23 A/B Split Tests that Get More Subscribers for Your Email List

A squeeze page is the foundation of any online business.  It’s the place where you offer a free report or “lead magnet” to get people to join your email list.  And it’s through these subscribers that you generate a large portion of your Internet income.

That’s why it’s incredibly important to optimize a squeeze page and make sure you’re maximizing the number of people who subscribe.

How do you do this?

It’s simple.

You use a technique known as A/B Split-Testing.

With split-testing you divide web visitors into two equal sections:

Group A sees one version of your squeeze page.

Group B sees the same squeeze page…with ONE change.

Then you measure which version gets the highest number of subscribers.

On a long enough timeline, squeeze page optimization will increase your Internet income.  You want to keep testing and tweaking till it converts most of your visitors into subscribers.

This is important because as you know:

More subscribers = More people looking at an offer = More Money

Okay so you know the importance of A/B split-testing.

The question is “What do should I be split-testing?”

That’s what we’ll answer in this post!

Over the last five years I’ve done hundreds of split-tests on my affiliate site.  Some successfully raised my opt-in rates.  And others were complete disasters.  The important thing is I discovered a bunch of things that should be tested on every opt-in page.

So today I’d to talk about 23 tests you should run with a squeeze page.  We’ll start with the five tests you should do first.  Then we’ll go over another eighteen to run after them.

Let’s get to it…

The Top 5 Split-Tests for a Squeeze Page

#1: The Offer- Without a doubt, the most important test is the freebie.  Even if you already have a lead magnet, it’s still important to try different offers.

For instance, for the Steve Scott Site I’m on my 4^th lead magnet.  And I’m not afraid to try a fifth if I think it’ll increase subscriber numbers.

My point is test different offers.  I know it sounds like a lot of work.  But the worst thing that can happen is you’ll have another free piece of content that adds value to your email list.

#2: The Format of the Freebie- You should also test how your content is presented.  Some people like to read.  Others prefer audio.  And many enjoy watching video.

Test different formats for your lead magnet.  You might find your subscribers really respond to one particular presentation style.

#3: The Headline– Testing the headline is another way to dramatically increase subscriber numbers.

To do this, I first recommend building a copywriting swipe file that includes headlines from other successful squeeze pages.

Then take the best headlines and rework them to match your freebie.  Keep doing this till you find a title that gets the greatest response from your visitors.

#4: The Style of Introduction- Like we’ve discussed, some people prefer video and some don’t.  Try a video introduction with your page and see if it makes a difference. While most people use text to describe an offer, you might discover a simple video improves opt-in rates.

#5: The eCover– Does including an eBook cover always increase the number of subscribers?  Sometimes the answer is NO.  Especially if you’re using a crappy, unprofessional image.

Run a test and see if an eCover raises your opt-in rate.  In addition, try different images. You might be surprised at how much a simple graphic increases the interest in your free offer.

…Another 18 A/B Split-Tests to Run

Spend at least a month on the first five split-tests.  These will have biggest impact on your opt-in rates.

Only after doing the above should you try these eighteen tests:

#6: The Sub-Headline– Including a sub-headline works well with some squeeze pages.  The goal of the headline is to create curiosity.  And a sub-headline increases the curiosity by talking to the exact type of prospect you’re targeting.

#7: The Name Field – Its standard practice to ask for a subscriber’s first name and email address.  But I’ve found that you can increase opt-in rates by only requiring an email address.

Use caution when running this test.  In some markets, it’s important to personalize each email.  You won’t be able to do this if you eliminate the “name field.”

#8: The Subscription Button Text– While we’re on the topic, you should test what’s written in the button that people use to subscribe to your list.  From my experience, the words “Free Instant Access” works really well.  However you should also try phrases like “Grab this Free Report” or “Send My Free Download.”

#9: The Subscription Form Color – Try different colors for the background/border of your opt-in box.  Start with red.  And then experiment with other colors like dark blue or green.

#10: The Arrows Around the Subscription Form– Here’s a neat little trick you should try.  Include a graphic of a red arrow pointing towards your opt-in form.  This subtly draws the eyes of the prospect towards the area where they should subscribe.

#11:  The Bonus Reports– Again you might think that “adding stuff” increases subscriber numbers.  In reality sometimes giving too much negatively affects subscriber rates.  In this case, run a test and see if adding an extra report or offer works with your list.

#12: The Page Background Color–The background color of a squeeze page can have a huge impact on the number of opt-ins.  Obviously you want to use white for your text area.  But also experiment with the color that borders this area.

There are a lot of colors that people prefer.  Like: Dark blue, sky blue, black, dark red, and forest green.  Try these and see if it helps!

#13: The Pen Name– Believe it or not, the name you use can affect opt-in rates.   When you first enter an affiliate market, try testing different pen names.  You might find one that really resonates with people.

