A/B Testing Idea #2: Make your headlines sound super cool.

A/B Testing Idea #2: Make your headlines sound super cool.

Hello everyone,

We're back with our second post in the CRO testing idea series. If you missed the first post, please check it out here: "Place irresistible and clear CTAs." In today's post, we'll look at how to effectively A/B test your headline content.


 
Some people say "you only get one chance to make a first impression" while others contend that it only takes seven seconds to make an impression about someone or something. Well, the same concept applies to your website.

A good first impression on your website is crucial for making visitors trust in your products/services and keeping them tied to your business forever. Creating this first impression depends on many factors like structure, colors, spacing, symmetry, amount of text, and fonts. But, of everything else, a good headline plays a major role in the success of your website.  

Your headline is the first thing that readers see as soon as they land on your site; it holds the power to make or break a deal at first visit. Even if your content is truly unique and innovative, a weak headline can ruin its chances of being super successful in terms of conversions. So how do you create a strong headline that drives more traffic and clicks on your website?

Here are a few aspects to consider as you A/B test your site's headline content:

Communicate your brand's purpose
Often we just assume that the visitors fully understand everything about our website and its product offerings. However, that’s not always the case, especially for new visitors. With hundreds of websites selling products/services online, it's important to make sure that the primary headline on your homepage tells visitors what your website has to offer and how it aligns with their expectations—all in a few short seconds. Tweaking and testing headline copy that clearly communicates your brand's purpose and differentiates yourself from the competitors can encourage your visitors to take the desired action without another thought.
 
Example:
Say you own a website testing and analytics software solution that offers a set of tools to grow an online business. Take a look below at the old and new versions of the same headline message. Notice that while the first tells people what the product is, the second tells people what the product will actually help them do.



Extra tip: The easiest way to determine if your brand message is clear to your visitors is by assuming your audience knows nothing about the business you're running.

Try different headlines for different set of target audiences
Each website caters to a specific type of audience. So understanding which audience group you cater to, where they come from, what their interests are, and what information they are hoping to find on your site is another major parameter to consider before starting to test your headline content. Testing and optimizing your headline copy based on a particular set of audience segments like demographics (such as location, gender, age, etc), personal interests, and past engagements with your site can help you deliver personalized content for each category of visitors, which is more likely to generate conversions. 

Example: 
Say you run an ecommerce business and want to A/B test your headline copy with enticing offers for returning visitors to see which one convinces them to fulfill your conversion goals.
 

Extra tip:
  • You can target your A/B test in PageSense using a variety of audience segments such as visitor type, device used, JS variable, day of the week, and more to learn which version grabs your audience's attention immediately and performs best for each segment.
  • To know your target audience better, you can set up polls on your website using PageSense and learn your visitor’s business (or personal) needs and how your product can help achieve them. Later, you can use this feedback to test and optimize your website content. 
Match your headline with your ad copy
When a visitor clicks on an ad, it's of the utmost importance to match the message on that ad to the headline content on your post-click landing page. If your headline doesn't match the offers and features that you promised in your ad copy, you're wasting all your marketing investment and conversion opportunities. A/B testing your headline by incorporating relevant keywords that resonate with your ad copy can help you reassure people that they've come to the right place. It can also later persuade them to take the desired action on your site more quickly. Further, this type of testing is more likely to generate increased clickthrough rates, conversions, and revenue for your website.  
 
Example:
Say you're running a Facebook Ad for older travelers, and the post-click landing page shows the most relevant tourist packages, flights, and hotel stays based on their interests. Now compare the old and new headline messages below to see which version of the message sounds better.



Include stats and numbers
Numbers in your headlines are a great way to grab attention by spontaneously triggering curiosity in your targeted audience. When you use symbols like %, $, or digits instead of words to express percentages, dollars, or numbers in your headlines, it creates specificity around the duration, size, value, etc. of what you're offering customers, which is more attractive than a generic offering. This is a powerful psychological tactic that spotlights your headlines and immediately hooks the reader's interest, which results in more traffic.

Example:
Consider the pricing page of your website and see how adding a number to the headline can increase reader engagement.


