15 Ideas for Your Next A/B Test

Honestly when I’m working on an email, the second variation usually comes to me in a moment of indecision during the design process… 

Is it creative genius, or indecision?

Either way, as long as there’s sound marketing strategy behind it, it’s worthy of a test.

Always. Test. Everything. There’s too many blue oceans to not!

However, with an abundance of commonly tested elements, it's easy to overlook some intricate details that can make a significant impact on your conversion rates.

If you’re in a rut of predictable performance, or feel like you’ve tried everything, here’s 15 solid ideas for an A/B test you might not have considered…

1. CTA Buttons

Test the color of your call-to-action buttons. Does a vibrant green outperform a classic blue, or does a subtle orange lead to more clicks? Break out of the main color in your palette.

Been there, done that? Test winning button variations vs. links, or button copy.. Buttons

Test the color of your call-to-action buttons. Does a vibrant green outperform a classic blue, or does a subtle orange lead to more clicks? Break out of the main color in your palette.

Been there, done that? Test winning button variations vs. links, or button copy.

2. Call to Action Copy

Experiment with different copies for your call-to-action buttons. Does "Explore Now" resonate more with your audience than "Discover More"?

3. Links vs. Buttons on Product Blocks

Test whether using traditional hyperlinks or clickable buttons for product blocks increases clicks.

4. Add Blogs at the Bottom

Explore the impact of adding a snippet from your latest blog post at the bottom of your product or service pages. Does it encourage visitors to explore more content? Check the link activity after collecting your campaign analytics to find out.

5. Cart Icon Placement

Move your shopping cart icon around – from the top right to the bottom left. Assess how different placements influence the likelihood of visitors checking out.

6. Typography Variations

Experiment with font styles, sizes, and weights. Find out if a clean, modern font drives more conversions compared to a more traditional one.

Especially if you’re doing e-commerce, don’t be afraid to experiment. Give yourself the freedom to evolve your brands and heading texts to be more web-safe, readable, or elevated.

7. Image Orientation

Test whether horizontal or vertical product images are more appealing to your audience. Sometimes a simple change in image layout can make a big difference.

8. GIFs vs. Static Images

See if a GIF, such as a spinning wheel for discounts, or a stop motion style graphic, performs better than a static one displaying your offer directly.

9. Social Proof

Experiment with the placement and format of social proof elements. Is a dedicated testimonial section more effective than scattered customer quotes throughout your website? You can also test the absence vs. presence of social proof.

10. Custom vs. Standard Icons

Swap out standard icons with custom-designed ones. Test whether unique icons enhance the overall visual appeal and understanding of your website or app.

11. Sender Name Variations

Test a more personal approach - for example, testing “Sender Name: Kaylee from HTML Mastery” vs. “Sender Name: HTML Mastery”.

12. Product Block Design

If your email contains lots of products, test using the dynamic/static product blocks in variation A and stylized images that represent the categories in variation B.

13. Inclusive vs. Exclusive Copy

Experiment with the language used in your copy. Assess whether using inclusive language (such as: "Join our community") performs better than exclusive language (such as: "Join the exclusive club".)

14. Presence of Emojis

Explore the effectiveness of using emojis in your subject lines and copy. Do they work for your brand?

You don’t have to plop them big and loud in the middle of your design. I like to test presence of emojis with SMS messages and subject lines, too.

15. Plain Text vs. HTML Emails

Explore whether plain text emails or HTML-designed emails perform better. Sometimes a simpler, more personal approach resonates with certain audiences. You’d be surprised how well the low-effort emails work.

I will remind you - when you strip away all of the visual components, the copy needs to be extra strong to stand alone.

In Conclusion…

Every small detail counts, and every campaign or flow email is an opportunity to make your marketing better. Never let indecision, or lack of inspiration stop you from gathering data!

My biggest piece of advice on this would be to not get attached

You’ll realize test after test that it was silly to get attached to any specific design or blurb of copy. By trying something new, or testing something you’re not sure will work, you might just wipe your controls!…

Keep testing, analyzing, and refining to boost your conversions and stay ahead of digital marketing innovation.

Your blue oceans are out there.

I’m rooting for you!