One of the terms you may run across when researching website building, online marketing, and search engine optimization is A/B testing. This type of testing is actually used in many different industries, but the term itself usually relates to online marketing. So what is A/B testing, and how can you use it to build up your online conversion? Here are the basics of A/B testing.
How Does A/B Testing Work?
A/B testing or split testing allows you to compare how well marketing idea A does against marketing idea B. One example uses two webpages, both of which have are advertising your business. Webpage A has its own unique layout, content, and even keywords from Webpage B. By putting both of these webpages online, you can see which one gets more views or more conversions. At the end of your testing period, the one that performed better becomes a permanent part of your website.
Use A/B Testing as a Refinement Tool
While you may do an A/B test to determine your website’s landing page, you don’t need to stop there. You may have a third or even fourth landing page you want to compare. You can continue to repeat your A/B testing until you find the right option. You may even do this testing on different parts of your webpage. For example, you could do A/B testing on the layout, then try two sets of content using the same layout followed by A/B testing on the call to action. All of this helps you refine your website and optimize your conversions.
Preparing for A/B Testing
Before you start A/B testing, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you need to determine why your current website isn’t working. Is it the layout? The content? The online shopping cart system? Whatever the reason, finding this pain point is the first step to fixing it. You can look at information such as where a user is on your website before the leave. If they’re not even looking at product pages, it could be the content or navigation. If they’re abandoning their cart, it may be too difficult to use.
Once you have found the problem, you can start doing A/B testing to determine how to make your website easier and more intuitive. This is where having an expert on your side helps. The team at BlendIM is here to assist you with A/B testing and any other online marketing issue. Contact us today to discuss how we can help.
