A/B testing is a randomized experiment using two (or more) different versions to see which performs better.
In the context of a Website, you’re often comparing different webpage versions or page elements (e.g. version A and version B) to see which version results in a better conversion rate. Here are just a few examples of how you can use A/B Testing on your Website:
- Navigation (e.g. testing different navigation headings: “Learn” vs. “Resources”)
- Headlines (short and snappy vs. descriptive)
- Images (e.g. prominent vs. less prominent)
- Paragraph Text (e.g. short product description vs. long description)
- Testimonials (e.g. using an image vs. plain text)
- Call-to-Action text or buttons (e.g. 20% discount vs. $5 off)
- Forms (e.g. single page vs. multi-page)
- Links (e.g. testing different link descriptions and font styles)
- Social media position and elements (e.g. bottom of the page vs. right rail/column)
With A/B Testing you are using real data and not intuition to improve the conversion rate, and by continuously experimenting (i.e. using different A/B tests) you are not only improving your conversation rate but the User Experience as well.
A/B testing keeps growing in popularity because it works, so if your content management system includes A/B testing capabilities, then you should use it. Alternatively, there are excellent third-party solutions which can be implemented easily with a few lines of code.
Popular A/B Testing Tools:
