alike. He was recently named the “The 2018 Marketer to Watch,” in the under 46 category, by his mother.

» More blog posts by Oli Gardner

What should you A/B test?

Before we get into the specific elements in your marketing funnels that you should A/B test, let’s take the 10,000-foot view approach first.

The overarching objective of A/B testing is to find ways to get more results from the same (or less) investment.

• More clicks from the same ad spend.
• More leads from the same amount of site visitors.
• More sales from the same number of carts created.
• More bottom-line profits from the same overall investment.

It’s an optimization game. Once you can improve your click-through rates and conversion rates, you can pour more gasoline on the fire and get better results from more investment. That’s the long game we’re playing here.

So with that in mind—strategically speaking, what should you be A/B testing?

It rolls up to two main things:

1. Positioning and marketing messaging (the what)

Messaging is all about how you present your products or services to the market. You likely have plenty of ideas and hunches about what will resonate, but the best way to answer that question explicitly is to run A/B tests.

Try different angles. Test different value propositions. Experiment with different concepts.

If you can determine what messages and positioning are most likely to pique the interest of potential buyers, you can apply (and benefit from) those findings across the board.

2. Customer touchpoints throughout the user journey (the how)

Alongside the messaging itself is how the messaging is presented.

A typical customer journey will have dozens of touchpoints—some predictable, most fairly random and unique. Throughout this journey, though, there will be critical touchpoints that most buyers pass through. These are the places you want to nail over time. Think core landing pages, checkout pages, thank you pages, etc.

Every lesson you learn from testing how you deliver key messages to potential customers can also be cascaded throughout your marketing engine—even things as simple as color schemes and types of imagery.

Why landing pages are the best place to run A/B tests

The single best vehicles for A/B testing both messaging and touchpoint design are your landing pages.

With the right tools, A/B testing landing pages lets you control most of the variables that could otherwise clutter up your results. The more variables you have control over, the more conviction you’ll have in the winning variants in your tests.

Think about it like this:

You run an A/B test on a landing page where the only thing you change is the color scheme from light mode to dark mode. After a few thousand visitors to build statistical significance, the dark mode variant outperforms the light mode variant by a wide margin. You now get to walk away with complete conviction that light text on dark backgrounds is the ideal design style for your audience.

What elements can you A/B test on landing pages?

The short and sweet answer is this:

Whatever your heart desires.

As long as you’re using a landing page builder that makes A/B testing easy, that is (and we just so happen to know one). Otherwise, every test becomes a major ordeal that leaves you questioning your sanity.

No bueno.

Anyway, sometimes the wheels (aka your heart’s desires) need a little jumpstart to start spinning. So we’re here to share some inspo and give you a few concrete ideas to run with.

1. Headline testing ideas

Your headline is your first impression. Its success is dictated by how closely it matches what your viewers expected when they decided to visit your page—whether clicking an ad, banner, email link, etc.

You can test positive versus negative language in how you express your value in the headline, for example: “Save Time By Downloading Now” vs. “Stop Wasting Time, Download Now.” You may be able to guess which will work better, but testing lets you know for sure.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Product-focused vs. outcome-focused positioning
• Short and punchy vs. detailed headlines
• Question-based headlines vs. non-questions
• Numbered lists vs. no lists
• Using specific statistics vs. general statements
• Directly addressing your visitor vs. third-person
• Fear of missing out (FOMO) vs. positive reinforcement
• Dynamic personalization vs. static and more generic headlines
• Seasonal vs. evergreen
• Emotional appeal vs. practical appeal

Recommended reading: How a three-word A/B test led to triple-digit conversion growth

2. Form testing ideas

Many landing pages include some kind of form to capture data from your visitors. To make them effective, you need to offer something in exchange for the data. Examples would be an ebook, whitepaper, or webinar registration. But what do you test on the form? You’re trying to balance your need for data with the “size of the prize” (what you’re giving away) to find the optimal point of conversion.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Single-step form vs. multi-step form
• Forms with placeholders vs. forms without placeholders
• Button color tests (e.g., red vs. blue)
• Form field labels above vs. beside the input fields
• Required fields vs. optional fields
• Forms with progress bars vs. forms without progress bars
• Position of the form on the page (left vs. right vs. center)
• Forms with social sign-in options vs. traditional email sign-up
• Long forms vs. short forms
• Forms with CAPTCHAs vs. forms without CAPTCHAs

Recommended reading: 5 types of forms that will improve your landing page (with examples)

3. Call to action button (CTA) testing ideas

Your call to action is your conversion. It’s what you want your visitors to do (and nothing else). If people aren’t converting, your call to action may need an update. CTAs should describe exactly what will happen when clicked. A good tip when writing your CTA is to finish the phrase “I want to…”.

