Opportunities to improve A/B testing
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 9:51 am
Any marketing professional will tell you that good old A/B testing is invaluable for any digital marketing campaign . They may not mention that this simple testing method can also be invaluable for your inbound marketing strategy .
AB Tests
The term “split testing” is often used interchangeably with A/B testing. The two are, in fact, very similar testing methods; however, they differ in one critical aspect: the amount of change between variables.
In a split test, the entire content of the asset (email, newsletter, blog post, landing page, etc.) is changed.
In an A/B test, you only change one aspect of one of those things (headline , subheadline , image, call-to-action (CTA) button placement , etc.).
Today we will use both terms; however, we will strive to use them only in relation to the appropriate type of testing situation. Let's begin with a more detailed description of these powerful testing techniques.
Definition of A/B and Split Testing
At the most basic level, an A/B test aims to show you which version of your cambodia whatsapp number content your readers find most engaging. You'll have data on two versions of the content that you can compare. You'll see that one of them resulted in more people clicking the button, calling you on the phone, or giving you their email address in exchange for an eBook, regardless of the call to action in the content.
A/B testing in inbound marketing starts with tried-and-true content. Let’s say you have this blog post that resonates with your readers. It has great click-through stats, it’s been a consistent draw since you published it three months ago, and you’re still promoting it through social media and Google Ads (this is just an example; your promotion methods will vary).
Now you take that post and change one aspect. For our example today, let’s say you change the position of the CTA button. It’s been living happily at the bottom of the post for a while, so you create a second page with that button in the sidebar instead. You now promote this version, B, of your content through the same outlets as the original variation, A. Now you sit back and let the stats accumulate.
Once you've been using this second variation for a while, it's time to gather the data and compare them to see which one has generated more clicks (or visits, conversions, or whatever you want to get out of the content in question).
Congratulations, you've just completed an A/B test!
Inbound marketing opportunities for A/B testing
Let’s look at five areas of an inbound marketing strategy where you might be overlooking opportunities to run A/B or split tests. Doing so will help you hone your content to get more clicks for less money, helping your bottom line and attracting more potential customers.
1. Headlines
Never underestimate the power of the H tag. This applies to both the power of the tag to boost your SEO juice and the power of a catchy headline to pique readers’ interest and keep them reading to the CTA.
For an A/B test, change only your H1. As part of a split test, try changing all of your headings and subheadings, plus the title and CTA button color. The split version will likely cause a more significant variation in readers’ reactions; the problem is that you won’t know which of the changes is responsible or whether the combination of all of them worked.
As always, don't be tempted to use clickbait-y headlines; they will only make readers lose trust in you and your content.
2. Images
Another very important aspect of any piece of content marketing is the use of images. Featured images are often the first thing a potential reader sees in their RSS feed, on a search results page, or even in a promotional post on social media. This image should be unique, relevant, and attention-grabbing without distracting from the actual content.
You may have found two stock images that you want to use for this particular post. Simple, it’s time to do some A/B testing! Create two identical posts, one with each image, and promote them separately to the same audience. You’ll quickly see which one captures readers’ attention better, and you can remove the other and adjust your future image choices based on this information.
3. Post length
According to Search Engine Journal , the optimal length of a blog post to get shares, reposts, and readers to engage with is around 1,500 words. Split test this with your readers by creating two versions of your content at different lengths. Make the original 1,800 words, then edit variation B to around 800 words.
This will give you an idea of your readers' preferences on how much information they want to see at once.
4. Opt-in / landing pages
This is more of a split test. Create separate opt-in forms to use on the same page. Maybe your form has ten fields right now, and you're seeing a fair number of bounces from it. Try creating a second form with only six fields and running it simultaneously with the original to 50% of that page's visitors.
Landing pages can work in a similar way, create two landing pages with different layouts, headlines, etc. and target the same promotion to each at 50%. Maybe offer your eBook on version A and a free 30-minute consultation on version B.
This will tell you which design leads to more engagements and clicks and will only cost you the time to develop both pages and analyze the results. This is an excellent use of time and energy for potential revenue gain.
5. Call to action buttons
The CTA is a critical part of any marketing campaign, and content marketing is no different. Try larger buttons, brighter colors, or smaller buttons and more muted colors. Change the text on the button itself or its location on the page. Each of these changes can result in much higher or lower engagement.
Either way, you'll gain valuable insights about your readers that you can use to tailor your future content, resulting in increased engagement and less investment of time, energy and money.
Each of these aspects, and the tests you can run on them, will give you data about your readers and potential customers that you can use to fine-tune your future content. You’ll be able to attract more people with less effort, and before long, you’ll see the results in more conversions, engagement opportunities, and revenue.
