What is A/B Testing?

Learning about A/B Testing

 

A/B Testing refers to the evaluation of 2 different versions of one web page in order to check their performance and launch the most compatible one. 

 

An essential part of digital marketing, a/b testing in marketing is one of the most trusted tests that helps a web developer to compare two versions of an application or a web page against each other so as to check which one of the two runs more efficiently and performs better. 

 

In this concept, A and B stand for the two different versions of a particular web page or an application that helps the developer determine which one of the two is better in all terms- performance, user-friendly interface, quality, response, etc.

 

Let us move on to the next segment in order to learn more about A/B Testing. 

 

 

Why is it significant? 

 

The utmost significance of A/B Testing can be understood in terms of digital marketing. As an application or a website is developed in order to serve its purpose and gain success among the audience, it is important for the developer or the programmer to design different versions of a particular web page and determine which one is better. 

 

This can be done by  answering the question- What is A/B Testing?. A test that helps one to put two versions of one web page and compare them with each other, and further decide which one is more compatible, A/B Testing is highly significant. 

 

An online experiment conducted for internet marketing, A/B testing is the only scientific solution to establish a connection between the actions of a web page or an application and the procured results from its performance. 

 

In order to launch an application or a website successfully, one can rely on A/B Testing in order to establish this connection and obtain predictive statistics that could help in the performance and percolation among the audience. This can be understood in light of the functioning of the test that we will understand in the next segment. 

 

 

How to conduct A/B Testing? 

 

The internet is an omnipresent force responsible for influencing world affairs and our day-to-day lives. While other mass media have taken a back seat, the internet has emerged as the primary mass medium that not only allows netizens to connect with each other, but also promotes brands, businesses, and other concepts too. 

 

In order to do so, one requires a digital marketing campaign that helps us to promote a product or a brand. Yet before running a digital marketing business, one has to determine what works and what does not work. 

 

Digital marketing tools, one of the most common applications of a/b testing, has emerged to be a commercial profitable realm in the current scenario. 

 

This is where A/B Testing steps in. In order to conduct an A/B Test, one has to systematically organize their purpose and product. To get started, read ahead to get an insight of the working of an A/B Test. 

 

1. In-Depth Research

 

Before conducting the actual test, one should conduct in-depth research and thoroughly analyze one’s website’s performance. 

 

This involves procuring website traffic, live activity, session schedule, user demographics, event report, or even bounce rate from trusted web analytics tools like Google Analytics. Such sites help us to analyze the overall performance of our website that we intend to run through an A/B Test. 

 

 

2. Observe and Analyze

 

The next step is to observe the data that you have obtained in the process of the first step. This involves finding the meaning of the data and analyzing the goals accordingly. It is very crucial for the data to be observed and analyzed so that the developer can optimize it accordingly. 

 

But before this, one has to introspect if their product (website) has accomplished the goals set by them. The step of data analysis and interpretation also involves the developer creating a hypothesis with respect to the performance of the website so far. 

 

 

3. Determining required variations 

 

So far, we have analyzed the performance of our website till date. Yet now is the time to make some changes and determine them accordingly. This is facilitated by the obtained analysis of the website’s performance. 

 

Determining required variations involves creating a different version of the same web page with slight changes or additions. It is important to make variations and establish a different version so as to prepare for the next step of the process. 

 

 

4. Conducting the Test

 

There are plenty of A/B Testing tools out there. But, it is important for us to select the most trusted tools in order to get reliable results. Google Experiments is one of the most trusted tools for the A/B Test. By enrolling yourself on the portal, you can head on to the conduction of the test. 

 

This involves the 2 separate versions of the website being compared with each other that helps the A/B testing tools to determine which one is better. Based on the overall performance, A/B Testing helps an individual to determine the most compatible design and interface of a website or an application for a successful response from the audience’s end. 

 

 

5. Evaluation of Results

 

Once the test comes to an end, you receive the results which declare either of the 2 versions as a winner. Evaluating the results involves the accumulation of data and analyzing it for future success. 

 

Once it is clear which one of the two versions is better in terms of overall performance, the developer can now get started with the redesigning of the web page or website without any delays. 

