A/B Testing Definition, Functions, and Usage Examples

Planning to advertise and wondering what is A/B testing in Google Adwords ads? A/B testing is a strategy commonly used by marketers on all fronts. In general, A B testing is a technique used to compare two marketing approaches.

To find out more about A/B testing and also the functions of A/B testing, let's read further in this article.

What is A/B Testing and Its Purpose

A/B testing is a method in digital marketing that is used to compare two versions of a website page or advertisement. Unlike multivariate testing, A/B testing only tests one or two variables. For example, static or dynamic placement of the subscribe button.

Function of A B Testing

So, what is the purpose of A/B testing? The purpose of A/B testing is to find a version of the approach based on data, not assumptions. And also expected to be able to improve the performance of the digital marketing strategy implemented. For more details, let's explore further!

Understanding the Target Audience

Well, one of the important things in A/B testing is knowing who your target audience is.

Knowing who this content is aimed at will make it easier for us to develop elements such as calls to action or content that suits their needs and interests. Of course, this not only increases the chances of success, but also helps in designing content that is more connected to website visitors or ads.

Knowing the target audience of your website is one of the important elements in A/B testing. Because, we need to customize the content or ads accordingly. This not only helps your conversion rate, but also makes visitors connect with your brand.

Solving Customer Problems

The A/B method can also be used to identify and solve problems faced by customers. Let's take an example, for example, in one page there are two different buy buttons, one on top with a matching color, and one with a contrasting color. Now, by comparing these two versions, you can see which one gets more clicks. This can certainly lower the bounce rate or increase the conversion rate.

Increase Website Traffic

A/B testing strategy allows us to know what content or ad concepts visitors prefer. The more visitors, the more traffic on your website pages will increase.

Increase Conversion Rate

The main purpose of a business doing A/B testing on landing pages or ads is to determine which version has a higher conversion rate. This conversion rate can vary, depending on the CTA (call to action) of the website itself. Some invite visitors to buy goods, subscribe to a newsletter, or also provide an email address for an ebook.

Reducing Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is an indicator used to capture visitors who leave quickly. For example, when you click on a website, but because you don't find what you are looking for or the website design is confusing, you quickly hit the back button.

As a business owner, you want your visitors to spend a long time on your website. Well, to achieve that goal, you need to do A/B testing to find out which version provides the highest engagement rate.

Elements to be A/B tested

In the world of digital marketing, A/B testing is key to determining which strategy is more effective in increasing conversion rates. This involves comparing two versions of different elements on a website or ad to see which one performs better. Here are some elements that are often tested:

• Headlines: Headlines are one of the most commonly A/B tested elements. With A/B testing, you can compare two headlines to see which one is more effective at grabbing attention. For example, the headline “Save 50% Now” compared to “Big Discount Today”.
• Call to Action (CTA): A CTA is an instruction given to visitors to perform a specific action. For example, 'Buy Now' or 'Sign Up Here'.
• Description: Conducting A/B testing, allows us to compare two different approaches to describing product benefits. For example, description 1 focuses on product specifications, description 2 focuses on the emotional benefits that users feel.
• Copywriting: Copywriting elements are also often tested in the A/B testing approach. This is done to find out what language style best suits the target audience. For example, one copywriting uses a formal language style, and another one uses a casual language style.
• Photo/Illustration: Testing the effectiveness of image illustration can be done by comparing two product images. For example, you can try to compare the effectiveness between a product image shown without a model and one with a model.
• Layouts: In testing the layout of a website, businesses can determine which layout is easier for visitors to understand. For example, for a photo catalog, a grid layout is usually preferred by visitors over a linear one.
• Color: Through A/B testing, we can explore the effectiveness of various color schemes, such as red versus blue for CTA buttons.
• Logos: A logo is not only a brand identity, but it should also be able to attract attention and make a good impression. In the initial launch, you can test which logo gets more attention from customers.
• Banners: A/B testing of banners is done to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple visuals and their impact on an ad campaign. Let's take an example, the first version highlights the price of your product and the second version emphasizes the unique features of the product.
• Ad Placement: With A/B testing, we can determine the most strategic position for ads on a website. For example, comparing whether ads at the top of the page increase conversion rates compared to ads at the bottom.
• Page Layouts: Page layouts can also be tested to find out which layout is most efficient and results in a better user experience.
• Widgets: Widgets can be one of the website elements that can increase visitor engagement rates. For example, you can test the effectiveness of widgets by comparing customer service with a chatbot or form. And within a set time analyze how many visitors are using it.

A Practical Guide to A/B Testing for Business

Knowing what A/B testing is does not guarantee that you can do this A/B testing smoothly. Because there are several steps you need to take to produce accurate data.

Determine Objectives

To start A/B testing, the first thing we need to do is determine a clear goal. Do we want to increase the conversion rate on our landing page? Or maybe we want to decrease the bounce rate? With specific goals, we can be more focused in carrying out testing and measuring its success.

Make a Hypothesis

We can assume for example, “If I add a more attractive call to action on the product page, the conversion rate will increase.” Remember, the hypothesis we make must be in line with our initial goals. Also, the assumptions we conclude should also be measurable.

Designing the Experiment

The next step is to create two versions of the same webpage or ad. For example, ad version 'A' has a blue CTA button and version B has a green button. However, don't make too many differences when doing this A/B testing. Make sure that each version only differs in one or two aspects so that we can find out the cause of the performance difference between the two.

Collecting Data

Once the experiment is running, we need to collect relevant data from both versions. This data can be the number of clicks, conversion rate, session duration, and others. You can also use tools like VWO, Google Optimize or other analytics platforms to collect the above data.

Analyzing the Results

The last step is to analyze the results of the experiment. Look at the data that has been collected and determine which version is better based on the goals you have set earlier.

A/B Testing Tools

The role of A/B testing tools in helping digital marketing campaigns is huge. There are many A/B testing tools that are widely used including Google Ads, Hotjar, and VWO. Some of the benefits you can get from this tool are knowing the average bounce rate and the most visited pages. These metrics play an important role in increasing the conversion rate of your website.

A/B Testing Case Study Example

Let's learn an example of A/B testing from FSAstore.com. This is an e-commerce company that fulfills household needs in America. FSAstore believes that the category pages on its website are too complicated. This resulted in sales revenue that was not maximized.

Then, they started A/B testing. FSAstore created an alternative website that was full of information but simpler. And what was the result? FSAstore's new look resulted in a conversion rate of 53.8% per visitor.

Problems in A/B Testing and How to Solve Them

We have learned what A/B testing is, A/B testing tools, and how to do it. However, there is one thing we haven't covered yet, the problems in A/B testing.

The first problem with A/B testing is the lack of traffic. We can't compare which version is better if our site doesn't have enough traffic.

Another problem that is often encountered, and we talked about it a little bit, is that there are too many variables to test. When doing A/B testing, focus on just one variable. For example, the design of a website or the CTA sentence on a landing page.

In addition, running tests in a very short time can also produce inaccurate data. Ideally, the duration of A/B testing is 2 weeks to 4 weeks. If it is less than that, then the data generated may be less accurate.

Conclusion

By using A/B testing strategies, you can find the best version of your marketing approach. There are many benefits you can get from A/B testing. Among them, increased traffic, reduced bounce rate, and increased conversion rate. Therefore, it's no wonder that many businesses employ this strategy.

However, you must also read and remember to do A/B testing like what we have said above. In addition, you can also read some case studies, such as Majoo, to learn the problems and solutions that A/B testing can solve.

Start using the A/B testing method above! Increase the effectiveness of your ads and maximize the results of your digital marketing campaign.