A/B Testing For Making Data-Driven Decisions

A/B testing, also known as split or bucket testing, is a process of testing two versions of the same product. Here, A stands for “control” or the original variable, while B indicates “variation” or a new version of the original variable.

A/B testing lets you compare two website models. The difference can be a header, a button, a feedback form, or anything else. You then show both versions to two halves of your audience and analyze which one gets a better reaction. It is considered the “winner” version, and utilizing it helps increase your business ROI. Let’s take a look at other advantages you can gain from A/B testing.

If you’ve thought of 30 ways to modify your product and want to know which one makes a hit, you need data. Data-driven decisions lay a solid foundation for positive changes and electric audience reception. So, what are the benefits of A/B testing?

• Seamless user experience. Users visit your website and view your product with a specific issue they want to solve. Regardless of their cause of interest, they all go through the same procedure: view the website, analyze product features, and make a decision to buy or leave. A/B testing can help you see which CTA button works better and how well your copy flows, which declutters the user experience as a whole.
• Bounce rate reduction. Bounce rate is the number of visitors that leave the website after viewing one page. Some factors behind high bounce rates are poor navigation, oversaturated copy, or an excess of options. A/B testing shows what content keeps users on the website longer. You optimize it by replacing low-converting sections with more engaging content.
• Risk minimization. If you’re unsure of the results a new modification will produce, an A/B test will help you see how the system and the audience respond to it before the official launch. What’s more, testing doesn’t take much time: even a small sample can generate enough data for you to draw the necessary conclusions.
• Higher conversions. A/B testing lets you experiment with different communication approaches and marketing triggers and evaluate user responses on the spot. Even changing the “sign up now” button to “sign up” makes a difference, and you’ll be able to figure out the best tactic with minimum effort.

All portions of your website play a role in converting visitors into buyers. Thus, every bit that can impact users’ behavior should be optimized to reach maximum potential. Here are the key elements you can adjust (they’re not limited to our list, though):

1. Website layout. This includes elements like product images, videos, description fields, buttons, colors, and much more. The main things to strive towards are clarity and motivation: make the website easy to navigate and create a sense of urgency to prompt users to make a purchase.
2. Copy. Headlines and subheadings can help convey the site’s main message and they’re likely to impress users in a way that’s critical for decision-making. So make sure they’re short, but go straight to the point and deliver the main idea of what precisely the customer gets out of your offer.
3. The body of the text should echo what the headings express, highlight the key aspects and give more product details to impress users. It’s a good idea to maintain a consistent tone of voice that fits the audience and break your copy into easy-to-digest portions. And as for emails – don’t underestimate the effects of testing subject lines. Experiment with different word choices and statements to find the most engaging ones.
4. CTA buttons and forms. CTAs have a direct impact on your conversion rates, so spare no effort when you test CTA copies, their placement, size, and color. Forms are just as important since they are often a key part of the purchase funnel. With forms, some prefer to keep them short, but thorough, while others pick longer forms – it all depends on your business model.

These days, most companies take A/B testing more seriously than just a measure to implement every once in a while. An organized testing process can point you to the areas that need the most improvement and enable you to convert customers with maximum efficiency. Here’s what A/B testing generally looks like:

1. Research. Before testing, you should have all the information on how the website is currently functioning. This includes, but is not limited to the goals of each page, the number of visitors, the amount of traffic on each page, bounce rates, and more. Once you figure out users’ behavioral patterns as they navigate the website, it will be easier for you to identify trouble spots. Having enough information on what needs to be fixed will lay a strong foundation for the next testing stages.
2. Form hypotheses. After making sense of the collected data, you’ll be able to structure and test your observations. As a result of analyzing different parameters, you’ll see the impact of each insight.
3. Set up variations. The next step is to create variations based on the determined hypotheses and test them against the control versions. You can test a different body text while keeping the images, or experiment with headlines, but maintain the text. It’s important to focus on one thing at a time.
4. Run tests. Get your tests underway and take substantial time to be able to evaluate the results. As you get to this stage, keep in mind that both the timing and duration of your test campaign affect the outcomes, so choose them wisely to reach maximum precision.
5. Evaluate results and readjust the campaign. A/B testing implies constant data-gathering and analysis, but it doesn’t mean that transitional results should be dismissed. Once you’re done testing, analyze conversion rate improvements, the number of visitors, bounce rates, and the impact on other metrics. Afterward, utilize the most effective variation and continue to draw insights to use in future tests.

A/B testing is a handy way to assess user behavior and figure out the ways to act on their preferences without having to deal with large data amounts. Besides helping you improve the current version of your website or app, it provides findings that fill future updates with more value for the end-user. Any of the above-mentioned benefits of A/B testing can boost your sales, but what’s more important – you’ll be able to find unique aspects of your product that you may not have noticed before.