Glossary
Learn about analytics, product, and technical terms and get their definitions in our Glossary.
A/B Testing
In today's world, companies must find ways to stand out from the crowd. Those that are successful do so by optimizing their marketing strategies and digital properties to attract more customers and ultimately increase revenue. One way to do this is through A/B testing.
Below, we define A/B testing, explain its benefits, and provide examples of how to implement it in your marketing campaigns.
What is A/B testing?
A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a form of experimentation that compares two (or more) different versions (or variants) of something to determine which one performs better. A/B testing in a digital format, say on a website or within a marketing email campaign, aims to identify which version performs better in generating a desired outcome, such as signups, clicks, or engagement.
How does A/B testing work?
A/B testing involves randomly dividing your audience, such as visitors to your website, into two or more groups, and then showing each group a different version of your campaign or website. The versions can be different images, colors, calls-to-action, or headlines. It's best practice to keep the changes minimal so as not to introduce too many new elements or changes to the different groups' experience. This helps you more accurately measure the impact of each version.
Tests should run long enough to reach statistical significance, typically for at least 14 days (or longer). If the winning or best-performing version was the second version (or variant "B"), then that version replaces what may have been shown to users before.
Benefits and impacts of A/B testing on businesses
1. Increases conversion rates: A/B testing allows you to see which version of your campaign generates more clicks or leads, thereby allowing you to optimize the design and content to achieve the best results. Doing so can increase your conversion rate and ultimately drive more revenue.
2. Enhances user experience: A/B testing can help improve your website's user experience. By testing design elements such as layouts, colors, and fonts, you can identify which version performs better and optimize your website to provide a better user experience for your customers.
3. Provides insight into customer behavior: A/B testing provides valuable insight into customer behaviors, preferences, and opinions. By analyzing the data, you can better understand what resonates with your customers and use that knowledge to optimize your campaigns and improve your overall marketing strategy.
4. Lowers risk: A/B testing allows you to test different versions of your campaigns and assess their effectiveness before launching them to a larger audience. This helps to lower the risk of investing in a campaign that may not perform well and wasting money on an ineffective marketing strategy.
Example: How to implement an A/B test
1. Identify your goals: First, identify the goals you want to achieve with your campaign. Do you want to increase sales, generate leads, or improve engagement?
2. Determine your audience: Determine your target audience and how you want to split them into groups. It's important to ensure the groups are similar in size and demographics for accurate results.
3. Create your versions: In your A/B testing tool* create two or more versions of your campaign with one variable changed in each version. For example, you may test different headlines, images, or colors.
4. Test your versions: Test each version with your audience groups for a specified period.
5. Analyze your results: Analyze your test results within your A/B testing tool* and use the data to optimize your campaign. Make adjustments based on what version performed better and run the optimized version to a larger audience.
*Tools like Amplitude Experiment make running an A/B test easy.
Getting started with A/B testing
A/B testing and product led experimentation is critical to any marketing and product strategy.. It provides businesses with valuable insights into their customer behavior, lowers the risk of ineffective initiatives, and ultimately boosts conversion rates.
By implementing A/B testing in your marketing strategy, you can improve your overall performance and stay ahead of the competition. Consider experimenting and testing different versions of your campaigns and web pages to find the ones that resonate best with your audience. The results will speak for themselves.