When it comes to optimizing the user experience on your company’s website, it’s often not an easy task to determine the best decisions for design, layout, available tools, etc.
Implementing an A/B testing framework, though, can help you directly compare two strategies and determine which yields the best results. It can be difficult at first, though, to understand everything involved.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.
What Is A/B Testing?
As the name may imply, this type of testing involves measuring two separate metrics in order to learn which is the most effective for your particular scenario.
The most common type of A/B testing is segmenting your audience into two groups, using two different marketing methods, and then analyzing the results. Common elements that are tested include CTA, web design, images, and pricing.
You’ll then be able to simultaneously optimize your conversion rate by creating an environment where your audience is most likely to move forward in the sales process.
What Other Utility Does It Have?
At first glance, A/B testing may seem to only provide insight into the effectiveness of certain design elements. However, there are far more benefits to be had from this type of testing, and some may not become apparent until further down the road.
Let’s explore a few of the most noteworthy.
Increasing ROI
Perhaps the most significant way you can benefit from A/B testing is by increasing your ROI over time. This becomes increasingly true the more paid traffic you drive to your website.
After running an A/B test (or a handful of them), you’ll be able to fine-tune your CTA, site layout, etc. in order to maximize your conversion rate. More conversions will lead to more sales, which will help generate more revenue off of the traffic your site gets.
Once you’ve figured out works best for your audience, you can drive even more traffic to your site and generate even more revenue.
Optimizing Your Site’s Design
This is especially relevant for those who’ve made their site on their own or aren’t quite sure what their audience resonates with in terms of design elements. Attributes as simple as text size, color, and placement could drastically affect your conversion rate.
For example, you could run an A/B test that tests a smaller, darker colored CTA against a large, brightly colored CTA. Depending on your audience’s personality traits, they’ll likely favor one of the other.
And, it may not be the answer you expect. While a large, bright CTA may seem like the logical choice, a younger, more intuitive audience may find that it looks too ‘salesy.’
Solving User Pain Points
Solving more problems for your users will better facilitate more sales in the future. A/B testing allows you to discover which design element, CTA, etc. helps lead to a conversion.
For example, your audience may prefer shorter, concise copy when it comes to product descriptions as opposed to something long-winded and superfluous. Unknowingly to them, your competitors may also be using the type of copy that your audience dislikes.
This will allow you to optimize the elements on your landing pages while simultaneously setting yourself apart from your competition.
When Should I Consider Doing It?
The biggest factor that makes A/B testing a necessary course of action is if you find that your conversion rate is beginning to fall. While this could be due to a handful of factors (such as a Google algorithm change), it may also be due to the content on your website.
Similarly, A/B testing has a noteworthy amount of utility when revamping your site’s design. Such a big change to your brand aesthetic may actually be offputting to your existing customers in terms of user experience. So, it’s important you test both the new design and old design while analyzing your conversion rate, site activity, etc.
A need for increased revenue also elicits A/B testing. If your current methods aren’t working as well as you’d like, you could introduce a new landing page, CTA, etc. and compare it to your existing numbers.
How Do I Get Started With A/B Testing?
Unfortunately, this type of research isn’t something you can immediately dive into. You’re going to have a strong understanding of your audience’s interests in order to get the best results.
For example, if one of your A/B testing elements is something that your audience likely won’t resonate with, your data will likely skew toward the other choice. This doesn’t necessarily make the favored option superior, though— it would mean that it’s more relevant to your audience.
Afterward, you’ll need to create a definitive goal. This could be anything from optimizing a CTA on your landing page, getting more people to utilize your contact form, etc.
As previously mentioned, though, the elements you test should be something that your audience is willing to interact with. Otherwise, you run the risk of making assumptions off of inaccurate data which could be detrimental to your brand down the road.
When you have the above factors decided, you simply need to drive traffic to two separate (but similar) landing pages that have the elements you’re looking to test. After analyzing your numbers, you should be able to draw an accurate conclusion.