When confronted with the results of our A/B test, I couldn’t help but think back to the endless advice about design theory and color psychology that often dominates conversations around landing page best practices. As someone who has scaled multiple startups, I’ve learned to approach industry advice cautiously. Theory doesn’t always translate into action, particularly when your audience has specific habits or expectations.
Our test for a B2B SaaS product serving industrial fleets produced surprising results: a dark-themed landing page significantly outperformed its lighter counterpart. Conventional wisdom generally favors bright, clean designs with standard blue call-to-action buttons due to their universal appeal. Unfortunately for the light theme, my audience was anything but conventional.
Here is why the more somber approach worked and how you can avoid missteps when applying generic advice to your own campaigns.
Let’s start with the numbers.
We split traffic equally between two versions of the landing page over three weeks, focusing on paid sources: Google Ads and Meta platforms. Both variants contained identical copy, headlines, layouts, and forms. The sole difference was the aesthetic, light versus dark.
The dark page:
- Black background for the body.
- White text and form fields.
- A call-to-action button styled black with a red border.
The light page:
- White backdrop with gray accents.
- Blue CTA button.
- Form fields in light gray shading.
Across Google Ads, results were particularly striking:
- The dark page garnered 10,250 impressions, significantly outpacing the light variant, which received 5,677 impressions.
- Dark also drove 466 clicks versus 301, with a 19% higher conversion rate overall.
For Meta platforms, the light page lagged so harshly behind that it rarely generated conversions. The discrepancy was evident: industrial fleet managers, our niche audience, responded almost exclusively to the dark visuals.
Why did conventional advice fall flat?
Here’s what I observed.
-
Audience Psychology
Industrial software buyers are pragmatic, goal-driven decision-makers who value functionality and familiarity over trendy design. The dark design signaled seriousness and operational reliability, the exact tone they expect from a product solving critical problems like fleet downtime. Light-colored landing pages, often associated with consumer-facing SaaS products, didn’t align with their expectations. -
Contrast Matters
A black and white palette offered stark visual contrast. Form fields and buttons stood out, drawing immediate attention. In contrast, the light theme had gray shading on its form, which reduced its visibility slightly. Even small design friction can significantly affect conversions. -
Perceived Weight
The dark aesthetic conveyed authority. We’re not designing an app for students; this is B2B software designed to improve high-stakes logistics. Buyers associate weighty visuals with robust solutions. A light theme, while functional, felt misaligned with the stakes of their problems. -
Google Algorithm Preferences
This wasn’t all human behavior. The dark theme consistently received more impressions under Google’s bidding system because it performed better early on, signaling higher user engagement. Google’s own machine learning adjusted in favor of the dark landing page despite the theories about bright colors, universal fonts, and inviting simplicity.
What should entrepreneurs learn from this?
It’s tempting to copy design principles that work for “most” businesses, especially those broadcasted by marketing blogs or conversion optimization tools. While some universal rules hold true, others depend heavily on audience context. Here are steps to take when tailoring your approach:
-
Understand the Industry
If you’re serving pragmatic or detail-oriented customers, think about their existing habits. My audience works with machine shop catalogs, equipment diagnostic systems, and spreadsheets. Dark interfaces are familiar to them, so the choice wasn’t just aesthetic, it was cultural. -
Focus on Function, Not Flair
In highly technical markets, simple and utilitarian design often wins over flashy creative concepts. Choose the nuances of design, like contrast ratios, button visibility, and readability, based on the type of user interaction required. -
Trust Traffic Data
Keep an eye on platform algorithms. When our Google Ads campaign showed that dark pages were getting higher engagement, the system shifted to deliver more impressions to those ads. Follow the data instead of stubbornly trusting design best practices.
Actionable steps to win conversions like this
If you suspect your audience might react differently than mainstream trends, run a similar experiment. Follow this structure:
- Create two polar designs: One that adheres to popular advice and one that breaks away entirely. This ensures you test drastically different ideas.
- Control other variables: Keeping language, imagery, CTA phrasing, and form layouts consistent prevents confusion in your data.
- Monitor the entire funnel: Higher click-through rates are not enough. Ensure deeper metrics align with your audience, like successful purchases or account sign-ups.
- Refine based on early patterns: Pause underperforming ads quickly to redirect budget, stick to what’s evidently working.
Avoid these mistakes.
- Blindly applying “best practices.” Generic rules often fail in niche markets. Consider how widely quoted tips might ignore audience specifics.
- Ignoring relevant signals. Traffic allocation in algorithm-driven systems like Google or Meta doesn’t happen in isolation. Fewer impressions often indicate poor engagement, stop those experiments faster.
- Testing superficial tweaks. A/B tests should challenge core ideas, not just surface-level concepts like button colors. The deeper you test, the more meaningful results you’ll achieve.
Concluding thoughts.
A failed light-themed page may feel disappointing at first given how strongly platforms push certain design conventions. Yet, results like ours are proof that audiences don’t care about beautifully crafted aesthetics, they care about utility. Whether you’re designing for SaaS buyers, freelancers, or operations managers, start by listening to the audience before listening to the industry noise.
Analytics made one point clear: practicality wins over preconceived trends. If you’re about to launch your next campaign, map out how the user feels about the problem you solve. And if no theory matches? Good. Build your own rules.
FAQ on Dark Landing Page A/B Test
1. Why did the dark landing page perform better?
The dark landing page outperformed because it aligned more closely with the audience's expectations and psychology. Industrial fleet managers preferred the serious tone and high contrast of the dark design over the light alternative. Read about why it worked
2. What were the design differences between the two landing pages?
The dark page featured a black background with white text, a red-bordered black CTA button, and stark color contrasts. The light page used a white backdrop, gray accents, and a blue CTA button but lacked the high contrast of the dark design. Explore the test setup details
3. How was the test structured, and what traffic sources were used?
Both versions of the landing page were shown to equal portions of paid traffic from Google Ads and Meta platforms. All variables except the theme (dark vs. light) were controlled for consistency. Learn more about the A/B test structure
4. Did Google’s algorithm influence the results of the A/B test?
Yes, Google’s algorithm delivered nearly double the impressions to the dark page. Early higher engagement signals from the dark theme led the algorithm to favor it in traffic allocation. Dig deeper into algorithmic influence
5. Why did the blue CTA button underperform against the red-bordered black CTA?
The black CTA button with a red border on the dark page offered higher contrast, making it visually stand out more effectively than the blue button on the light theme. Read about CTA button design
6. What specific industries might benefit from dark landing page designs?
Industries with highly technical or industrial audiences, such as logistics, manufacturing, or fleet management, may see better results with dark landing pages due to their association with seriousness and robustness. Learn how industry impacts design choices
7. Did the lighter theme generate a higher click-through rate (CTR)?
Yes, the light page achieved a slightly higher CTR but failed to convert clicks into measurable actions like sign-ups. This highlights the importance of tracking deeper funnel metrics. Explore the CTR vs. conversion data
8. How does psychology influence landing page design success?
The audience’s familiarity with dark, functional interfaces, common in industrial software and equipment, meant the dark theme felt more relatable and trustworthy. Design must align with user expectations. Learn about the role of psychology in design
9. How can I decide whether to deviate from “best practices” in my design?
You should always consider your audience’s preferences, expectations, and industry norms. Testing contrasting design concepts, like light vs. dark themes, can reveal what resonates with your specific audience. Read tips for testing unconventional designs
10. What should marketers prioritize when designing landing pages?
Marketers should prioritize functionality, simplicity, and alignment with their audience’s values and expectations over following generalized “best practices.” Depending on the market, those practices may not apply. Discover practical design advice
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.