A/B testing, also called split testing, is an age-old method of figuring out which marketing strategies work best for your business (or figuring out how to cure scurvy in 18th-century sailors—someone give those salty mariners a sack of oranges!).
Either way, it works.
You can use A/B testing on everything from website copy to paid search ads to marketing emails.
It takes some extra time, but the payoffs make it worthwhile—as long as your A/B tests are well designed.
Say you want to determine which email subject line generates more opens.
You can set up a simple A/B test to find out.
A more advanced test might involve comparing completely different email templates to see which one generates more click-throughs.
Then there’s the even more complicated multivariate testing, which compares more than two variables (e.g., A/B/C/D) to see which combination of factors produces the best results.
But for this post, we’ll stick with simple A/B tests.
How to Set Up an A/B Test
You’ve probably already figured out that to run a split test you need to create two different versions of whatever it is you’re analyzing—whether it’s a piece of content, a marketing email, or a paid ad.
Next, you’ll need to show these two versions to audiences of roughly equal size and allow the experiment to run long enough that you can draw accurate conclusions.
Then you’ll assess which one performed better overall.
There are lots of tools to perform A/B testing, from Google Analytics to Optimizely. If you don’t have the time or patience to run split tests, consider hiring a digital marketing expert to help.
Here are 5 things you can start A/B testing ASAP.
1: Calls to action
Whether you ask visitors to buy now, comment, share, inquire about a service, subscribe to your email list, or something else, your call to action (CTA) is the most important element of your landing page or marketing email.
That means it warrants plenty of experimentation.
And since A/B testing isolates one variable at a time, it’s one of the most reliable methods for analyzing the effectiveness of your CTAs.
Here are some CTA elements you should A/B test:
Position: You should always put the CTA button in the middle of landing pages above the fold, right? Well, maybe. Reviews are mixed, but there’s only one way to find out. Experiment with
different positions—above the fold, below the fold, in the middle/right/left of the page, with text wraparound, between paragraphs, etc.
Color: If you search long enough, you’re bound to find convincing articles about why red is better than green, why blue is better than red, and why orange is the be-all-end-all choice for a CTA button. The reality is that choosing a color that stands out from the other elements on your page is probably all it takes. You can find out for sure with split testing.
Text: All caps or a mix of upper and lowercase? “Start your 30-day trial” or “Start my 30-day trial”? “BUY NOW” or “PURCHASE NOW”? “Stay connected” or “Connect with Us”? A/B testing will help you determine what works best.
2: Facebook ads
Facebook is still the leading social media platform, even if the youngins have moved on to TikTok. It’s also the top distribution channel for content. And of all the social media platforms, Facebook consistently provides the biggest ROIs for marketers.
This means you should be running ads on Facebook. And you should be testing those ads.
Facebook gives you several options for split testing ads.
You can A/B test an existing campaign or campaign draft in the Ads Manager Toolbar, or you can use the Experiments tool to create or duplicate ad campaigns to A/B test.
3: Landing page copy
A/B testing your landing pages is essential if you want conversions. Don’t make assumptions about what will trigger the response you want, even if you have a stellar writing team or consider yourself a commanding copywriter.
Landing pages aren’t just for conversions. Engaged readers are more likely to share your content—or subscribe to your blog or follow you on social.
Here are some things to test on your landing pages:
- Layout
- Headline and copy
- Call to action
- Images and videos
- Product descriptions
4: YouTube video thumbnails
If your video doesn’t autoplay, it probably displays a thumbnail. Thumbnails are windows into your content. They can have a big impact on whether people choose to watch your videos.
If you have the option of changing the thumbnail or choosing your own, you should run thumbnail A/B tests to determine which images generate the most clicks. YouTube still doesn’t offer A/B testing, so you’ll have to use a third-party tool, like TubeBuddy.
Email marketing campaigns
Split testing can help you create more effective email campaigns. Before you start A/B testing you need to know your audience.
Buyer personas can help you create content that resonates with your customers based on their age, gender, location, education, etc. Segmenting your email list based on subscriber interests, location, preferences, etc., will help you further refine your campaign before you test it.
When creating an email to A/B test, pay attention to fonts, graphics, color, and layout. Make sure the email is short, scannable, and mobile-friendly.
Keep paragraphs short—no more than a few sentences. And of course, create a compelling call to action.
Here are some elements to A/B test:
- Target audience
- Personalization
- Subject line
- Layout/design
- Copy
- Messaging
- Call to action
- Landing page
Once you’ve tested both versions, analyze the results to see which one generated more opens, more click-throughs, and more conversions on your site.
Most email campaign software has built-in tools for A/B testing. If yours doesn’t, you can set up two different campaigns manually and compare the results by exporting the data to a spreadsheet.
But this is a hassle, and A/B testing email campaigns is important enough to warrant investing in software that has this feature built in.
Get Help from the Experts
Not only are there a wide variety of aspects that can be included in your A/B testing—testing is a necessity for capturing the greatest ROI with your content and campaigns.
If you have already been testing and just can’t seem to “crack the code,” you may want to consider a complete conversion rate optimization (CRO) report. This type of analysis provides a much deeper set of insights for improving your conversions and a complete strategy of what you should be testing and tracking.
Want to learn more about how split testing or CRO can help your business? Get in touch with our content marketing experts today.