For example, I want to:

• Subscribe to the Newsletter
• Download the ebook
• Get Free Shipping
• Upgrade Now

Strong CTAs should reinforce the thinking introduced in your headline, content, and imagery, effectively ending your page’s story with a solid “what to do next.”

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Button text using “learn more” vs. “discover now”
• Large vs. small button sizes
• Rounded corners vs. sharp corners for button shape
• Button placement above the fold vs. below the fold
• Bright CTA button colors like yellow vs. muted colors like gray
• Uppercase vs. lowercase text on buttons
• Static buttons vs. buttons with animations like hover effects
• Short phrases vs. longer descriptive sentences for calls to action
• Buttons with shadow vs. buttons without shadow
• Gradient background vs. solid color background on buttons

Recommended reading: 15 irresistible call to action examples that’ll get results
Recommended reading: How to build and optimize CTA buttons that convert

4. Above-the-fold testing ideas

Everything above the fold will represent your true first impression to visitors. Before they’ve even read a single word, they’ll subconsciously scan what’s in front of them. Is it text-heavy or is there breathing room? Is there a video, images, or just words?

Your first goal with your above-the-fold section is simple—avoid the back button. If a visitor isn’t bouncing, your first impression is good enough to keep them intrigued.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Full-width background image vs. solid color background
• Hero section with a video vs. hero section with an image
• Minimalist design vs. information-rich design
• Slideshow vs. static hero image
• High contrast text vs. low contrast text
• Product video vs. static image as the focal point
• CTA button at the top vs. CTA button after scrolling
• Navigation bar fixed at the top vs. navigation hidden until scroll
• Interactive elements (like hover effects) vs. static elements
• Text-heavy vs. image-heavy layout

5. Color scheme testing ideas

Choosing the right color scheme for your landing page is more than aesthetics; it’s about psychology and strategy.

Different colors can evoke various emotions and actions from your visitors, impacting your conversion rates. For example, using blue might communicate trust and dependability, which is perfect for finance or healthcare sites, while red could create a sense of urgency, increasing click-throughs for sales or special offers.

When you’re planning color scheme tests for landing pages in particular, don’t be afraid to veer from your traditional brand tones. We’re not saying to throw your entire brand guidelines out the window, of course, but landing pages are one of the best places to experiment with ways color can change visitor emotions.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Monochromatic vs. complementary color schemes
• Bright vs. pastel color palettes
• High contrast vs. low contrast color schemes
• Warm colors vs. cool colors
• Neutral backgrounds vs. bold backgrounds
• Text color with light on dark vs. dark on light
• Color psychology (e.g. using blue for trust vs. red for urgency)
• Gradients vs. solid colors
• Seasonal color themes vs. standard color themes

Recommended reading: Color palette trends to inspire your marketing strategy 

6. Ecommerce product page testing ideas

Optimizing ecommerce product pages is crucial for reducing cart abandonment rates and increasing sales. With A/B testing, you can uncover which elements—detailed product descriptions, the placement of customer reviews, or even the color of your “Add to Cart” button—resonate best with visitors and shoppers.

Just remember to keep the main thing the main thing. Identify the metric that matters for your product pages and relentlessly optimize toward it.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Product images with models vs. standalone product images
• Short product descriptions vs. detailed product descriptions
• Price display at the top vs. price display after product details
• Customer reviews featured prominently vs. customer reviews below fold
• Vibrant vs. neutral “Add to Cart” button color

• Product videos vs. product image galleries
• Product features as bullets vs. paragraphs
• Tabbed product information vs. single long page information
• Recommended products at the bottom vs. recommended products on the side
• Product badges (like “Best Seller” or “New”) vs. no badges
• Social share buttons visible vs. social share buttons hidden

Recommended reading: Mastering ecommerce conversion rate optimization: expert tips and inspirational examples

7. Social proof testing ideas

Social proof can dramatically influence purchasing decisions on your site. In fact, 92% of consumers feel hesitant to buy when no customer reviews are available.