Follow the problem-solving methodology
Solving your customers' problem is the easiest and fastest way to reach their heart. Crafting a headline that addresses an issue and provides a cutting-edge solution to solve the problem can make optimizing your website easier. Intriguing your readers like this can make them look for more information on the rest of your site. Further, when done well, it can build a solid emotional bond between you and your customer for a longer term.

Example:
Take a look at the image below to see how implementing the problem and solution technique in your fitness website can make your headline sound more interesting.


 
Test with power words and sentiments
Sometimes the right audience is just one word away. Using forceful positive or negative power words in your headlines has the potential to kindle your customers' emotions and inspire action on your website in no time. Also, these words can guarantee more clicks and make your headlines stand out from the rest. You can test your headlines depending on two groups of power words:  
  • Negative headlines: This type of headline tends to intrigue your customers by setting a stage to avoid a miserable situation. It includes words like never, stop, worst, avoid, or do not.
  • Positive headlines: This type of headline tries to build a relationship with feel good emotions. It includes words like best, always, fastest, easiest, most, greatest, largest, funniest, hottest, strongest, biggest, and ever.
Example:
Take a look at the image below to see how the choice of words can invoke a positive feeling as you read the headline.



Test the font and appearance of your headline
The presentation (color, fonts, and layout) of your headline copy has a huge impact on the performance of your site. Below are a few points to consider while testing the appearance of your headline:
  • Use title case. Avoid writing your headlines in all caps as it can reduce the readability of your text.  
  • Choose a font style and size that matches your website's personality. The most popular font style is sans-serif and font size is 20 - 36 pixels.
  • Apply colors that contrast (while complimenting) your website's background well and focus on the legibility of your content.
  • Align your headline perfectly with your body content for a bigger impact. Centered headlines are most powerful visually, while left-centered are more conservative and formal. 
Example:
Say you own an online food delivery website, and you want to test the color and font of your homepage headline for better clickthrough rates. Take a look at the before and after images of the headline below. Which one you think will attract more eyeballs? 

 
Try out the two-part strategy
Don't forget your supporting cast! Successful headlines act in two parts. Including a persuasive subheadline copy below your headline can be another winning strategy to pull your customers deeper into your website. You can test different versions of your subheadings to see which best suits your visitors, such as explaining a bit more about your product or services, emphasizing your product benefits, or encouraging visitors to click the CTA button placed on your site.

Example:
Take a look at the main headline and the subheading of a customer support software website as shown below. In this case, your subheadline re-affirms how your software helps your customers and adds emphasis about different product features.

 
Test the headline length and SEO compatibility
Test your headline for the right length, SEO keywords, and sentiments. Keeping a headline no longer than six words will help readers easily process your text and attain the goal of your website. Using free headline analyzer tools such as Coschedule or Sharethrough can help you effortlessly understand your website's performance. They analyze important factors (like searchable keywords, word balance, and sentiments) and assign a percentage score based on how good your headline is. They'll help you identify the factors you need to improve for more productive headlines.

Example:
Let's say you own an online pet supply store and you want to test the headline of your homepage to attract more visitor traffic. The screenshots below show the performance of both the old and new versions of the headline in terms of length.



Bonus tips:
  • Create a sense of urgency in your headline with words like "today," "now," and "last-minute offer."
  • Use comparison phrases like "versus" to reinforce the benefits and features of your products/services.
  • Research your competitor's headlines to add more value and optimize your headlines better.  
We hope you found this article useful. What is your favorite headline tester? Have you had any success with headline A/B testing? Do share with us in the comments box below.

Happy testing. Happy converting!

Thank you.

    • Recent Topics

    • Solving the bug in Zoho Writer API for styling

      So... the Zoho Writer APIs for programatically creating a document do not respect a template's style. The result is that any document you generate via API needs to be manually, paragraph by paragraph, reformatted. That bug alone is sufficient to render

    • How to list WorkDrive folder contents using API

      I'm trying to read folder contents using a Deluge script. The code below returns {"errors":[{"id":"F6016","title":"URL Rule is not configured"}]}". I've tried using the search API and seen similar errors. I have proved that the connection works by creating

    • Zoho Books' 2025 Wrapped

      Before we turn the page to a new year, it’s time to revisit the updates that made financial management simpler and more intuitive. This annual roundup brings together the most impactful features and enhancements we delivered in 2025, offering a clear

    • Speed (again!)

