When designing a website it helps to have a bit of insight into what content your users might prefer. That’s where A/B Testing might help. Put simply, A/B Testing, also known as split testing or the practice of conversion rate optimisation, involves putting together two versions of a page containing the element you want to test. Users will either see the version A page or the version B page and their interaction with the page will be measured. The results will show how each version has been used, giving you an idea of which elements work better.
A/B Tests can be used to measure particular areas, such as design preferences, usability and even the tone of content and is often used when making a dramatic re-design to an already well-used homepage, for example. Testing can show whether the proposed changes are usable and that conversion rates don’t suffer.
This sort of testing gives more solid proof of how users travel through your site and is useful for those decision makers who aren’t necessarily familiar with the design process and who prefer to see recorded data before concluding what new design to use. A/B Tests can be on specific areas like the number of product purchases, clicking on links and rates of return visits and can give usable data to support your proposed design changes.
When you know what areas you want to focus on for you’re A/B Testing, you then need to find the best testing tools for your site. Depending on the amount of traffic to your site, it is best to leave the two different page versions up for at least a few weeks to get the most truthful results.
With this information at your fingertips you can be sure that the new design or changes to your site will work well in everyday practice and only benefit your conversion rates. To find out more about how you can improve your conversion rate get in touch today.
