Jeremy Simon - Director of Outreach - Student Marketing Association WWUA/B testing is a method used to help digital marketers get a sense of which webpage is better. A/B testing revolves around the idea of comparing two webpages with one another and seeing which webpage aligns with business goals more successfully (it should be noted that the difference between the two webpages can have a slight or big difference between one another such as a hyperlink being moved to a different page). This is done by showing 50% of users are shown the original webpage (A) and the other 50% are shown the modified webpage (B). Data is collected based on engagement from the users and then evaluated by digital marketers to see if webpage B has a negative, neutral, or positive effect on the overall user experience.
A/B testing is used for a wide array of reasons. The A/B testing methodology is useful because it allows digital marketers to home in on one specific issue and figure out what the problem is. For example, Walmart wants to measure if putting a 2 for 1 deal on steaks on the landing page or the page after would lead to a higher click through rate (CTR). Additionally, A/B testing assists in optimizing the overall user experience because it allows digital marketers to make decisions based on user data rather than just assuming they know how to fix the issue at hand.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO):
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the systematic process of understanding why users are not completing a desired action and fixing specific issues to help boost the conversion rate of the webpage. A conversion is essentially when a user “converts” or takes a desired action on a webpage. An example of a conversion would be when someone signs up for a program or purchases something on the webpage. CRO is done by engaging in different methods including the analytic and people methods.
- The analytics method or quantitative data analysis is analyzing how users engage with a webpage. Looking at specific user behaviors can help give insights into what pages needed to be updated, why there's lower traffic on specific pages, how they found the webpage, etc. This method is similar to acquisition related metrics in the sense that they both look at the user themselves.
- The people method or qualitative data analysis is analyzing why users interact with a webpage the way they do. This method is usually done after the analytics method because the analytics method gives a sense of what target market to focus on. The people method is done by surveys or user testing.
How Conversion Rate Optimization is Different from A/B Testing:
Conversion RO differs from A/B testing because they both measure different factors. CRO is meant to assist in increasing the conversion rate of a webpage while A/B testing is used to measure what changes optimize the user experience the most effectively. Additionally, the methods used to measure each are different from one another. A/B testing is comparing two webpages together while CRO is looking at the user journey and user themself.
While A/B testing and CRO have their differences, using them together simultaneously is essential for fully optimizing a webpage to its fullest potential.
How Bannersnack Used A/B Testing Effectively:
Bannersnack (a software company that sells online ad design tools) wanted to increase conversions and the user experience. They used heat maps to see which areas on their webpage got the most traffic and which areas were neglected. After multiple rounds of A/B testing and using data collected from the heat maps, they figured out they needed a larger call to action (CTA) button with a higher contrast ratio. After implementing the larger CTA button with a higher contrast ratio, sign ups on their webpage increased by 25%.
Bannersnack utilized A/B testing effectively because they figured out the problem and then conducted multiple tests, changing factors based on their results. If Bannersnack were to just assume they knew how to fix the problem and not use information from the A/B testing, there would have been no change in the sign-up rate.
