Five Reasons to Get into A/B Testing
Striving for continuous improvement as a business owner means near-constant experimentation. The longer you allow your business to ‘coast’ along, the greater the chance it will begin to stagnate.
From boosting traffic to improving conversion rates to maximising engagement to increasing the average spend of every customer, there’s a lot to focus on as a business owner. Nevertheless, comparatively few invest any real effort in A/B testing – aka ‘split’ testing.
As the name suggests, split testing refers to a strategic process wherein two (or more) versions of a website are tested at the same time. For example, two different promotional banners could be designed – half of the traffic you receive being presented with one banner, the other half the second banner. Using web analytics, you’re able to see in real-time and at the end of the test which banner performed better.
In a sense, A/B testing provides business owners with the opportunity to remove all guesswork from the equation. Regardless of the size or nature of the business, getting into split testing and implementing regular comparisons comes highly recommended.
For those yet to trial split testing for themselves, here’s a brief rundown of five reasons to put A/B testing to work for your business:
1. Priceless Insights
First and foremost, A/B testing provides you with the kinds of valuable insights you would otherwise be unable to access. While carrying out your tests, you’ll learn an incredible amount about your target audience, its preferences, behaviours and so on. Every single test carried out will help you build a more complete and accurate picture about the customers you attract. Information that can then be used to devise powerful marketing and promotional strategies.
2. Maximise Revenues
Split testing means only ever implementing the kinds of changes and updates that guarantee positive results. By testing potential changes before rolling them out in full, you’re able to eliminate the trial-and-error approach from the equation. No wasted time, minimal expense and the biggest possible ROI.
3. Continuous Refinement
Whatever tweaks and changes you plan to implement, A/B testing gives you the opportunity to continuously refine them. You test two options, identify the most effective and put it to use. You then have the opportunity to test different versions of the more successful idea, continuing the process indefinitely to boost its effectiveness and value.
4. It’s Easy
Once you get the hang of split testing, it’s surprisingly easy to perform. Particularly when working with the very best software suites on the market – examples of which include Optimizely and Visual Web Optimizer. Even with no specific technical expertise or experience whatsoever, you stand every chance of putting A/B testing to work successfully for your business.
5. It’s Free
Last but not least, some of the very best split testing suites and software packages on the market can be downloaded and used 100% free of charge. Paid packages are available for bigger and more complex businesses, but even the smallest of firms have the option of trying out split testing for free.