Split testing, a.k.a. A/B testing, is a little slice of magic… at least in the world of online marketing.
Imagine you have two landing pages that convey the same message, but the design and the copy vary a little on each page. You obviously want to understand which landing page, A or B, resonates most with your audience. WordPress split testing uses web analytics to automatically determine which page is performing best and then defaults your users to land on that page to increase click-through or sales conversations.
See? It’s magic!
There are plenty of free split test plugins available so don’t miss out on the opportunity to test your messaging and discover what your audience prefers. It’s tough sometimes, but remember, it’s about the audience, not about you!
Follow these steps:
- Install your plugin (we recommend choosing a split test plugin that is compatible with Google Analytics).
- Go to the Edit screen of the web page you want to split test and click Setup Split Test.
- Make the tweaks and variations you want to differentiate your messaging on each page.
- Check your analytics to know which page is performing better and understand why.
Tips for WordPress A/B Testing
You might be wondering what you should even be testing. There’s no use in testing just because you can. We suggest making a concerted effort to determine which of those marketing ideas you’ve been kicking around work best for your website. Consider these to start:
- Headlines
- Taglines
- Images
- Videos
- Copy vs. Images
- Basic email sign-up form vs. email sign-up form with a free eBook giveaway
Split testing uses facts and figures to show you if that eBook or photo shoot was even worth the price. It will let you know if you need to revamp your copywriting efforts or if a website re-design is really necessary.
A Few Words of Split Testing Caution
Be prepared to learn, but know that split testing is an ongoing process. You won’t be able to–and shouldn’t–test all of your marketing questions in one go around. This will be immediately confusing and yield very little information. Appreciate the process of learning what works or doesn’t and make tweaks to your website each time.
Split or A/B testing is magic not just because it allows you to experiment. It teaches you a fundamental principle of web design: understanding the user. You’ll often be amazed by the results.
