The secret of A/B testing

A/B testing, an opportunity to adapt the website to the public’s tastes

The term A/B testing is used countless times in advertising campaigns or even business strategies. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about this concept, our  digital marketing agency in Gijón  will explain it to you.

Launching new strategies in the digital marketing sector is risky because what you launch must be attractive to the public.

The truth is that we can find tools that help us more decisively design our website, as well as its various components, with the goal of increasing public interest and, therefore, their satisfaction with our brand.

A/B testing is increasingly being used to make all these types of changes, based on audience preferences to adapt the website and therefore increase conversions.

What is an A/B test? 

A/B testing is a test that allows you to compare two versions of the same website, application, or any aspect you want to modify, with the goal of determining which of the two may be more efficient.

In A/B testing, they are randomly shown to users, allowing us to analyze the performance of both versions, determining which style is most beneficial. 

Origin of A/B Testing

The concept of A/B testing emerged before the dawn of the internet, when British biologist and statistician Ronald Fisher attempted to scientifically demonstrate and analyze the disparities between two different experiences. It was so successful that years later it began to be used in clinical trials. 

It wasn’t until the 1960s that this concept began to be used in the marketing world, and it’s now becoming a great tool for figuring out how to successfully reach our audiences. 

Why do an A/B test? 

Many businesses and brands may consider conducting A/B testing, and it can be a great tool to help.

• Increase profitability : It’s an affordable and easy way to improve ROI quickly, because you can gain insight into what’s actually working to improve conversions. This will make it much easier to implement changes.
• It helps to innovate : Having good ideas, especially new ones, and being successful with them can be risky, so with the help of A/B testing, we can add the changes we consider appropriate in a controlled and measurable manner.
• Improve credibility : We can include various elements to enhance public trust, such as a seal of trust from an official institution, a testimonial, etc.
• Be accurate with your copy : not only should we create different titles, but we can also develop longer texts, with other types of arguments, even changing the tone.
• Pay attention to the details : Simple things like the color of a call button or the size of an image can make a difference in the attractiveness of a website.
• Knowing the audience : Through experiments, we can understand our audience’s tastes, reaching their minds and therefore improving the company’s results.
• Customer loyalty : A/B testing also helps build audience loyalty.

How does an A/B test work? 

To develop an A/B test, we must create two versions of an element that we want to launch on the market, and then use the appropriate metrics to evaluate which one works best.

It’s worth focusing on the elements that influence the open rate of an email, for example, and the clicks users make on a landing page. Some of the elements we can test in an A/B test include:

• Words, colors, sizes and location of CTAs.
• Headings and bodies in product descriptions.
• Form extension and field types.
• Visual structure of the web.
• Method of presenting product prices and promotional offers.
• Images from landing pages and product pages.
• Amount of text on a page.

Types of A/B tests

Within A/B tests we can find different variations:

A/B Testing

In a simple A/B test, two versions are developed, such as the call-to-action button design, image placement, or typographic design. Even if more than one element changes, it is considered a single variant.

Testing more than two versions

It is best to perform an A/B/C test, where it is much more comprehensive and we can reach conclusions within the same framework.

Multivariate test

This case arises when we want to review the sidebar design and title options at the same time, to consider them separately. Because the complexity is greater, a special procedure will be necessary. 

How to implement an A/B test?

Once we’ve seen everything related to the qualities of A/B testing, it’s worth moving on to learn how to implement one.

1. Decide which components to test in the A/B test : We have two variants with which we can analyze the content to be tested, testing color or less relevant details. All of these results should be attributed to the overall test, not individual differences.
2. Establish the test objective and determine which measurement method to use : It’s important to determine the objective of this A/B test and therefore determine which tool can help us understand it. For example, the number of clicks received on the call to action.
3. Create the control and test versions : The control version is always version A, while the test version is version B. The first one is the one we use as our page, and the second one is the one we make changes to.
4. Release the versions : Once we have determined which method is most appropriate, we will need to design it and create the content for its control and processing. 
5. Promote the test : To make the test more relevant, we must promote the content intensively. When we direct the test to a specific audience, we must target the promotions to that audience.
6. Gather the necessary data : Now it’s time to continue promoting the test until we reach a significant amount of data, so we can determine if this version is more effective than the control.
7. Analyzing the results : We now know whether our A/B test was successful or not, but we can’t stop there. We need to know if these changes have influenced any part of the user’s purchasing process. By analyzing other marketing processes, we can discover results we hadn’t considered.
8. Plan the next test : Once we know the possible results that led to these changes, we must prepare the next A/B test, ensuring that the new results are the most appropriate and best assimilate to the behavior of our audience. 

By testing frequently we can improve the conversion rate.

