A/B testing, also known as split testing, is an experiment that marketers can run to see what variation of an online experience will most effectively impact your target audience. Variations of websites, ads, imagery, and more can be A/B tested to see which one works best with your audience.
As a digital marketer, it’s vital to run A/B tests because you never know which ad variations will have the most pull on your target market. Plus, as you do experiments and try new variants, you’ll be able to quickly tell which ideas work and which ones you should never try again.
The Benefits of Running An A/B Test
User Engagement
The primary benefit to running A/B tests is you’ll quickly learn what helps boost your engagement. For example, if you’re running multiple search ads on Google, you can A/B test different ad copy to try new ways to get people to click through to your site. Once you find an ad variant that is pulling in more clicks and conversions, you’ll be able to make a strategic move to that ad copy to keep increasing your user engagement and click-through rate.
Conversion Rates
Another way A/B testing can help you with digital marketing is by improving your conversion rates. Like the previous example of using different ad copy, you can send your ads to two different landing page variants. By A/B testing your landing pages, you’ll see which landing page and content do the best at converting users who visit your site. Once you’ve established what page does the best at converting users, you can make the campaign-wide switch to that landing page.
How to Perform An A/B Test
The best way to get started with A/B testing is to start with something easy. Something as simple as a headline change could be what you need to get your digital campaign back running at peak performance.
Something else to keep in mind with starting an A/B test is testing where things are needed. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is exceedingly true for running digital marketing campaigns that have already proven to be successful. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when things are already optimized and pulling in engagement and conversions.
Lastly, be sure to run your A/B tests within a set period. The best way to run them is in week-long increments to see how the two variants stack up week to week. Running ads in weekly increments ensures that you get the most accurate data that accounts for dips and spikes throughout the week.
The Takeaway
The main takeaway is that running A/B tests can be remarkably beneficial to helping you run a successful digital marketing campaign. By testing different customer-facing experiences, you’ll find which strategy works best to get people to interact with your ads or convert on your landing pages. Be sure to test in weekly increments and only run A/B tests on things that have been struggling.