#14: The Length of Copy– Some markets need a lot of information before subscribing. Others want you to get to the point.  Test the amount of information that’s provided on a squeeze page.  Keep everything else the same.  Just change around how much is revealed.

#15: The Presence of Text- Here’s something that surprised me.  My current squeeze page “winner” doesn’t have a single line describing my offer.  Instead I have a headline, a few images, and a simple opt-in form.

Experiment with including text on a squeeze page.  You might find that more people will sign-up simply because you’ve created a lot of curiosity about the freebie.

#16: The Anti-Spam Statement– Including an anti-spam statement on your squeeze page is a great way to build trust.  It also might be another way to get more subscribers.

I think the reason this helps is because you’re eliminating the thought of “will this person put me on a marketing list and spam me with a bunch of unwanted email?”

It’s good practice to include an anti-spam message on a squeeze page.  But play around with the location and the words that you use.

#17: The Privacy Policy– Including a privacy policy is another way to increase your “trustability factor.”  Opt-in rates might increase when you include a page that tells people how you’ll use their contact information.  On the other hand, having a page like this might remind people that they’re joining an email lest.  Test this and see what happens!

#18: The Contact Us Form– Potential subscribers like having direct contact with someone who can help solve their problems.  Including a contact us page is one way to show that you’re in the business of helping folks.  Ultimately this increases the perceived value of both you and your free offer.

#19: The Physical Contact Information– Use caution with this split-test!  We’ve already talked about building trust with your prospects.  One of the best ways to do this (and increase opt-in rates) is to include a physical address and phone number.

Just think very carefully before posting your home address.  You might end up with a crazy person ringing your doorbell, asking for “help” with a problem.  This happened to me and I can honestly say it’s freakin’ scary!

#20: The Squeeze Page Template– Squeeze pages come in all shapes and sizes.  Nowadays it’s easy to buy a prepackaged template which adds a stylish look to your site.  The information is the same.  The only difference is it’s presented in a slick manner.  So test this and see how subscribers react!

#21: The “Professional Look”– Another thing that surprised me is a simple, “amateur” squeeze page often outperforms something that’s professional designed.  On the other hand, I’ve also talked to marketers who recommend hiring a freelancer to create a slickly designed site.

#22: The Fonts Used– The fonts and font size used on an opt-in page can also have an incredible impact on subscriber rates.  Play around with font options like Arial, Georgia, Tahoma, Verdana and Times New Roman.  Plus, experiment with different font sizes.

#23: The Font Colors– Another thing to test with text are the font colors.  My advice is to use black with the bulk of your text.  However you should play around with the “attention grabbers.”  For instance, I’ve found that these work best:

• Dark red for the headline
• Dark blue for the sub-headline
• Black text throughout the copy
• White background for the interior design of the squeeze page

These work for me.  So start with them and then test different color combinations.  Perhaps you’ll come across something that’s more effective.

How to Run an A/B Split-Test

Success on the Internet isn’t rocket science.  You don’t have to be the smartest or hardest working person.  All you really need is a commitment to test and track all aspects of your business.

The one thing that’s worked for me is to do multiple A/B split-tests on my squeeze page.

Now I understand that you might be a bit intimidated by the idea of running a split-test.

Fortunately it’s not hard to do.  Just use a site like Google Optimizer and you can set up a test in less than five minutes.  If you have a little bit of money you might also want to look into AdTrackZ.  (This is the program I’ve used for five years to split-test my affiliate site.)

Furthermore, you’ll want to track each version of your squeeze page within your email marketing program.

For instance, in Aweber I set up an ad tracking code for each page.  You can see this in the images I provided below.

This shows the raw HTML code for my “conhead” test which is the control version of my squeeze page:

And this shows the raw HTML code for my “testhead” test which is where I’m currently testing a new headline for my affiliate site:

The great thing about Aweber is you can “tag” each subscriber and know which version of your squeeze page they’ve signed up under.  Here’s how this would look in your subscriber database:

With every split-test you’ll want to create a new tracking code.  That way you’ll get an exact count of which squeeze page generates the best results in your email marketing campaign.  Ultimately this gives you incredible insight into the performance of your Internet business.

Final Thoughts on A/B Split-Testing

I can’t over emphasize the importance of A/B split-testing.  It’s the best way to increase your Internet income without doing more work.  Basically you can take the same amount of web traffic and increase the number of people who respond to your offers.  On a long enough timeline this will increase the revenue of your online business

Here’s what I recommend…

Each week set up a single split-test for your squeeze page.  Or if you’re not getting much traffic then do a test for every 400-500 people that see this page.

As I’ve said, running a split-test only takes five minutes to set-up.

Try the 23 ideas in this post and you’ll quickly increase your opt-in rates…and your Internet income!

Take Action. Get Results.