seo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agency
  • BRANDS
    • PPC.co
    • DEV.co
    • Website.Design
  • SERVICES
    • Managed SEO
    • Link Building
    • White Label SEO
    • Content Writing
    • SEO Audits
    • PPC Management
  • TOOLS
    • Backlink Checker
    • Site Audit
    • Broken Link Tool
    • Robots.txt Tester
    • Sitemap Validator
    • Site Speed Tester
    • Title Tag Checker
    • AI Content Writer
    • SEO Training
  • WHY US
    • Case Studies
    • Our Process
    • Our Team
    • Our History
    • Acquisitions
    • Become a Writer!
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
LOGINGET STARTED
✕
Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): What is it? How to Calculate CLTV?
Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): How to Increase CLTV
December 15, 2021
6 Alternatives When Your Domain Name Isn’t Available
6 Alternatives When Your Domain Name Isn’t Available
December 16, 2021

How to Perform an A/B Test for SEO

Last Updated by Sam Edwards on December 15, 2021
How to Perform an A/B Test for SEO

Most marketers go live with a campaign understanding the initial campaign and content will not be static.

Then they gather information and review the strategy’s effectiveness after a few weeks/months of running.

They learn from the data what is needed to make necessary fixes to the campaign and updates to the content for better future results.

Unfortunately, this approach is somewhat flawed.

Applying fixes to a campaign after it goes live is better than not making any fixes at all, but theoretically it would be much better if the campaign were fixed before it went live.

Fortunately for marketers, there’s an easy way to do this.

Enter A/B testing.

Table of Contents

  • What Is A/B Split Testing?
  • Implementing Your A/B Test
    • How to Differentiate Your A and B Tests
    • Finding the Right Environment
  • Analyzing the Metrics
  • Continuing Your Test

What Is A/B Split Testing?

AB testing is a form of campaign analysis where a central campaign is split into two analogous yet distinct segments: an “A” campaign and a “B” campaign.

a/b test example

Source

Both campaigns run under identical scenarios for a given period of time, and results are collected about each.

Those results should indicate a clear winner between the two, and the differentiating factors between them should be the root cause for its superiority.

Essentially, AB testing is a scientific experiment to apply to your marketing campaign to determine what, if anything, needs to be corrected in your strategy.

If you apply AB testing over the course of several rounds, producing new variants with each round, you’ll create a survival-of-the-fittest type of scenario that will ultimately produce a campaign better than any of the variants you have created along the way.

For example, you’ll start with an AB test, then introduce variant C if variant A proves to be better.

Then you’ll hold an AC test. If A is still the winner, you’ll introduce variant D in an AD test, and so on.

While most marketers only use AB testing in a live environment, it’s more advantageous to apply it to a testing environment first, on a much smaller scale.

That way, you’ll save the time and money of going to a live market—and you’ll only put your best foot forward for your potential new customers.

Implementing Your A/B Test

Finding the perfect scenario for your preliminary AB test can be difficult, since no matter what you’ll have to invest some time and money, but if you perform it properly and apply the necessary changes before going live, you’ll wind up with a much more cost-efficient, better performing campaign.

How to Differentiate Your A and B Tests

The first step is to create a “B” variation of your already existing “A” campaign. For example, let’s say you’re working within the confines of a simple PPC Google AdWords campaign.

You’ve set your target keywords after performing extensive research, you’ve outlined your copy and headlines, and you’ve set up a landing page where your visitors will (hopefully) be persuaded to convert.

You have two main options for differentiation here: ad copy and the design of your landing page.

For most AB tests, you’ll want to start differentiating on the largest scale possible.

Landing page design changes tend to have more impact than copy changes, and will influence your conversion rate more than your click-through rate, so in this scenario, a landing page differentiator is preferable—at least to start with.

How you choose to differentiate within that segment of your campaign is up to you—there are plenty of options.

You could change the background image, the placement of your form, the number and type of fields within your form, the colors of your page, the copy in your headlines, and the addition or removal of extra features like testimonials or external links.

You can make one or more of these changes right away, but remember—it’s better to make bigger changes first.

Finding the Right Environment

Since running your campaign in a live or pseudo-live environment will cost you money, it’s important to find the right platform for your AB test.

Let’s take the PPC example above. One of the best options is to run the test like you would a normal campaign, just with a much smaller budget. If you’re planning to run the campaign with a $1,500 monthly budget, try running it for one month with a $500 budget to determine where you stand.

Alternatively, you can test your landing pages on a different platform, such as on your social media channels. Facebook has a paid advertising feature that can be run for as little as $5 a day, and can give you great insights for a simple AB test without costing a lot of money.

You’ll also want to make sure to capture as much information as possible—use objective data like click-throughs and conversions, but also consider qualitative metrics like heat map results or user surveys to round out your analysis.

