A/B testing is a wonderful way to figure out what works best for your online marketing campaigns. You can test anything and everything. This process does take some time, but that does not matter because the results are more than adequate to offset that.
As marketers, we know how important A/B testing is. From landing pages to ad copy, we can A/B test everything. A/B testing is all about narrowing down which option works better, A or B. It helps you be more effective and reach out to the right audience at the right time.
But do you ever test the most important part of any landing page: The color? Do you run A/B color tests on different elements of your landing pages? Well, you should because colors can make or break a deal.
The Significance of Colors
Colors are extremely important to us. It helps us experience the world better. And, they actually matter when you are trying to convert leads. Think about it. Different colors have different meanings. Some colors make us happy, some make us sad. Colors might just hold the key to making website optimization better.
In fact, the significance of colors differs from country to country. For example, the color yellow is sacred in India, but that same color represents sadness in Greece. People from tropical countries prefer warmer colors while those in temperate regions prefer colder ones. With so many meanings, how does that help you convert more? Well, the first thing you need to do is experiment with colors. Run A/B color tests on your landing pages. See what works for you.
Also Read: The Art Of Creating Landing Pages Which Convert
Website/Mobile App Heat Maps: Interpret, Act & Succeed
The Winner of A/B Color Tests
However, I think I should try to make your task easier. It is the color red that can make you close more deals. But does not red mean stop? Doesn’t it signify danger? Red, also means dominance.
According to a study at the University of Durham, two researchers examined the power of the color red during the 2004 Olympics. In sports like Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling, competitors are assigned red or blue outfits randomly. They found out that out of 21 rounds, the person who wore red won 16 of them. Similar evidence has been found in the 2004 European Soccer Championship. But the effect of the color is extremely subtle.
When it comes to web conversions, there always existed a controversy between green and red as CTA buttons.
For example, Dmix conducted an experiment by setting up A/B color tests where they tested green and red button colors. They tested with 600 subjects and found a 34% increase in conversions when they used red.
In another situation, Hubspot ran a similar experiment on their client’s web page. They had 2000 subjects and the red button converted 21% more than the green one.
Why You Should Conduct A/B Color Tests?
Yeah, I established that red is a clear winner. But that does not mean that is it. You cannot improve your conversions by just employing a trick. You need to do your own conversion research if you want to gain more customers.
Visuals do affect decisions, but if you have a poorly built website, no red button can save your business. You have to analyze what your customers want and what resonates with them. Be relevant to them, not to yourself.
For example look at what Hubspot did, once again. You will see that when they had the green button, it had a green background. Probably because the company's brand guidelines had to be maintained. But when you put in the red button, it stands out in the green background.
So, as a marketer, even if you are bound by brand guidelines for web pages, you still have the liberty to play around with the colors of other elements. You can conduct A/B color tests for banners, emails, landing pages, buttons, etc.
Moving Forward with A/B Color Tests
There are a lot of tools that can help you conduct A/B color tests. To try it out, you can use Google Analytics simply because it is free and highly effective. Red might be a winner, but context matters as well. Maybe it will be blue that works for you, you know. What stands out matters the most and what you can do to improve the situation.