In marketing, an A/B test is an experiment comparing two different variants to find out which one best fits your strategy.
A/B testing is typically used to understand how users behave in relation to an online project, for example how they respond to an advertising campaign or a single ad. The goal is to boost conversion rates and traffic on your website.
How to run an A/B test
As mentioned, to run an A/B test you need to prepare two variants to experiment on. Behind that choice, though, there is a strategy of your own, shaped by what you want to find out. If a company wants to test which call-to-action color attracts the most customers, for instance, the A/B test will focus only on those two variants.
So let’s say you need to find out which call-to-action button color delivers a higher open rate and conversion rate. The process is very simple. You prepare two identical versions that differ in just one variable: the color of the call to action (for example, one blue and one orange).
To find out which of the two performs better, you can put both live and run the experiment.
Elements to test
So far we have used the call-to-action button as our example. In reality, there are several elements you can A/B test. Here is a short list:
- Headline
- Copy
- Layout (design and arrangement of the elements on the page)
- Call-to-action color (or the text on it)
- Image
Watch out for one very important point, though. Just because you can test various elements does not mean you can test them all at once. A/B testing involves testing a single element. If you put several elements to the test at the same time, you would never find out which of them is having a positive or negative impact on your campaign.
Why A/B testing matters so much
Running an A/B test is not an experiment that ends where it began. It is not just about checking some statistics and calling it a day. An A/B test is a genuine building block of a larger strategic project, and it can be leveraged to deliver significant benefits and revenue for a company. So make sure you use it well.