Why A/B Testing Matters

Testing and optimization has always been a part of marketing. However, it was a time-consuming and expensive venture in traditional marketing, so it didn’t happen very often. Those barriers don’t exist in digital marketing, so it not only makes sense to test elements whenever you can, but it’s also necessary if you want to yield the most profitable campaigns possible.

The most common testing model is A/B testing, which involves testing one variable against another to see which one performs better. It doesn’t cost a lot to implement, and you can see the results right away. Best of all, it can help you optimize your website, email marketing and pretty much any other online marketing channel you use.

Here are some of the reasons why A/B testing is such a popular tactic — and why it should be an essential part of your marketing strategy.

You Find Out What Works — and What Doesn’t

Marketing has always been a guessing game. You could have an idea of which tagline or photo will generate the most conversions or the highest revenues, but there was never a good way to know for sure — at least, not without spending extra money and hurting your ROI. Thanks to A/B testing, you can test any and every idea you have and know for certain which ones yield better results.

Of course, the test has to be statistically significant. You don’t have to run a test on your entire database, but the sample should be large enough to accurately predict which variable is the winner. The sample also needs to be random, even if you’re testing a particular segment. If it’s too homogenous, the results may be skewed and you may end up choosing a variable that doesn’t deliver similar results.

Anything Can Be Tested and Optimized

Which call to action performs better among email subscribers? Does that photo look better on the left side of the page or on the right? Which menu color is more appealing to customers? There are no limits to A/B testing, so whatever you want to test can be tested — not just once, but repeatedly.

Anything “can” be tested in an A/B, but that doesn’t mean everything “should” be tested. An A/B test works best when you test one variable at a time. Otherwise, you won’t know which set of variables was affecting the outcome. You may choose to test one variable over several tests, or choose a different variable for each subsequent test. Either way, make sure there’s only one difference between Version 1 and Version 2 of each test.

Each Campaign Yields Better Results

After your first test, you know which element performs better, so you incorporate it into your website or email. This ensures a better campaign going forward. The second test reveals another winning element, so you incorporate that. As you continue testing ideas, each campaign generates better results than the last.

That’s one element of a successful A/B test — the other is consistent measurement. If you’re going to run an A/B test, measure the same thing each time. for instance, the click rate may be higher on one variable, but the conversion rate may be higher on another. If you measure both metrics simultaneously, you won’t know which one is more effective and will end up with skewed results on later tests.

Even the most careful planning can’t accurately predict which message, offer or design will yield the best results. That’s why A/B testing is crucial to your marketing plan. By regularly testing every element of your website, you get closer and closer to the perfect experience — and to the highest return on your marketing investment.