      Same old story again: impossible to work at this "speed". Category NOTES!

    • Need to set workflow or journey wait time (time delay) in minutes, not hours

      Minimum wait time for both Campaigns workflows and Marketing Automation journeys is one hour. I need one or the other to be set to several minutes (fraction of the hour). I tried to solve this by entering a fraction but the wait time data type is an integer

    • sending email with another account

      Hello there, i write there for an our costumer request. They want to send email from CRM with a different email (confirmed and added to zoho profile). For example they use account@zilium.com but with this account they want to send (not only with email

    • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

      Availability Update: 29 September 2025: It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition exclusively for IN DC users. 2 March 2026: Available to users in all DCs except US and EU DC. 24

    • Comments aren't visible in shared spreadsheet

      I would like to send a spreadsheet to people who can use it to help solve a problem as a one off use unique to them. They will have to enter data in the sheet. I have comments attached to some of the cells to explain the purpose of the data being collected.

    • Custom button for list page

      Why is my 'List Page - Bulk Action Menu' button in the Packages module not autopopulating the List argument with selected record IDs?

    • Ask the Experts - Live Q&A webinar

      Hello Community, We’re excited to host our very first Ask the Experts session! Join us on 7 April 2026 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (IST) for this live webinar Q&A session, where you will have an opportunity to connect directly with our product experts, gain

    • Designing Multi-Step Workflow System in Zoho Creator + Deluge (Startup Build – Exploring Advanced Architecture + Partnerships)

      Hi everyone, I’m currently building a Zoho-based system as part of an early-stage startup, and I’m looking to connect with others who have experience designing more advanced workflows in Creator + Deluge. This started as a standard application, but it’s

    • Bin Tracking with eBay integration

      When trying to setup bin tracking on items that are linked to eBay listings using the built-in Zoho eBay integration, I keep getting this error: "Storage Tracking cannot be enabled for items that are manually fulfiled or for serial/batch items tracked

    • Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket

      I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This results

    • Update to CRM Custom Buttons: Collect Users' Location

      Hello everyone! Buttons in Zoho CRM allow you to extend the default CRM capabilities for your bespoke business needs. It provides the flexibility to connect to any third-party application to perform necessary actions. Wouldn't it be better, if those buttons

    • Is it possible to make tags "required"

      We would like to be able to make the tag field a requirement for agents before they can close a ticket. This would help with monthly reporting, where a lot of tickets end up with no tag, causing manual work to go back and add the correct tag for each

    • Prevent Automatic Milestone Inheritance for Newly Created Task Lists

      Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement regarding how new task lists inherit Milestone association in Zoho Projects. Current Behavior: At the moment, when a new task list is created below an existing

    • I would like to know wich person viewed the file

      I have a franchise and my Operative Manual is in WorkdriveI, the user can´t download but despite I know How many views the file had, I would like to know wich person viewed the file Is it possible? thank you

    • Can I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?

      This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply. 

    • Cloning Module Customizations in Zoho FSM

      Hello Latha, I have two Zoho FSM accounts, each in a different data center. I would like to know if it is possible to clone the module customizations I have already completed in one account to my new account in the UAE from the backend. In other words,

    • Ordering of Teams

      Hi there, Currently, we cannot order Teams in Zoho Desk. Teams are ordered as they were created. It would be really helpful if we could customise the order of Teams. For example: We have the following Teams: Shipping Customer Service Sales Compliance

    • Estimate Module - Contact Field.

      Hello Latha and Team, Is it possible to make the Contact field optional in the Estimate module? Best regards, Chethiya.

    • Item with name in different languate

      Hello, is there a way to have an item with its name in different languages? For example: I sell an item in different markets and I'd like to have a Proposal and the Invoice with the Item Name in a specific language. Rino Bertolotto Zoho Specialist, STESA srl

    • How to keep track of bags, cans, drums of inventory?

