23 A/B Testing Ideas to Increase Sign-up Form Submission

Finding the perfect form layout can be tricky. With so many potential options you need to identify a design that will encourage maximum user engagement. A/B testing ideas can help you whittle down layouts and find the best approach. Here are some testing ideas to get you started.

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1. Blurring images 

Images can help you make a more appealing form. They can also, however, serve to distract a user. The idea here is to blur elements on the page, such as background images, to ensure all focus is on the elements you want focus to be on, such as your form.Attempt presenting a version of your sign-up page with blurred images. This way, they still help improve your form's look but are less likely to distract users. Instead, you can draw attention to other aspects of the page that make them more likely to complete the form. 

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2. Show error messages that are genuinely helpful

It’s not uncommon for users to make a mistake on your form. When this happens, they’ll probably try to fill out the form again. But if users keep doing this there’s a good chance they’ll become frustrated and abandon your form. Including error messages on your form might help you achieve a high number of sign-ups. An error message can help signpost a user’s mistake and improve form usability. They can quickly correct the issue and submit their form. Consider using the following:

• Inline validation
• Visual cues
• Clear and concise error messages

Consider adding a ‘Having trouble with this form?’ button so that your users can contact you via email or instant chat if there are problems.Avoid overly complicated error messages. They need to be clear and helpful, not like the screenshot below:

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3. Ask for card details last 

When a user first visits a form, they’re less engaged. Entering card details straight away can seem like too much effort. Try asking for card details at the end of your form. By this stage, a user will have entered basic personal information. They’ve invested their time, and are more likely to share their card details than back out. 

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4. Add a live chat option to your sign-up page 

Sometimes a user might need additional information before filling out your form. Try adding a live chat button at the corner of the screen. This can be powered by an AI chatbot and preprogrammed with answers to common questions. Try tracking user interactions across two versions of your live chat. One with a more prominent chatbot in the corner of the screen, and another with a smaller ‘click here’ button that only displays a chat window when selected. 

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5. Use single-column forms 

A multi-column form takes up less space, but also leaves a lot more information in one space. A user might feel overwhelmed with the number of fields presented to them. Test a version of your form using a single-column format. This can help to make your form feel less crowded and more manageable. Users can take each field one at a time until they reach the submit button. 

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6. Highlight benefits at the top of your form 

Users are always hungry for information. When they arrive on your form, they want to know what benefits they’ll receive when signing up. The average user isn’t going to scroll or read through paragraphs of text to locate benefits. They’ll go elsewhere if they don’t find the information they seek quickly. Try A/B testing ideas that place benefits front and centre of your form. Consider the use of bold text and a larger font to further draw attention to this information.

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7. Offer more personalization 

A study by Hubspot found that ‘personalized call-to-actions perform 202% better than basic CTAs’. Personalization helps users to connect more strongly to the content on a form. This means they’re more likely to proceed and submit their information. Test a version of your form that customizes certain elements around a user. Some ideas include: 

• Using a data-driven approach to find CTAs that users are more likely to respond to. 
• Addressing a user directly by their first name upon form completion. 
• Altering text to their native spelling (eg. US English to UK).

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8. Highlight the popularity of your product or mailing list 

Your forms aren’t a space to be modest. Customers view popularity as a sign of quality. If you have a large user base, drawing attention to the community might persuade more users to sign up. Try placing eye-catching stats at the top of the form (eg, join the community of 100,000+ people using [product name]). 

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9. Emphasize price changes 

A discount can be a major influence in getting customers to sign up for your product. But are customers aware that an item is discounted? Without proper signposting offers can go easily overlooked. Attempt different tests to draw attention to your discounts. For instance, on one version of a page, you might include the discounted price in a different color. On another, you could add a timer counting down until the end of the sale. 

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10. Include visual cues 

As we’ve explored, it is easy for users to overlook your CTA on forms, or feel unsure about how to proceed. That’s why it's useful to make the path ahead as obvious as possible. The inclusion of visual cues could be one way of achieving this. Design choices for visual cues can vary significantly. Some options include: 

• An arrow pointed toward your CTA. 
• Drawing a box around your CTA.  
• Use different fonts, colours, or headings to indicate each stage of your form. 
• Placing white space around your CTA. 

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11. Don’t ask for payment information on free trials 

Free trials can be a great opportunity for customers to get to know your product. After a favorable experience, there’s a much stronger likelihood of them making a purchase. But asking for card details on your trial sign-up page may hurt form submissions. Even though a trial is labeled as ‘free’ customers might be wary of unexpected charges. Removing the requirement for card details may help to increase your submission rates. You might also improve user satisfaction by having a less lengthy sign-up process.  