AB Tests
The term “split testing” is often used interchangeably with A/B testing. The two are, in fact, very similar testing methods; however, they differ in one critical aspect: the amount of change between variables.
In a split test, the entire content of the asset (email, newsletter, blog post, landing page, etc.) is changed.
In an A/B test, you only change one aspect of one of those things (headline , subheadline , image, call-to-action (CTA) button placement , etc.).
Today we will use both terms; however, we will strive to use them only in relation to the appropriate type of testing situation. Let's begin with a more detailed description of these powerful testing techniques.
Definition of A/B and Split Testing
At the most basic level, an A/B test aims to show you which version of your cambodia whatsapp number content your readers find most engaging. You'll have data on two versions of the content that you can compare. You'll see that one of them resulted in more people clicking the button, calling you on the phone, or giving you their email address in exchange for an eBook, regardless of the call to action in the content.
A/B testing in inbound marketing starts with tried-and-true content. Let’s say you have this blog post that resonates with your readers. It has great click-through stats, it’s been a consistent draw since you published it three months ago, and you’re still promoting it through social media and Google Ads (this is just an example; your promotion methods will vary).
Now you take that post and change one aspect. For our example today, let’s say you change the position of the CTA button. It’s been living happily at the bottom of the post for a while, so you create a second page with that button in the sidebar instead. You now promote this version, B, of your content through the same outlets as the original variation, A. Now you sit back and let the stats accumulate.
Once you've been using this second variation for a while, it's time to gather the data and compare them to see which one has generated more clicks (or visits, conversions, or whatever you want to get out of the content in question).
Congratulations, you've just completed an A/B test!
Inbound marketing opportunities for A/B testing
Let’s look at five areas of an inbound marketing strategy where you might be overlooking opportunities to run A/B or split tests. Doing so will help you hone your content to get more clicks for less money, helping your bottom line and attracting more potential customers.
1. Headlines
Never underestimate the power of the H tag. This applies to both the power of the tag to boost your SEO juice and the power of a catchy headline to pique readers’ interest and keep them reading to the CTA.
For an A/B test, change only your H1. As part of a split test, try changing all of your headings and subheadings, plus the title and CTA button color. The split version will likely cause a more significant variation in readers’ reactions; the problem is that you won’t know which of the changes is responsible or whether the combination of all of them worked.
As always, don't be tempted to use clickbait-y headlines; they will only make readers lose trust in you and your content.
2. Images
Another very important aspect of any piece of content marketing is the use of images. Featured images are often the first thing a potential reader sees in their RSS feed, on a search results page, or even in a promotional post on social media. This image should be unique, relevant, and attention-grabbing without distracting from the actual content.
You may have found two stock images that you want to use for this particular post. Simple, it’s time to do some A/B testing! Create two identical posts, one with each image, and promote them separately to the same audience. You’ll quickly see which one captures readers’ attention better, and you can remove the other and adjust your future image choices based on this information.
3. Post length
According to Search Engine Journal , the optimal length of a blog post to get shares, reposts, and readers to engage with is around 1,500 words. Split test this with your readers by creating two versions of your content at different lengths. Make the original 1,800 words, then edit variation B to around 800 words.
This will give you an idea of your readers' preferences on how much information they want to see at once.
4. Opt-in / landing pages
This is more of a split test. Create separate opt-in forms to use on the same page. Maybe your form has ten fields right now, and you're seeing a fair number of bounces from it. Try creating a second form with only six fields and running it simultaneously with the original to 50% of that page's visitors.
Landing pages can work in a similar way, create two landing pages with different layouts, headlines, etc. and target the same promotion to each at 50%. Maybe offer your eBook on version A and a free 30-minute consultation on version B.
This will tell you which design leads to more engagements and clicks and will only cost you the time to develop both pages and analyze the results. This is an excellent use of time and energy for potential revenue gain.
5. Call to action buttons
The CTA is a critical part of any marketing campaign, and content marketing is no different. Try larger buttons, brighter colors, or smaller buttons and more muted colors. Change the text on the button itself or its location on the page. Each of these changes can result in much higher or lower engagement.
Either way, you'll gain valuable insights about your readers that you can use to tailor your future content, resulting in increased engagement and less investment of time, energy and money.
Each of these aspects, and the tests you can run on them, will give you data about your readers and potential customers that you can use to fine-tune your future content. You’ll be able to attract more people with less effort, and before long, you’ll see the results in more conversions, engagement opportunities, and revenue.