You can boost credibility and trust by incorporating customer testimonials, star ratings, or real-time purchase notifications. Testing different forms of social proof allows you to see which methods are most effective in engaging your audience and encouraging conversions. For instance, does displaying many positive reviews at the top of a product page increase confidence and decrease hesitations? Does embedding real Amazon reviews or X (formerly known as Twitter) testimonials help boost conversions or just cause clutter on the page?

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Customer testimonials vs. case studies
• Star ratings displayed prominently vs. more subtle star ratings
• Social media follower count highlighted vs. not displayed
• Real-time purchase notifications vs. no notifications
• “Featured in” media logos at the top vs. at the bottom
• User-generated content vs. professionally produced content
• Customer quotes vs. customer video testimonials
• Trust badges near CTA vs. trust badges in the footer
• Endorsements from celebrities or influencers vs. endorsements from regular customers
• Customer success stories integrated vs. linked as separate case studies

8. Messaging and body copy testing ideas

The words you choose and how you present them can significantly impact your site’s effectiveness. A compelling narrative or clear, benefit-driven bullet points might resonate differently with your audience.

When you can make the copy on your landing page feel like it was written solely for one person—your visitor—your likelihood of converting can skyrocket. For example, personalized calls to action can improve conversion rates by over 202% compared to default versions. Test different tones, from conversational to formal, and structures, from detailed storytelling to straightforward facts, to discover the optimal way to communicate with your visitors.

Testing messaging on landing pages can also give you the cheat codes for what you should say on other key pages. The stakes are low on landing pages compared to rolling out brand-new positioning on the homepage.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Conversational tone vs. formal tone
• Bullet points vs. paragraph format
• First-person (“We offer”) vs. second-person (“You’ll receive”) narrative
• Feature-focused copy vs. benefit-focused copy
• Short, succinct messages vs. long, detailed descriptions
• Copy with technical jargon vs. jargon-free copy
• Urgency-creating language (“Limited offer”) vs. no urgency
• Copy with emotional appeals vs. copy with rational appeals
• Storytelling elements vs. straightforward facts
• CTA within the body copy vs. CTA after the body copy

9. Pricing and offer testing ideas

Pricing strategies can directly influence the perceived value of your products and impact purchasing decisions. Experiment with different pricing formats like straightforward pricing vs. tiered options or monthly vs. annual billing. For example, offering a discount for annual billing might entice longer customer commitment, while a limited-time promotional price could boost immediate sales. Over time, you’ll ideally see trends that maximize revenue long-term.

You can also test how your pricing or offers are presented using strategies like price anchoring where you “anchor” the price with a higher number or reference point, only to then present your offer as a better value afterward to tap into buyer psychology and improve revenue per visitor.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Single pricing vs. tiered pricing options
• Monthly vs. annual billing (with a discount for annual)
• Discounts for first-time buyers vs. no initial discount
• Money-back guarantee vs. no money-back guarantee
• Free trial vs. no free trial
• Bundle offers vs. single product offers
• Cross-sell recommendations vs. no recommendations
• Price anchoring (showing higher price first) vs. straightforward pricing
• Early bird pricing vs. standard pricing
• Limited-time offers vs. always available offers

10. Landing page layout testing ideas

Testing different layout elements like the placement of customer testimonials, the visibility of pricing options, or the arrangement of features and benefits can help you squeeze more juice out of the same orange. (In this case, the orange is all of the copy and media already on the page).

You don’t always need to change the words or the visuals on the page to run an A/B test. Sometimes, testing how those words and visuals are presented and organized can unlock a few more percentage points on the conversion rate scale.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Video at the top vs. video further down
• Customer testimonials at the top vs. before the CTA
• Social proof early on vs. near pricing or contact details
• Immediate CTA at the top vs. CTA after detailed content
• Features right after the hero section vs. after an introduction
• Pricing options early vs. at the end of the page
• Lead generation form immediately visible vs. after content
• FAQ section near the top vs. near the bottom
• Comparative analysis early vs. after context is built
• Interactive elements at the beginning vs. later to emphasize points

Recommended reading: The 7 principles of conversion-centered design

What can you A/B test beyond your landing pages?

