The importance of A-B testing

You might think that your website is the best that it can possibly be, but how can you ever know for sure? Well, say hello to the somewhat magical (but very real) concept of A/B testing.

A Brief Overview of A/B Testing

A/B testing is the process of testing two (or more) variations of your website concurrently to identify which delivers the best results. From validating the effectiveness of specific elements to determining precisely which components are positively (or negatively) affecting your conversion rate, A/B testing provides essential information that simply cannot be determined in any other way.

You get to determine your own success metrics, so whether you want to increase email sign-ups, improve your bounce rate, or boost your conversions, A/B testing can help you to do it. Nothing is too specific or off limits. It almost sounds too good to be true, but it's all real.

Why A/B Testing is a Non-Negotiable Must-Do

Since web design is both an art and a science, it is alarmingly easy to make assumptions that will ultimately inform key decisions. Suppositions are completely natural but it is the challenging of those assumptions that should be viewed as a critical and non-negotiable component of great web design.

A/B testing will fundamentally transform your website from one that delivers a generally pleasing user experience into one that contains the most effective combination of individual elements that will lead you to conversion success. As your most powerful digital asset, your website needs to work for both your audience and your business.

This sophisticated testing process will also provide you with a greater insight into your target audience, which is a little bit like striking gold in the increasingly challenging digital marketplaces we find ourselves in. This additional knowledge will often stimulate the generation of innovative ideas and strategies that will help you to go above and beyond for your audience.

OK, So What Can I Test?

Well, just about everything, which is both excellent news and alarmingly overwhelming. Knowing where to start is often the most challenging part of A/B testing as it is highly likely that your website contains a variety of different elements that can and should be tested.

Let's run through just a few elements which influence visitor behaviour that will benefit from the process of A/B testing:

• Headlines
• Copy
• Your call-to-action (CTA)
• Layouts and navigational structures
• Your value proposition
• Images
• Contact forms
• Social proof
• Content length

Feeling overwhelmed? Honestly, the process is simpler than it might sound. Adopting a systematic approach will ultimately help you to emphasise your value proposition, eliminate superfluous features, and refine every facet of your most valuable digital asset. So, if you're currently looking for a bit of reassurance that it'll be worth it in the end, look no further. Yes, it absolutely will. In fact, it will quickly become one of the most valuable tools available to you. It's a big claim, but A/B testing delivers significant results.

If you want to stop relying on intuition and start utilising hard data to inform your website strategy, we'd love to chat. Let's get testing!