Top 5 Tips for using A/B Testing to Optimise your Conversion Rates
In the previous blog that corresponds with this, I wrote about the basics of A/B Testing, and in essence how it can be used as a form of conversion rate optimisation. So, here are five dedicated tips to help you get the most out of your A/B Testing.
1. Duration
You must consider the duration of time for which you will run your experiment. It is imperative that enough data is collected to create an accurate and informative set of results that can really improve the rate of conversions on a website. Potentially, determining the length of time an A/B Test will run can be a very difficult decision. On one hand, the test needs to be protracted enough to establish a reliable data set, but conversely, running a test too long can cost you conversions due to underachieving landing pages.
2. Simultaneous
It is important to host and test your varied landing pages simultaneously. If the webpages are not hosted concurrently then there is a risk that environmental factors could impinge upon the accuracy and quality of your data. For example, imagine a website owner tests two versions of product landing pages. However, he tests
one on the last week of July, and the other during the first week of August. The results of the test appear to indicate that the landing page tested on the first week of August achieved more conversions. In this circumstance, the results fail to reflect that visitors to the site in early August were more likely to have been
paid their monthly salary therefore increasing the chances of them purchasing a product. If the traffic is not split evenly during the same time frame, the data produced may not fully reflect the true value of a webpage in terms of achieving conversions. 
3. Consistency
Practice consistency during the A/B Testing process. The software used to conduct testing will often use cookies to ensure users are returned to the same page variation they originally visited, but this should always be checked by the test conductor. A returning visitor may be put off even by minimal variations from their original experience, and larger scale variations from the page they originally visited may leave them imbued with a distrust of the website. Consistency is crucial to ensure that the website visitors browsing experience is not diminished by the testing procedure.
4. Similarity
If you intend on testing a core webpage within your website, it is best to make sure that regular visitors to the website are returned to the original page. Similarly to the prior point, an extreme change in aesthetic appearance can be disconcerting for a site visitor, and it potentially cause them to disassociate themselves with the website. Again, the testing software should contain a feature that uses cookie history to redirect visitors to the pages they have previously visited.
5. Continuity
Don't be afraid to conduct lots of testing. The beauty of A/B Testing is that it is simple, quick and cost-effective to implement, so website owners should not feel that they have to limit the quantity of tests they can conduct. Arguably, the more testing the better, as this could lead to the majority of landing pages on a website being created specifically to achieve a higher rate of conversions. Hopefully some of these tips can be easily implemented into you’re A/B Testing methodology. If you have any queries about CRO or any other aspects of internet marketing then please don't hesitate to get in touch.