Of course, landing pages aren’t the only place you can run experiments. You can also run A/B tests that target both the pre- and post-conversion phase.

• Pre-conversion tests: Ad creatives, ad placements, etc.
• Post-conversion tests: Email campaigns, nurture sequences, etc.

Email campaign testing ideas

After your landing page has done its job and captured an email—the testing doesn’t have to stop. You can A/B test your email marketing campaigns, including automated follow-ups and nurture sequences, to maximize the value per lead. If you can get more leads to take the next action (i.e. make a purchase, request a demo, etc.) the value of each lead will likely increase.

By A/B testing elements of your email campaigns like subject lines, length, and the sender name you can potentially boost open rates, click-through rates, and overall results.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Email subject line with a question vs. subject line with a call to action
• Personalized greeting vs. no personalization in the greeting
• Long-form content vs. short and concise messages
• Sending emails in the morning vs. evening
• Inclusion of images vs. text-only emails
• Discount offers vs. informational content
• Single CTA vs. multiple CTAs
• Weekly frequency vs. biweekly frequency
• Emotional appeal vs. practical appeal in the content
• Series of nurture emails vs. standalone promotional emails

Ad creative and targeting A/B testing ideas

Exploring different ad creatives and targeting options can make a big difference in how well your ads work together with your landing pages.

For example, test image-based ads against video ads to see which type draws more visitors to your site and how those visitors interact with your page. You could also compare how ads for a broad audience perform versus those targeted to specific groups. Perhaps a straightforward, bold headline brings in more clicks than a subtle one. Matching the look and message of your ads to your landing pages can help create a smooth experience for users, encouraging them to stick around and take action.

A/B test ideas to run with:

• Image-based ads vs. video ads
• Dynamic retargeting ads vs. general audience ads
• Ads with bold, attention-grabbing headlines vs. subtle headlines
• Use of testimonials in ads vs. product features
• Geographic targeting vs. behavior-based targeting
• Ads optimized for mobile vs. desktop formats
• Seasonal-themed ads vs. evergreen ads
• Direct purchase link calls to action vs. learn more link
• High saturation color schemes vs. minimalist color schemes
• Specific audience segment targeting vs. broad audience targeting

How to prioritize A/B testing ideas

As great as it would be to literally run every single one of these tests (or every idea you come up with), the reality is this:

Resources are limited.

Your team only has so much bandwidth, budget, and time to work with. Sometimes you need to trim a big list of A/B test ideas down to a more feasible and prioritized list. The good news is that you can actually take a “scientific” approach to the list-trimming process so you don’t just have to guess blindly.

Let’s break down a few common A/B test prioritization frameworks—PIE, ICE, and PXL.

PIE framework

The PIE framework is a simple three-part scoring system to measure the potential gains, relative importance, and overall ease of an A/B test. If a test idea could generate huge returns on an important page, and is relatively easy to implement—it’ll score well.

• P = Potential: How much improvement can be gained from the test?
• I = Importance: How critical is the element or page you’re testing to the business?
• E = Ease: How easy is it to implement this test?

ICE framework

The ICE framework is similar to the PIE framework, just with a focus on confidence rather than the page’s importance. You’re still measuring impact and ease, but now instead of weighting a test based on the page, you’re weighting it based on how confident you are in your impact estimates. If you’re certain that a test will have a huge impact, you should prioritize that test over another where your confidence in the impact is lower.

• I = Impact: How significantly could this test affect the key metrics?
• C = Confidence: How confident are you in the test’s success?
• E = Ease: How straightforward is the test to execute?

PXL framework

The PXL framework was developed by Peep Laja and CXL. It’s a more detailed scoring system that gets you to answer and score 10 questions. From there, you sum up the scores and the highest scoring ideas are where you should start.

Building a culture of marketing experimentation

Hopefully, the ideas in this post help give you some inspo for your next wave of A/B tests, but the most important thing to keep in mind is this:

It’s not what you test that matters—it’s that you’re testing.

The best growth and marketing teams constantly experiment, develop new hypotheses to test, and learn from the data. A/B testing isn’t just a box they check because their favorite marketing podcast called it a good idea—testing has become part of their entire culture.

And you can do the same.

The key to successful conversion rate optimization isn’t which elements on the page you decide to test—it’s the belief that you should always be testing.

Recommended reading: A/B testing for better results (with less)

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