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12. Trial different mobile designs 

Mobile users now account for 60% of all online traffic. Forms that don’t cater to these users will have a much lower submission rate. However, finding a design that lands with users can be difficult. It’s worth A/B testing ideas to find the most effective layout. One option might be to minimize the number of fields on a given page and have users swipe to reach the next section. Another choice could be to include drop-down menus, reducing the need for users to type information. Use CRO tools to gather audience insights and find the most effective design. 

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13. Show price per week/month 

It goes without saying that the lower the price, the more attractive your product is to customers.  When customers are signing up for your product or service, displaying weekly or monthly prices might create more engagement. It’s worth A/B testing a variety of displaying prices to find the most effective option. Note: Make it clear when you are displaying prices by weeks or months. Otherwise, you risk misleading shoppers and damaging customer trust. 

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14. Consider the placement of discount codes 

Discounts can be effective incentives for getting more users to sign up to your product. Users who don’t have a discount code, though, may feel as though they are missing out. This could lead them to reconsider purchasing an item. To reduce this situation, try some different A/B testing ideas for discount code placement. Attempt to make the code less prominent so that it is less invasive. You could include a drop-down menu so that the code-entry box is only visible when clicked.

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15. Pre-fill form fields 

The more information that a user is required to enter into a form, the less likely they are to hang around. Using data stored on a user’s browser to pre-fill basic form fields may help to boost sign-up rates.

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16. Add testimonials 

Sometimes customers need a little nudge to persuade them to complete the next step. Some users might be tempted by the idea of signing up to your mailing list or product, but need a little more information first. Social proof can be a powerful tool in boosting your credibility. Test a version of your sign-up page featuring your most favourable customer reviews. These may help to sway wavering customers. 

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17. Create more simplistic CTAs 

To draw user attention, CTAs should be snappy and to the point. Include too many words and your CTA could lose its impact. If you feel your CTAs are overly wordy, it may be worth going back to the drawing board. Try a variety of A/B testing ideas to measure the performance of different shortened CTAs. Try to stick to no more than two words per CTA to drive the most engagement. 

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18. Add a pop-up for exiting users 

When a user exits your form, you have only one option; try to persuade them to stick around. A simple ‘Are you sure?’ pop-up message might be enough to convince users to hang around. When testing this method, consider the text that you include in your pop-up. The copy needs to be interesting enough to persuade a user that your form is worth submitting. Highlight some of the top benefits of your product or mailing list.

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19. Offer a variety of registration methods 

As we’ve explored, users prioritize convenience above all else. Many customers simply don’t have the time to fill out lengthy forms. Offering a variety of sign-up options helps cut out the legwork so that the customer isn’t forced to enter their details. Leverage A/B testing to see whether offering more sign-up options (Google, Apple, etc) has a marked effect on submission rates. Weigh up the benefits of any increases versus the advantages of having users create accounts on your site. 

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20. Provide multiple payment methods 

Users often view card details as some of the most frustrating form fields. Many will opt for a speedier option when entering payment details. Providing instant payment options such as Apple and Google Pay helps to create smoother user experiences. This should help ensure that more people sign up for your product or service. A/B test pages that offer different payment options to find the most popular choices.

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21. Adding more visual media 

As we’ve discussed, too many visuals can distract users. Handled correctly, however, they can make your form more appealing. They may make users feel more invested in your brand or products, and more enthusiastic about submitting a form. Try different A/B testing ideas for how you can include visuals on your form. On one page you could include a video of customers talking about their favorite product features. On another, you might add images showcasing your product from a variety of angles. 

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22. Increase the size of CTAs 

An unresponsive CTA can be very frustrating for customers. If they’re forced to wait too long they’ll abandon your form. A/B testing can be a good way of measuring the performance of various-sized CTAs. A larger clickable area may mean fewer users encounter issues clicking your CTA.

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23. Use bold text for emphasis

Most users won’t read every line of text on your form. It’s more likely that they’ll gain information from skim reading. To make sure that customers don’t miss out on useful information try adding bold text to draw attention to the most interesting bits of copy. This way, users are more likely to feel informed and submit information.

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Try out your A/B testing Ideas

There you have it, 23 simple suggestions to support your A/B testing. Finding the perfect form design isn’t easy. Every audience has different requirements and needs, and you may need a form optimization checklist to stay on track. A/B testing helps you to understand your audience on a more granular level and find the best possible layout for your form. Hopefully, this list has given you some inspiration. So, why not try out some of them or your own A/B testing ideas? 

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