      We buy and sell products that are packaged in bags 🛍️, cans🥫, drums🛢️, etc. with batch numbers. When we get a shipment of one of the products, how do we track we received (say) 10 cans each of 5L of a product and maybe we received 10 cans of another

    • This version of app doesn't support this notecard type Error

      So this problem is happening for any notes created within the last week, as well as any note recently edited on Android. I can open them on my phone fine, but they don't open on the website version. They DO work on the desktop app version. It's just web

    • PDF's Give Unsupported Type Error Message

      Many of the pdf files I add to Notebook work fine but in some cases when I try to open them on the Android App I get a message saying "Unsupported Type. Psst! You are using an older version of the app which does not support this note format. Please update

    • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

      Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards

    • I am not able to check in and checkout in zoho people even location access allowed

      This issue i am facing in mackbook air m1, I allowed location in chrome browser and i also tried in safari but getting similar issue. Please have a look ASAP.

    • Is multiple invoice e-mailing possible?

      I wonder if following is possible: When you are in the invoice view, assume you have five invoices to five different customers that are pending (you have just created them, but not sent them away yet by email.) To the left of every invoice in the overview

    • Multiple packages in one shipment

      Guys we have been asking for this for years. we want to be able to ship multiple packages for one customer in the same shipment, so as to avoid entering shipping info repeatedly, and avoid customer getting multiple tracking emails. When does this arise?

    • I can't add a new customer in Zoho invoice? Anyone had this issue before?

      Ive been using Zoho invoice for over 6 years. Today I wanted to add a new customer to send an invoice to but it doesn't save when I try to access it from the pulldown menu when you go to send a new invoice.

    • set up an opportunity progress bar in canva

      Hi, set up an opportunity progress bar in canva I need help to set to reproduce the progress bar or equivalent of the opportunity steps in canva as in standard view (see capture ) Thank you in advance Amadou

    • Which Tool Is Best to Import MSG Files to HostGator?

      The best tool to import MSG files to HostGator is the MacGater Mac MSG Converter. This professional utility is specifically designed to simplify the migration of Outlook MSG files into web-based email services, including HostGator. It supports direct

    • Recurring event sync via Microsoft 365 Meetings

      I believe syncing Recurring through the Microsoft 365 Meetings integration is already in the works but I couldn't find a reference in the community to track the progress of this work.

    • What's New in Zoho Invoice | April - June 2025

      Hello everyone! We're excited to share the latest feature updates and enhancements we've made to Zoho Invoice from April to June 2025. In this, you will learn more about the following features: New Integrations via Zoho Marketplace Add Images to Email

    • Client Script | Update - Client Script Support For Custom Buttons

      Hello everyone! We are excited to announce one of the most requested features - Client Script support for Custom Buttons. This enhancement lets you run custom logic on button actions, giving you greater flexibility and control over your user interactions.

    • import customers

      Is there a way to bulk import customers? I'm moving from Acuity and would rather not have to enter everyone manually.

    • What's New in Zoho POS - February 2026

      Hello everyone, Welcome to Zoho POS’s monthly updates, where we share our latest feature updates, enhancements, events, and more. Let’s take a look at how February went. Purchase and sell items on different units We have introduced a unit conversion functionality

    • Batch Tracking custom function

      Hi fellow zoho users, We have our ecommerce site setup to shopify. I have some products I want to add batch tracking too, my only issue is that it breaks our shopify workflow (create sales order, invoice, payment, package) because it requires us to manually

    • Kaizen #236 - Using Client Script Support in Quick Create to Automate Manual Data Entry

      Welcome to another post in the Kaizen Series! In this post, we explore how Client Script support in the Quick Create form can be used to automate data entry. This solution addresses a common business scenario where Zylker Furniture sells sofas, wardrobes,

    • Serial Numbers.

      I generated serial numbers for items and there is no way to generate more serial numbers that the number of items being "sold" or created. This is annoying as how does one know what serial number they left off with when they go to receive or sell this

    • Next Page