Why redesigning the whole thing is a bad first test
When a command changes the header, first screen, buttons, structure, images, and speed at the same time, there is only one fact left after launch: the new version is better or worse. The cause is unknown. For systemic growth, it is more important to learn how to associate change with a specific hypothesis.
Seven hypotheses that can be tested separately
- Correspondence of the title to the advertisement. The user should immediately understand that he has got where he expected.
- First CTA. Button text and location affect the next step, but it is better to check them without changing the entire first screen at the same time.
- Number of distractions. Excessive blocks can reduce focus.
- Mobile speed. The slow first screen is often masquerading as "poor traffic quality."
- Order of arguments. Sometimes the important answer is too low.
- Trust. Contacts, clear terms and no contradictions help the user evaluate the page.
- Localization. One landing page does not have to work in the same way in different GEOs.
How to Choose the Next Hypothesis
Start at the place where the funnel loses the most users. If click → registration is weak, the landing test is logical. If this transition is stable, but registration → FTD sags, redesigning the first screen may not solve the problem at all.
| Symptom | What to check first? |
|---|---|
| Lots of clicks, few registrations | Conformity of creative and landing, speed, CTA |
| Mobile CR is much lower than desktop | adaptability, loading, shapes |
| One GEO is worse than the other | localization and technical path |
| New Creative Boosts CTR but Lowers CR | Does the advertisement promise more than the page? |
Minimum test discipline
Before starting, write down the expected effect. For example: “Shortening the first screen will increase click → registration on KZ mobile traffic.” After the test, you’ll be able to confirm or disprove a specific thought, rather than simply saying “Variant B won.”
Don’t chase microscopic victories.
If there is little data, a difference of a few tenths of a percent can be noise. First, look for big problems: broken shape, heavy image, message mismatch, extra step. Only then does it make sense to argue about the color of the button.
What to Keep in the Experimental Journal
- date;
- segment;
- hypothesis;
- a modified element;
- success metric;
- result;
- Withdrawal and next step.
So after a few months, the team does not repeat the same tests and sees what changes are really transferable between campaigns.
Prioritize Effort and Effect Tests
Make a list of hypotheses and evaluate each on two scales: the potential effect and the cost of implementation. Broken mobile form has a high effect and is usually a high priority. A complete change in visual stylistics can be expensive and have an unclear effect.
What to consider a basic metric
For landing, it is often logical to use the next significant step, such as click → registration, rather than time on the page. Behavioral metrics are useful for diagnosis, but a long session alone does not mean a business outcome.
Check the quality of the winner further down the funnel.
The new version may boost registrations, but bring in less relevant users. Therefore, after winning on the main metric, look at registration → FTD and the cost of the confirmed action. If they've gotten worse, a local win isn't necessarily helpful.
Archive versions
Save a screenshot, date and description of each major option. Without this, after three months, the team remembers the result, but does not remember exactly what was changed. Archives are especially useful when the same landing page is used by multiple GEOs.
How to Choose a Change Size
If a page is clearly broken, you don’t have to wait for a “clean A/B test” to fix it. Bugs, inaccessible buttons and horizontal scrolling fix immediately. An experiment is needed where both options are working and you want to know which is more effective.
Don’t Test Trust with Fake Items
Artificial counters, fictional reviews, and fake “now on site” can change behavior in the short term, but pose a risk to the credibility and quality of traffic. It is better to check the actual evidence: clear contacts, authorship, conditions, and useful explanations.
After winning, update the documentation.
If option B becomes mainstream, replace the old screenshots and briefs so that the team doesn’t continue to create creatives for the already defunct first screen. Product and advertising communication should remain synchronized.
