Split testing, also referred to as A/B testing, is the comparison between two versions of a variable, which may be a page element or a web page. The purpose of A/B testing is to evaluate which variable performs better or which has elements that provide more impact and improvement to the rate of investment (ROI) of your business. This is a considerably advantageous practice, since experience optimizers or user experience (UX) designers are able to save time and effort in website optimization, and are able to make decisions and developments that are evidence-based.
In the case of A/B testing, there are two variables used in the process. “A” pertains to the controlled variable, and “B” is the new variant. The qualifications for selecting the better version are driven by business metrics, and the objective is to obtain baseline data on user engagement and behavior, and other positive features that increase customer conversion. Overall, these contribute to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
The Most Recommended Tools for A/B Testing
There are a variety of A/B testing tools available since it belongs to a growing and innovating field. It would take some time to navigate and filter which tools would be most compatible with your expected business metrics, and which ones are conducive for your budget.
Aside from the given functions of split testing and multivariate testing, AB Tasty provides a funnel testing feature that allows you to examine different elements across multiple changes simultaneously. Adobe Target offers personalization options, creates reports for assessment, and enables integration with Google Analytics, which is also one of the best-suggested tools, as well as Google Optimize. To be able to run more complicated tests with boosted services, it is advised to transition to Optimize 360, which requires payment.
Other paid tools include Oracle Maxymiser, with added funnel optimization, prognostic analysis, and segmentation and targeting that greatly supplement the work of your marketing and IT teams. It also is equipped with a visual editor and compiles visitor profiles. HubSpot is best for small to large businesses and has an available free trial. Its paid Professional and Enterprise accounts are the Content Management System (CMS) Hub and the Marketing Hub.
Optimizely and Unbounce are compatible with small to large businesses and for freelancers, with the former best for interactive and dynamic web pages, while the latter offers a free trial for the creation, customization and conversion of landing pages.
Likewise, for small to large businesses, Usability Hub provides a free trial for two months for the user to try out its features such as the click analysis and five-second tests. With a trial of 30 days, VWO works for businesses that are medium to large-sized. It offers improved experience optimization and conversion essentials for paid plans, but for free, it has the usual features such as the visual and code editor, multiple testing, and additionally, testing using visitor behavior.
Free options include the Wasabi A/B Testing Platform, CrazyEgg, Django-lean, Five Second Test, Genetify, Petri, UserTesting, and Vanity.
Guide to A/B Testing
Now that you have been given a little overview of what A/B testing is and some of the best available tools online, you should start with focusing on which site elements are most appropriate for the promotion of your business and the most feasible for growth of your ROI. Through A/B testing you will be given the proper data and evidence on how your site performs and which elements need to be developed further.
Basically, you need a website that you can use and access through File Transfer Protocol (FTP), CMS, or other options. With a complementary software or A/B testing tool of your choice, you may now make a plan on which elements are available for you to experiment on. These website variables can be the calls to action (CTA), colors applied to your elements and background, a content structure including the photography, and sections of the website used for user engagement. Specifically, you may want to look at buttons, website data collection forms, and pricing packages.
Waiting is also a significant process in the testing period, but you can opt to not take much time if your website’s visitors are too many. You might find that your version “B” matches the preference of your users compared to your version “A”. What follows is the review of statistical significance between your two versions. At least a change of 2% may be considered significant, considering the traffic of visitors and their interaction on your web page. It is also advisable to wait a little longer to see if there will be a higher conversion rate. Check out the A/B Test Duration Calculator of VWO to get a good estimate of your testing time.
Conclusion
Things to assess from the results include visitor preference, the size of your site versus the number of visitors, observable patterns such as efficient performance and substance of page elements, and how many variants of each element you are using per test. It might be complicated for you to assess alone, so it wouldn’t harm your website if you think that consulting with web experts is a better and a surefire option for you to get things done.
