A/B test (A/B testing) is an online experiment in which two different versions of the same web page are used and their performance is compared. A/B testing is gradually becoming a standard part of the digital marketing toolkit.
What is an A/B test?
In an A/B test, a set of users are shown the original web page “A” for a limited period of time, and the others are shown the test page “B,” which differs from the first in at least one parameter. Users who are shown page “B” would not be able to see the original unless they log in from a different device.
After achieving the set number of impressions or fulfilling another specified criterion, the results of the experiment are compared and the hypothesis on which it is based is rejected or confirmed.
Why use A/B testing?
Improving the user experience without risks
People visit websites with a specific purpose, whether it’s to learn more about services, get information on a topic, or buy a product. In most cases, there are one or more “problem” areas on the site that cause inconvenience to visitors and force them to leave prematurely. For example, they can’t find the call-to-action button, they don’t understand the service description, or there’s no easy way to ask a question.
The user experience can be improved by identifying, testing, and fixing problem areas. Once a hypothesis is made about what is causing the problem, it can easily be subjected to one, two, three, or more A/B tests with different variations of the page.
A/B testing is usually used to implement small and temporary modifications. If the test does not confirm the hypothesis and the changes do not eliminate the problem, then you do not have to implement them. This way, you improve the user experience completely risk-free.
Increased traffic
Web page titles and blog posts can be A/B tested. This can lead to increased traffic by identifying the more attractive title.
More conversions
The goal of a website is not just to generate traffic, but to lead users to perform specific actions (purchase, send an inquiry, share on social networks, sign up for an email newsletter, etc.). The desired action, when performed by the user, is called a conversion.
The ratio of traffic to conversions is a good measure of a web page's performance. A/B testing helps to find the optimal version of pages to achieve more conversions.
Increase sales from an online store
Data from March 2020 shows that 88.05% of online store users leave them with products in their cart (Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/457078/category-cart-abandonment-rate-worldwide/)
The percentage of abandoned carts can be reduced by testing various elements and their positioning on the page (e.g. images, design, text, etc.).
What elements of the website are subject to A/B testing?
Almost all elements on a web page can be A/B tested. Some of them are:
- Titles and subtitles
- Text content
- Call-to-action buttons
- Data collection forms
- Photos
- Overall page layout
