What is A/B Split Testing?

 You might have heard of a technique called “A/B testing” that was getting a lot of attention in the world of Internet marketing. If you haven’t gotten on the bandwagon and implemented a few of these tests on your site, then it’s high time you get started.

The reasons are plain and simple: A/B testing works. The tests relatively easy to do, they can help you improve your site, and most importantly, they will help you increase your conversions. Most types of sites on the web can benefit from running these tests, from online stores to blogs and news sites.

A/B Testing Defined

A/B testing is a method of marketing testing where a control sample is compared to variations of it in order to increase sales or conversion rates. Simply put, it’s a test where audiences are presented with two versions of a certain element. The one that causes an increase in conversions is deemed as the better one of the two and is then implemented on the actual site.

Uses of A/B Testing

A/B tests are conducted with the purpose of improving the site’s conversions by introducing improvements to the site itself. Aside from websites, they can also be used in most marketing materials, such as email campaigns, fliers, and other promotional materials.

Websites:  There are an infinite number of elements to consider modifying on every website. It might take a while to test sites with highly complex designs thoroughly, so some people have chosen to conduct A/B tests that compare more than a single element at once. Some of these include the following: the landing page, navigation menu, banners, site logo, theme, site layout, image placement, and content on each page. Specific elements on each of these can also be tested as well, such as the type of images being used on the banner itself.

Emails:  Email marketing campaigns are relatively easier to run tests on because there are fewer elements present. With the use of an email client and a tracking service, marketers can divide their list into half and send out the different versions of the email copies to the two different groups. Some elements that can be tested out in these emails are: email format, copy content, use of images, banners, formatting, and call to action.

browser a/b testing

Image Source: Webgeekly.com

Conducting an A/B Test

Here are the general steps that are involved in conducting an A/B test:

Step one: Identify the elements to test.

This is where you take a long, hard look at your site or email copies and list down all of the elements that you want to run tests on. Try to assess it from the point of view of the people who you’re hoping to attract as customers.

Step two: Create the variations for your test.

After assessing your current content, it’s time to list them down according to priority and work on creating the different versions that you’re going to be using for your first test. It might be a good idea to work on making the variations for the other elements on your list as well while you’re still in the process of running a test to speed up the entire process.

Step three: Run your test.

At this point, it’s time to actually run the A/B test. There are various software and programs that can help you conduct it and monitor the results, like Google’s Website Optimizer. You can also hire an outside firm to do the A/B tests for you.

Step four: Analyze results and implement changes.

Once the test is done, it’s time to round up the results and analyze them. The version that gave the desired results that you were aiming for should then be implemented on your site or in your email copies. You can then proceed to conduct tests for the other elements that are still on your list.

Ruben Corbo is a freelancer writer which specializes in different topics including technology, online marketing with A/B Testing and Product Recommendation Engines, music, art, and motivation. When Ruben is not writing he is producing and composing music for short films and other forms of visual arts.