Analyzing the Metrics

Once you’ve run the AB test for a week or longer, you’ll have enough information to make a judgment about your campaign.

Obviously, in most cases, numbers will be your bottom line—the landing page that produces the greatest number of conversions is your best candidate—but you also need to pay attention to qualitative metrics to understand why the better page is better.

stats metrics a-b test

Source

This type of data can tell you whether something is critically wrong with your alternative landing page (so you never make the mistake again) or if there is a key feature of your main landing page that is so important it’s worth enhancing (such as a testimonials section that deserves a greater callout).

Chances are, you’ll be enlightened (or at least surprised) by some of the metrics your initial test produces.

Any positive changes you make as a result of the test will help your campaign significantly—and applying those changes before you start a full-fledged rollout can save you both time and money.

Continuing Your Test

Just because you’ve ironed out a handful of kinks before taking the campaign live doesn’t mean you’re completely out of the AB testing woods.

You should treat your campaign as an ongoing experiment, ever evolving, because conditions always change and there is always room for improvement.

After your preliminary round of AB testing, you’ll have a much better initial product, but it’s going to take continued AB testing in order to perfect your approach.

Roll out your winning landing page with a secondary differentiator—one that’s been altered in a way different from your initial test.

For example, if your first AB test focused on aesthetic design changes, try making some major copy changes. Gather information regularly, and continue to make adjustments in order to ratchet up your conversion rates.

AB tests are an inbound marketer’s best friend.

There’s simply no better way to objectively measure the effectiveness of your campaign, whether you do it before or during the official launch of your program.

Starting off with an AB test before rolling the campaign out in a live environment will help you identify any pain points preventing you from better conversion rates, and save you money in the long run.

Just remember that AB tests are something to play with throughout the entire duration of your campaign—the more you learn, the better your campaign will become.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Sam Edwards
Sam Edwards
Chief Marketing Officer at SEO.co
In his 9+ years as a digital marketer, Sam has worked with countless small businesses and enterprise Fortune 500 companies and organizations including NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Washington, DC based law firm Price Benowitz LLP and human rights organization Amnesty International.

He is a recurring speaker at the Search Marketing Expo conference series and a TEDx Talker. Today he works directly with high-end clients across all verticals to maximize on and off-site SEO ROI through content marketing and link building. Connect with Sam on Linkedin.
Sam Edwards
Latest posts by Sam Edwards (see all)
  • Top 200 Google Ranking Factors: 2022 Complete List - May 18, 2022
  • How to Survive the Next Google Algorithm Update - May 1, 2022
  • Blog & Content Writing Best Practices for Lawyers - April 17, 2022
Share
4
Sam Edwards
Sam Edwards
In his 9+ years as a digital marketer, Sam has worked with countless small businesses and enterprise Fortune 500 companies and organizations including NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Washington, DC based law firm Price Benowitz LLP and human rights organization Amnesty International. He is a recurring speaker at the Search Marketing Expo conference series and a TEDx Talker. Today he works directly with high-end clients across all verticals to maximize on and off-site SEO ROI through content marketing and link building. Connect with Sam on Linkedin.

Related posts

Top 200 Google Ranking Factors: Complete List
May 18, 2022

Top 200 Google Ranking Factors: 2022 Complete List


Read more
How to Perform an SEO Content Gap Analysis
May 16, 2022

How to Perform an SEO Content Gap Analysis


Read more
Local SEO: Optimizing Your Rankings for Google Local Search
May 14, 2022

Local SEO: Optimizing Your Rankings for Google Local Search


Read more

Inc 5000 Logo

Our Services

  • SEO Services
  • Link Building Services
  • White Label SEO
  • Content Writing Services
  • Amazon SEO
  • PPC Management
  • Public Relations
  • Brand Mentions
  • SEO Site Audits

SEO Resources

  • SEO for Beginners
  • Link Building Guide
  • Local SEO
  • Online Marketing
  • Digital Marketing
  • Content Marketing
  • SEO Reseller
  • Backlink Checker
  • Keyword Research
  • Google Ranking Factors

About SEO.co

  • About Us
  • SEO Team
  • SEO Blog
  • SEO Clients
  • SEO Tools
  • Markets Served
  • Locations Served
  • Client Login
  • Contact

Contact Us

Email: info@seo.co
Call: +1 (877) 545-4769
Address: 1425 Broadway Suite 22689
Seattle, WA 98112
White Label SEO Agency
  
Outwrite. Outrank. SEO.
© 2022 SEO.co. All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Sitemap
PPC.co // DEV.co // Website.Design
An Invest.net Partner
    GET STARTED
      We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of all the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
      Cookie SettingsAccept All
      Manage consent

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
      CookieDurationDescription
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
      viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
      Functional
      Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
      Performance
      Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
      Analytics
      Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
      Advertisement
      Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
      Others
      Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
      SAVE & ACCEPT