What is A/B testing?
A/B testing (also known as split testing) is a method of comparing at least two versions of a website or app to determine which version performs better against a defined website target.
Why A/B testing?
Quantitative data speaks for itself. So far, your employees and you could only guess how visitors of your website will respond to a particular design of your website or app. A/B testing gives you the opportunity to show visitors two versions of the same page. Based on the results, you can then determine which variant works better. Continuous testing and optimizing your website based on the test results helps to improve your website goals such as increase in sales, revenue, donations, leads, registrations, downloads or the number of user-generated content while providing valuable insight into visitor behaviour.
A/B testing also allows a comparison of the effects of different prices, promotions and similar factors. The goal is always to optimize a product or a service in such a way that as many users as possible are addressed and lead to a (purchase) action. A/B testing is designed to improve website performance and typically increase conversion rates.
Why should I use a testing tool instead of just changing the website and comparing results?
If you show two versions of the website at different times, you can never be sure what exactly impacted user behavior. Different marketing campaigns, social media activity, referral traffic, bank holidays, even the weather can all play a role! With a testing tool, you can split traffic between versions simultaneously, isolating the impact of each design. This also lets you safely test changes with a small subset of visitors, minimizing risks to your overall conversion rates if the change doesn’t perform as expected. Once you achieve statistical confidence in the results, you can confidently apply the winning version to all traffic.
How does A/B testing work?
In A/B testing, you use live traffic to test two versions of a website – version A (original) and version B (variant) – and measure the effect each version has on the conversion rate. Once enough visitors have passed the test and the results are statistically significant, the test is terminated and a winner variant is determined. Subsequent A/B tests include the information obtained in the previous tests.
If you want to run an A/B test, you must first define a goal for your website or app, to which the respective conversion rate in the test refers. It can also determine the effect of each variant on multiple website goals. The variant with the best goal achievement is then permanently implemented.
Targeted testing puts an end to puzzles when optimizing your site and makes data-driven decisions instead. “We believe …” belongs to the past as it becomes “We know …” instead.
A/B tests vs. multivariate testing
A/B testing is also called a split test and divides the users of the website or app into two subgroups, group A and group B, during the test phase. There are also two variants of the website or app to be tested, the original and the variant. During the test, for example, in a 50% / 50% split test, 50% of the users (group A) are directed to the original page and 50% (group B) to the variant and the conversion rates achieved in the respective groups are compared, considering the relevant website goal. Multivariate testing is another method of optimizing the website, in addition to A/B testing, to maximize the conversion rate. While A/B testing only compares two different web site variants, multivariate testing changes several variables on one page at the same time and compares the variants. The goal is to use multivariate testing to find out which combinations of variables can produce the most positive impact on conversion rates.
How long does implementation of Adobe Target take?
Depending on your requirements and technical setup, implementing Adobe Target can take anywhere from one day to three or four weeks.
Is FELD M a certified Adobe Solution Partner?
Yes, FELD M is a long-standing, certified Adobe Bronze Solution Partner with over 20 years of experience.
