How to conduct STA testing to increase conversion by 13%?

The fact that testing in Internet marketing is simply a must have no one will even argue. Therefore, we decided to share useful information on how to make CTA testing more effective (the call to action button on the site is Call To Action). . A word to the author. Not so long ago, an article with the title “71 thought about A / V tests” caught my eye. This article is awesome stuff filled with great ideas.

71 thoughts ?! Wonderful! Where do we start? But now, where to find the time and energy to collect material, which then needs to be analyzed and summarized in such a number of tests?

Important!This article will be especially useful for small business entrepreneurs who work without helpers in the form of a full-time team hired to optimize the conversion. And for independent bloggers, the material will not hurt.

Good news. You do not have to do 71 tests today. You can do them gradually, a little later, so that this year you can significantly improve your financial capabilities and put a little more money in your pocket.

In fact, you can make just one change right this week so you can see how big the difference is.

Hubspot followed these tips, taking them as a call to action. But, before I explain what they did, and how you can do something like that, let's make sure that we all understand correctly.

What is a call to action?

Simply put, a call to action is an incentive that encourages or encourages an audience / reader to take action right now.
Other sources can find a longer definition:

Words (and / or messages) that convince the reader, listener or viewer and encourage them to do something immediately. For example, phrases: “Write now,” “Right now,” or (on the Internet) “Click here.” Call-to-action advertising is considered incomplete and ineffective in all areas of trade.

Have you noticed that the definition above says: “Advertising without a call to action is considered incomplete and ineffective”?

This is just one reason that inhibits profit growth. I recommend implementing a call to action at least now if you are not already using this principle of advertising.

Let's look at a few call-to-action examples:



This call-to-action example encourages the viewer to enter their email address and click on the “Continue” button. This is commonly referred to as the direction leading to lead generation.

Here is another call to action example used at AAA Motor Club. Their list of actions aimed at generating leads focuses on the principles of “free planning”.



Finally, here is an example of a call to action in the form of a pop-up window:



Now that we have already seen the examples and determined what the call to action looks like, we go further.

Hubspot tests a call to action

As mentioned above, Hubspot tested the effectiveness of a call to action and saw a 13% increase in profits. Here is their test:



At HubSpot we checked the form and style of our demo CTA to find out which is better to use. A CTA with a button design (on the right) turned out to be much more efficient, conversion increased by 13%. And, surprisingly, a significant number of users were not attracted at all by the CTA, whose picture includes an image of a sprocket.

13% effect in your business

To better understand how conversion increased by 13%, let's go back to our friends at WiderFunnel.com. We use here their ROI calculator (it's free).
Here's what it looks like:



Try filling out such a table for yourself. Then you will see for sure what factors influence the 13% increase in conversion, and how it will affect your business.
As an example, the same worksheet filled with numerical data:



After you enter your numerical information, the worksheet advises us to go to Account No. 2 to see our results. On Account No. 2, we are asked to go to a page that reflects "Potential to increase conversion." In this example, 13%:

Here are the results:



How to learn to see the potential of conversion optimization?

In this typical example of increasing business efficiency, a 13% increase in conversion would add 10 sales transactions per month or $ 12,355.20 profit to annual revenue in the first year only! (Plus, there would be an opportunity to reduce the cost of goods!)

So how, through thoughtful transformations, can you increase your business potential by as much as 13%?

4 Steps to launch an A / B test for your CTA

After studying the results, Hubspot understood how this data can work in a particular business. You probably can not wait to check?

1. Research and data analysis

Before you can prepare everything that could work in the test, you need to collect some data.
If you are currently using a call to action, what is the return? Have you tested its effectiveness in the past? Why did you choose this particular method? Do you have any feedback or feedback on your current call to action?

If you do not have a current call to action, why not use the opportunity and create two versions to check which one is more effective?

To conduct a study of the profitability of a business without a current call to action, look at your target audience, your market segment. Any infrastructure analytics you have will help you. You could also get acquainted with the opinions of businessmen in industrial forums, make inquiries to the support service or interview clients to, as they say, "get inside their thoughts."

Requirement of the first step - you need to know your client well enough so that you can put forward a reasonable assumption about what call to action can have an effect.

2. Use your data to make a prediction.

This step could also be called a brainstorm.
Mainly - analyze your data, think about your client and make predictions about what methods and techniques could be better than what you currently have.

If you already have a call to action, your brainstorming session might go something like this:

You: Our green button does not seem to work ...
Co-owner: I know that ABC checked the green buttons and saw a huge increase in conversion. Why does this item not work with us?
You: Perhaps because our dominant corporate color is green ...
Co-owner: Yes, the button just does not stand out ...
You: Let's try orange instead!

Or, an example of such a situation: “Our customers are very concerned about their safety on the Web. Perhaps we should check the effectiveness of our protection and think about improving the privacy policy? ”

If you do not use various forms of call to action in your advertising, then you should try to implement two versions. Just remember to adhere to the rule: testing one item at a time. Hubspot recommends:

Without a doubt, you want the A / B test to be uniquely informative. Since you are investing time in it, you clearly want to get a clear and surely positive answer! The problem with repeatedly testing a variety of variables is that you are not able to determine exactly which one was of the greatest importance. You cannot, from the very beginning, say for sure that one page is better than the other if each of them has three or four variables. You cannot be sure also because, at first glance, it might seem that one of the variables actually damages the page. Nor can you take note of the good elements on other pages. Our advice? Do a series of basic tests with one variable to create a "portrait" of the most effective page.

In addition to the few examples above, there are thousands of ways you could apply in your call to action forms.
• Relevant words. Just one thought: the specific “Click here” instead of the abstract “Yes!”
• Color. A frank “confrontation” between your corporate color and contrasting colors can arouse customer interest.
• Location of the CTA. For example, the top right versus the top left.
• Style: “flat” graphics versus “Web 2.0”.

Even the shape of the CTA can be tested for effectiveness: circle, square, rectangle.

The options are endless

I can check everything. Therefore, after you have spent time brainstorming, you can already predict which ONE change, in your opinion, has the highest chance of increasing conversion
So ...

3. Form a testing concept

This step can be changed depending on the tools (methods ) that you use and the test that you run.
At a minimum, you will need a performance measurement tool specifically for your A / V test, which will allow you to interpret the results, and two variable elements, the effectiveness of which you are testing.

4. Manage your testing

After running the test, let it take its course for a while. But remember, in order to get accurate results, you have to wait until the test is complete. This will allow more accurate determination of the best option. To make sure that your results (or rather, their interpretation!) Are as accurate as possible, I recommend using a sample size calculator.

5. Analyze the results

After the testing is completed, it is time to analyze the data. Like last time, you will use the new data to check and make a new forecast. Hopefully, the last test gave you something to work on and make the next forecast better.

Conversion Optimization is an endless game.

Over time, the most effective ways to advertise a business that won your tests will be revealed. You will better understand your target audience and will be able to make more and more perfect forecasts.

Have you already checked the effectiveness of your CTA? Maybe share your experience?