Small tweaks, big results

Split testing, or AB testing as it’s also commonly known, is one component of the digital mix that can be undertaken relatively simply to make a real difference. Widely recognised as a tool that can be used to increase profit by emarketing experts, the best bit is, it isn’t all that difficult to implement.

According to Econsultancy, 59% of businesses believe that conversion rate optimisation, driven by split testing, is crucial to their digital strategy. Split testing allows you to conduct controlled, randomised experiments with the aim of improving a website metric, from click throughs and form completions to actual purchases. Incoming traffic to a website is distributed to the original (control) and the different variations without the websites’ visitors knowing that they are part of an experiment to determine what works best. 

Another great thing is that really small tweaks have been proven to produce big results improving ROI and lead generation. Something as simple as the change to a font size, for instance, or the positioning of a click through button, can drastically altar your levels of customer engagement.

Split testing allows you to gage an emotional response and clearly see what works best for your audience. We might be talking a colour change; for example, how long a visitor stays on a page with a blue background instead of a red background or perhaps it’s the use of a different product picture. If more people click through from one picture of the same product as oppose to another, you instantly know which picture to stick with to sell the most items and make the most profit.

Results of split testing can be used to improve the overall visitor experience. Nearly every element of a web page can be changed and so there are a myriad of different things that can be tested, giving you a run of opportunities. Testing regularly allows for a changing audience and changing preferences and, most importantly, it encourages constant improvement. 

You can also trial split testing with ads and emails. Half of your emails can have a different subject line to the other half giving you the opportunity to see which content results in the highest open rate. Similarly, if one ad works better than another, you won’t waste your money on ineffectual ad campaigns.

The overall act of split testing – web page, eshot, online ad – will not only potentially improve your conversion rates, it will also allow for a more robust standard of marketing, supporting engaging campaigns that hold more appeal for your customers. 

Consider making some time to learn more about split testing and to possibly give it a go in 2015. You really need to put it into action to properly realise the benefits but, in the meantime, if you want more information, drop us a line or give us a call on 0161 870 8194.