Using A/B testing to improve web design

As we mentioned, A/B testing is a good option for changing your website’s design and finding out which aspects are most effective at attracting more users.

We can change different elements of a website that are relevant, such as:

• Text organization:  Including lists or bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs allows us to organize all the information to optimize it and increase the time each user spends on the website. Breaking the text into larger chunks helps improve reading comprehension.
• Text Testing:  Good text will provide appropriate information about the business, so the way we develop that text will affect the company’s image and how we help the user understand our service.
• Reading by level of text:  On some industrial websites, we may find much more technical language, but this isn’t always the best approach, as visitors may have different professional levels. It’s a good idea to rewrite the text with different reading levels to help the reader better understand the information.
• Test fonts:  Fonts are undoubtedly a very important detail, because poor-quality fonts will make them difficult to read and therefore the content will be difficult to read. The same goes for font color.
• Text length:  Text that’s too short or too long can be a hindrance when it comes to improving website performance. Ideally, you should optimize it to find the right length for your audience.
• Colors:  Different color combinations can convey a brand’s identity and enhance the user experience. It’s a good idea to play with colors to make website navigation easier.

Using A/B testing to improve CRO 

Throughout this article, we’ve seen that A/B testing allows you to create multiple versions to determine which one best suits your audience. Landing pages are an essential element of digital marketing because they allow companies to capture users and convert those users into customers.

Through A/B testing, you can create different landing page designs to understand your audience’s tastes and needs, determining which design attracts the most customers. This allows us to improve the design based on your audience’s preferences and increase conversion rates.

Tools for A/B testing 

Next, we’ll discuss the best tools for A/B testing. There are both paid and free platforms, so anyone can perform these tests.

Google Optimize

It’s a tool in the Google Analytics 360 digital marketing and analytics suite, where you can compare different A/B test campaigns with up to 5 variants. 

It offers multivariate testing that allows you to make design changes to two or more sections of a single web page, with redirect testing that experiments with independent web pages, sending traffic to each of them in different portions. 

It has a paid version and a free version for performing A/B tests.

AB Tasty

It helps you customize, experiment with, and manage the functionality of websites, mobile sites, and apps. It offers exclusive solutions for e-commerce, including URL redirection testing, multivariate testing, and predictive testing. 

It creates segmentation based on artificial intelligence, offers campaign planning, carries out progressive launches, and offers real-time statistics.

Optimizely

It enables continuous personalization and experimentation across websites, mobile apps, and connected devices. It also optimizes pages with user-oriented experiences based on the results obtained with each variant.

Using  Optimizely  is quite simple, and no programming knowledge is required. One of the most visual tools is the heat map, which clearly shows which areas users click most frequently. It offers a 30-day free trial, and thereafter, you can choose from different plans.

Unbounce

It’s characterized by being a  simple landing page creation tool  that allows you to include forms and perform A/B testing to improve conversion rates. It can be designed easily and simply, with each template adapted to responsive formats. 

It has a 14-day free trial, and after that you can choose between 3 subscription plans.

Visual Website Optimizer

Thanks to this platform, you can adjust, optimize, and customize your website without extensive technical knowledge. It runs A/B, multivariate, and split URL tests. It allows you to modify titles, colors, call-to-actions, fonts, and more.

It also offers access to the widget library to test and understand the impact of improving conversions.

Nelio AB Testing

This is a conversion optimization plugin for WordPress, with which we can define, manage, and track A/B tests combined with heat maps, so we can identify which parts of the store are key for customers, notifying you when you have collected enough data to draw a conclusion.

You can test alternative names, featured images, and descriptions for your products, while also showing visitor interactions in real time.

Zoho PageSense

Thanks to this platform, you can create a personalized user experience, optimizing conversion rates. It performs a comprehensive analysis of the page, conversion funnel, and forms, with the goal of creating impact reports. 

It creates heat maps and combines them with scroll maps and attention maps, providing a comprehensive analysis of user behavior and understanding how users interact on the website.

Adobe Target

Considered one of the most advanced tools in the world of testing and customization. It’s owned by Adobe, allowing for easy integration with other tools.

Rule-based targeting, geo-targeting, and server-side optimization are all possible. All of these capabilities can be used for browser-based channel optimization for both mobile and desktop.

With the help of A/B testing, brands can design their websites and landing pages in a more personalized way, taking into account their audience’s preferences, as well as choosing between various elements, whether related to the website or any other aspect.

It’s undoubtedly the key to success today, because within digital marketing we can combine any elements we want to create a successful website.

We hope we’ve brought you closer to the world of A/B testing and that you’ll take the initiative to try it out for your businesses. It’s the best way to optimize a campaign, a website, and a business 😉

As always, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have about A/B testing or any other online concept. We’ll be in touch!

Digitalvar digital marketing agency

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