What is A/B Testing and How Does it Help with Conversion Rate Optimization
Learn about A/B Testing and how it helps with conversion rate optimization (CRO)
Build valuable split tests that help you drive up your conversions.
In A/B testing, you measure the performance of one page compared to another with respect to a particular metric you want to improve.
In A/B testing, you split your website’s traffic into two groups based on their particular circumstances. One group sees one version of your site, while the other group sees a different version. You compare the results to determine which version most effectively achieves your desired goal (like higher conversion rate). If you are interested in boosting your site’s conversion rate, read this article about what A/B testing is and how it can help with content rate optimization!
- Why do you need AB Testing?
- Typical Types of A/B / Split Tests
- Key elements to keep in mind when AB Testing
- Steps to create an effective A/B Test
- Top tools for A/B Split Testing
- Examples of Successful A/B Tests
- Strategies to Increase Website Conversions
Why Do You Need AB Testing?
It seems that every day, we hear about a new algorithm change to Google or Facebook. As companies struggle to find ways to keep growing while their organic reach continues to decrease, they turn more and more often to content rate optimization (CRO) – which is also called split testing or AB testing. But what exactly is CRO? What are its benefits for your company? And how do you set up a test? Let’s get started with everything you need to know about content rate optimization. (For even more information on CRO check out these case studies.)
Typical Types of A/B Split Tests
There are a few types of tests that you’ll want to run, depending on your goals. For example, if you want to sell more products, then you should test your landing page copy by splitting users into two groups: one group sees your default design, while another sees a modified version. When they both click through to your order page (or shopping cart), you can compare how many people completed a transaction. In contrast, if you’re trying to increase subscribers or email signups—which are known as conversion rates—then running what’s called an A/B test would be appropriate.
Key Elements to Keep in Mind While Doing AB Testing
Split testing: a practice of comparing two or more versions of a web page to determine which version performs better.
Content rate optimization (CRO): increasing conversion rates for your website or app, in terms of how many people take a desired action on your site or application.
Key elements: including clear calls-to-action; using persuasive, relevant copy that speaks directly to users’ needs; organizing content for optimal scannability; optimizing load times; and designing forms that are easy to fill out and submit.
Steps to Create an Effective A/B Test
1. Write 2 sets of content on your site.
2. Create a landing page for each set of content
3. Put each landing page through an A/B testing tool like VWO
4. Pick one version that converts better than the other
5. Keep what works, change what doesn’t
6. Repeat steps 1-5 until you have all your best pages
7: keep doing new tests to keep getting more conversions (and always test) 8: Rinse and repeat!
Top Tools for A/B Split
There are many tools you can use to improve your conversion rate optimization. One of them being Google Analytics, which includes heatmaps, sessions recordings, and more. Another great tool is Omniture SiteCatalyst because of its easy integration with web analytics tools such as WebTrends, Coremetrics or Yahoo! Web Analytics. For split testing there are a lot of tools out there but in my experience, I like SplitSignal by Semrush because of its user-friendly interface combined with great results. The other important thing to do when optimizing your site for conversions is research; gather data on what works best in terms of design, wording and layout etc. You can’t expect to know what’s best without doing some research first so don’t skip that step either!
Examples of Successful A/B Tests
In a Test, You Get Only One Chance to Make a First Impression – MailChimp found that switching from text links to image-based calls-to-action increased clicks by 14%. Overlaying CTAs over images also proved successful for both Uberflip and Dabble DB. Applying a 20% discount when a user signs up for an account resulted in 12% more conversions than doing nothing at all. As you can see, there are many different elements involved in AB testing (and even more variables you could test!), so experiment with your own ideas until you’ve exhausted everything else! Remember that while testing, time is money: If your tests are not generating worthwhile results after 10+ days, scrap them immediately.
Strategies to Increase Website Conversions
Website optimization can be implemented using two strategies – namely, top-down or bottom-up. If you follow a top-down approach, you start by identifying your key metrics such as engagement rate, conversion rate, time on site etc. Using these metrics as parameters to identify success factors for your website you proceed to design specific strategies that drive traffic towards these factors based on insights derived from previous marketing campaigns. The downside of a top-down approach is that it does not allow for factoring in any changes or new data coming in from specific campaigns once they are launched.