 

Benefits of A/B Testing 

 

As we have already read how A/B Testing works, we will now be reading about the benefits of A/B Testing- 

 

1. Digital Optimization

 

The first and foremost benefit of A/B Testing is that it promotes digital optimization. For anyone who is running or operating a website, it is very important to optimize the website and design it according to the popular trends prevailing in the digital domain. 

 

A/B Testing is extremely beneficial in this sense as it helps in optimization in digital marketing and determines the drawbacks of a website as well. 

 

From websites to social media posts, optimization has become one of the most valuable entities in the digital domain. Perhaps A/B Testing is the key to digital optimization and successful performance in the future as well. 

 

 

2. Higher Conversions

 

As A/B Testing compares two versions of a website with each other and helps to determine the better version, an individual can rely on A/B Testing as it produces better results. This means that an individual can run a successful digital marketing campaign after running an A/B Test and making necessary changes to the website. 

 

Ultimately, this leads to higher conversions as the audience will be more attracted to the website and perhaps they will be encouraged to buy the products or services the website intends to sell. 

 

This particular benefit deals with the commercial success of the website and thus, it is highly crucial. As opposed to outdated websites that face problems like low conversion rates or high bounce rates, A/B testing can lead to higher conversion rates.  

 

 

3. Productive Analysis

 

It is important for a website developer to recognize and analyze the drawbacks of his/her website. This can be achieved through A/B Testing that helps an individual to compare different versions of a website and determine the best one among all. 

 

One of the benefits of A/B Testing is productive analysis that identifies the potential drawbacks of a website and analyzes the harm being inflicted by these drawbacks. As trends keep changing, so does the preference of the audiences. 

 

Perhaps it is vital for website owners to conduct A/B Testing on a regular basis and identify the more preferable version of their website portals in order to succeed in the market.

 

 

4. Multi-Functional Evaluation

 

Another benefit of A/B Testing is that it allows multi-functional evaluation of a website or an application. This means that one can evaluate everything from the headline to the color of a specific tab. 

 

The multi-functional evaluation also promotes the overall verification of elements of a website that can make a website a shining success. Usually, this benefit is considered to be one of the most effective ways that lead to optimization and improvisation of a website. 

 

 

5. Strategic Marketing Campaign

 

Lastly, A/B Testing benefits a website or an application as it promotes strategic marketing campaigns and helps a website owner or developer to optimize a website according to the most verified strategies for digital marketing. 

 

While it is fairly feasible to develop a website and publish content on it, it can be highly complicated in order to make it reachable to the target audience and incorporate successful marketing strategies and management. 

 

Even though all the benefits of A/B Testing are intertwined, this is the most important benefit of all. 

 

 

Case Studies for A/B Testing 

 

Here is one of the most reputed examples of a/b testing that will help you to understand the concept of A/B Testing in a better manner.  

 

“ShopClues is an eCommerce major in India, serving 42 million visitors. Backed by the likes of Helion, Nexus, and Tiger Global, the 5-year-old ShopClues had a global Alexa rank of 431. Divakar Ravichandran was a part of ShopClues’ onsite merchandising team and responsible for onsite optimization. A/B testing and optimization had only recently become a core function. The team selected VWO, and set its goals for optimizing the high-traffic pages and those related to marketing. To scale quickly, they decided to deploy at least one effective A/B test every week. Within 4 months, a set of few minor and two major design improvements were made live site-wide. Divakar believed that following a structured process to optimize conversions was a move in the right direction, and expected that conversion optimization would be adopted deeper and wider into the marketing function.”

A/B Testing- ShopClues

 

 

Conclusion

 

To conclude, A/B Testing is a way of evaluating a website by comparing two different versions of a web page or a website and determining the better one in terms of overall performance. 

 

(Must check: Digital Marketing tools)

 

With the help of several tools, A/B Testing can be conducted and digital optimization can be achieved through the statistical significance of this test. A range of benefits like strategic marketing campaigning, multi-functional evaluation, and productive analysis can be accomplished by A/B Testing.