A Legal Marketer’s Guide to A/B Testing for Optimal Campaign Performance

Digital marketing offers several benefits – but the main one is that it is trackable and measurable. That means digital tactics offer legal marketers plenty of opportunity to make data-driven decisions and improve their efforts over time. The best way to do so? A/B Testing. In this blog, I will break down what A/B testing is, why it’s essential for legal marketers, how to implement it effectively, and which tools and best practices can help your firm optimize campaign performance and maximize ROI.

What is A/B Testing and Why Should Legal Marketers Use It?

A/B testing (sometimes called split testing) is the practice of comparing two versions of something to understand your law firm’s target audience’s preferences based on performance. You can test things like landing pages, emails, elements such as blog titles, or advertising components. To perform A/B testing, you will segment your audience into two samples (A and B). The bigger your sample size, the more confident you can be in your results. Then you create two variations, run your test, and collect and analyze the results. 

A/B tests are particularly impactful when applied to email campaigns, social media campaigns, content marketing, email marketing, website and landing pages. For example, the common landing page elements legal marketers can test are as follows:

• Headings and sub-headings
• Calls-to-Action (placement, color, copy)
• Hyperlinks
• Images
• Any content above, near, or directly below the fold
• Positioning of various text snippets

Analytics are a good start for understanding digital performance. A/B testing provides further insights than analytics alone. Testing allows you to gain perspective on other key areas, mainly what your audience is thinking and what resonates with them. These tests will help you create messaging and content that is more likely to convert prospects into clients. 

Accurate A/B testing can help improve your bottom line because you can figure out which marketing strategies work best for your firm. Some firms find that one campaign element can perform two or three times better than others, which can equate to quantifiable results. Effective A/B testing can help legal marketers maximize ROI, reduce costs, and generate more leads.

A Brief Summary of the A/B Testing Process for Legal Marketers

Legal marketers can begin A/B testing with only a few simple steps. 

1. Gather data to determine what to test

You can use various analytics tools or a heat map to see how users interact with your website. Take a look at your website to determine which pages to start testing. 

2. Develop two variations

Decide what you’ll test (buttons, text, headings, etc) and create two of the content (landing page, email, etc). Make sure you have a justification for whatever changes you’re making – why do you want to test that particular element? 

3. Begin the A/B test

You will need to use a special tool or your website platform to carry out the A/B test and make sure enough of your two audiences see the pages. For a landing page test, plan to run it for 3 or 4 weeks. For other content, take a look at the statistics that measure performance (such as open and CTR for an email).

4. Review and analyze performance

The entire purpose of the test is to analyze performance and make changes. Apply what you’ve learned to create more effective content.

Tools and Best Practices for Successful A/B Testing in Law Firm Marketing

To make the most of your A/B testing efforts, legal marketers need to use the right tools and follow best practices that ensure results are both valid and actionable. Fortunately, there are many platforms that simplify the process and help law firms gain the insights they need without a steep learning curve.

Recommended A/B Testing Tools:

• VWO (Visual Website Optimizer) – Ideal for testing website and landing page variations.
  
  
• HubSpot – Perfect for testing marketing emails, CTAs, and landing pages with built-in performance tracking.
  
  
• Mailchimp – A user-friendly platform for testing subject lines, email content, and send times.
  
  
• Optimizely – A more advanced platform for full website and user experience testing.
  
  
• Unbounce – Great for creating and testing high-converting landing pages without coding.
  

When selecting a platform, consider what type of content you’re testing and what analytics you’ll need. Many legal marketers already use HubSpot or Mailchimp, making it easier to implement testing without adding new tools to your tech stack.

A/B Testing Best Practices for Legal Marketers:

• Test one element at a time. Whether it’s a CTA color or a headline, isolate the variable so you know exactly what caused any changes in performance.
  
  
• Set a clear goal. Know what you want to measure (click-through rate, form submissions, bounce rate, etc.) before launching the test.
  
  
• Make decisions based on data—not assumptions. Even if you have a strong opinion about what will perform best, rely on actual performance metrics.
  
  
• Ensure statistical significance. Run your test long enough and across a large enough audience to be confident in the results.
  
  
• Document results and apply insights. Build a testing log or documentation system so your firm can continually improve based on previous experiments.

By using the right tools and following a disciplined testing process, legal marketers can develop more compelling content, improve user experience, and increase conversion rates—all while supporting the firm’s bottom line.

Takeaway

A/B testing is all about optimizing your variables for improved marketing efficiency. Just a few small tweaks to a landing page, email, social media ad, or landing page call-to-action can significantly affect your conversion rates. Legal marketers should always look to run A/B tests as they require a small investment of time for a big boost in performance. Follow the four steps listed here, and you’ll be off to a great start gaining key insights into potential clients.

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