A/B testing is an amazingly powerful way to exploit the effectiveness of your web page. This involves testing two variations or two versions of an element in a web page to see which one performs better. In other words, AB testing is essentially an experiment that uses statistics to determine the best performing variation.
Having said that, it is important to note that many websites face the problem of conversion rate optimization more than they do when it comes to website traffic. Conversion rates for most websites range between 1 and 3 percent.
Infographic source – The State of A/B Testing
So why are the conversion rates so low?
1% of companies are doing at least two tests per month. In spite of that, many companies still face the problem of low conversion rates. Many experts agree that improving conversion rates is not an easy job because it is a complex process for most small businesses. Most of them either don’t use proper testing methodology or they do not measure the effects of changes they make. The good news though is that companies are increasingly embracing A/B testing. According to eConsultancy, the use of split testing among companies has improved from 27% to 38%. Recent trends indicate that it is continuously becoming more difficult for businesses to improve their conversion rates. Why? Because they simple don’t get the basics right.
The fundamentals of successful A/B testing
As you plan to do A/B testing for your website or landing page, it is important to outline the elements you want to test. Some of the elements most common elements you could test include your landing page, Call to Action buttons, emails, and paid search, among others. You also need to select an appropriate split testing software if you don’t like doing it manually.
Next, formulate a hypothesis about what works for you. In other words, you need to define your target metrics. Very few tests are successful are able to result in significant improvements because they are done without specific end goals or without taking into consideration consumer needs.
Do not make the assumption that A/B testing is a one-time event. On the contrary, A/B testing is a continuous process which should never stop. Many companies assume that at the end of the A/B testing process, you can either have a better performing, optimized campaign or a failed campaign. Keep on testing your assumptions and if you get better results, still you should keep on testing more variations of the same elements because it is nearly impossible to arrive at a perfectly optimized element. Keep a close eye on your analytics and keep on optimizing, testing and improving.
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