Testing websites are becoming common as more companies adopt web analytics into their website development cycle. A/B or Multivariate tests allow companies to decide which designs contribute higher conversion rate, and lift the bottom line to better achieve online business goals.
If you ever visit the web analytics vendors's roadshow regarding optimization tools, it is common for them to publish case studies showing huge lift in conversions. Do not expect your site's test result to see similar lift by just implementing the tool. You need to understand what you'll be testing. Not only to plan what to test, you need make that testing into a process rather than ending at a project based testing.
Think about the resources, time, budget, and efforts that'll need to go into executing the A/B test or Multivariate tests.
- In order to create creative assets for testing, you'll need a designer to pump those graphical elements.
- You'll need to set up meetings to bring in people you'll need to share learnings, and key stakeholders who'll create a budget to perform your tests. Tests are never free as long as someone's time is involved. Including yours.
- Web programmer will need to implement that javascript code into the test pages.
- Depending on the landing pages you'll be testing, you may need tons of traffic. So you may need your SEM expert to pump some traffic after that budget is approved.
Once you hammer out these issues, and acquire key stakeholders buy-in, its time to go at it.
Start simple and start breaking it down. Consider testing these basic test cases.
Layout A vs. Layout B: When the call to action (CTA) are hidden below the fold due to layout constrains, or simply want to avoid long meetings and argue about what looks nice, layout tests are great way to start testing using A/B/n test.
Colors to Call to Action (CTA): Colors do matter when it comes to click-thrus by consumers. It may go against company's branding guide line, but it could be a great test to raise your voice about what works and don't work.
CTA and message: Messaging and CTA of them key URL links do matter, and you could be surprised how little differences that you didn't think of could lift your conversion rate significantly. 1% lift in conversion rate could mean X more million dollars in sales. Test it.
Size: Font size, image size, product size, you name it. Prominence of key elements fonts or images could mean significant lift in conversions because consumers could value something more than the other.
Traffic Sources vs. Landing page: A/B test or MVT may sound like you're only testing landing page only, but your test may yield different results by different traffic sources. Different acquisition channel may bring different persona, so results could look different when serving a content to banner traffic vs. SEM traffic.
Here is a great article that speaks to it: Maximize Your Google Website Optimizer Wins with Traffic Segmentation
There are so many data elements to test, it gets pretty overwhelming. That is why you need committed resources for testing and make sure that you have testing/optimization part of the process rather than a project.
In preparation of website optimization, the success metrics are not always increase in conversion rate or lift in sales. Perhaps, if you company spends a lot of hours in deciding the creative (e.g. home page banner), then doing the test could prove that testing helps reducing the time to decision. Those reduction in hours spent to decide could be a key indicator to a success in website optimization.
Enjoy testing!!
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