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How do you conduct tests?

by Adam7
7 replies
Hello Warriors,

I decided it's probably time to take the advice that I keep reading from other warriors and create documented test cases for each of my campaigns, new products I'm promoting, etc. I've been doing Adsense for a while, but I'm new to the world of affiliate marketing.

My question is: how does everyone else handle this? I've created a template (just a Word doc) that I'm using that covers what the test is, the dates I'm running it, expected outcome, actual cost, and actual outcome. What else should I include? Is there a better way to do this?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Adam
#affiliate marketing #conduct #tests
  • Profile picture of the author Kenster
    How are you promoting your cpa offers?

    If you are doing something like PPC, it may make sense to just use a tracking software to keep track. Campaigns can get very large with thousands of keywords so manually tracking is a tough and tedious job on its own. There are cool tracking programs that do all that for you.

    If you are talking about split test tracking, there is also software for that.


    I am a huge fan of conserving money in the beginning, so I like your idea of doing things manually and free, but there are some things that are more efficient and effective for you and your business if you purchase software to do.


    Perhaps let us know what you plan on doing more specifically and we can give you more specific advice.

    Glad to see you getting into affiliate marketing and cpa marketing Adam!
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam7
    Thanks for the advice Kenster!

    I'm promoting products through clickbank and CJ via a simple review site (with traffic driven by PPC), and you're right... I guess I'm probably looking for some of the pros - hint hint, Kenster - to give me some insight on what methods you use to split test landing pages, PPC campaigns, budget changes, etc.

    I guess I'm probably over thinking this. I could probably get most of what I need just by looking at Adwords and Analytics, but I want to make sure I know what changes I made so I can determine what's really working.
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    • Profile picture of the author cpabrainstormer
      Hey Adam,

      One thing I do to keep track of how my campaign is performing (in addition to using Tracking202), is keep a spreadsheet that has each day of the week broken down. I will list the number of views/clicks I received, the amount of conversions, total revenue, ROI, keywords, and time of the day when I received the conversions.

      I know it sounds like a lot and there are probably ways of doing this that are 1000x easier, but it is something that I have always done and it really helps me stay organized. I know what time of the day I need to activate certain campaigns, I know (pretty much) how much I'm going to make each day, and I know how much I need to spend in advertising to reach my conversion goal for that particular day.

      So if you are a person, like me, who doesn't mind manually inputting some data at the end of the day, this is a great way to start testing different offers. If you start to see some trends forming on particular days, then you can make an absolute KILLING. And there really is nothing better than knowing that your investment is going to pay off, just about every time! Hope that helps though!

      Best of Luck,

      CPABrainstormer
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      • Profile picture of the author Adam7
        Hey Tim, thanks much for the info... good stuff. I'm looking at 202 right now, I've heard this name dropped before but I've never paid much attention. Looks awesome.

        Also I just wanted to say WF pays dividends. After spending way too long on other forms, I realize now that WF is the only way to go. Some of the brightest, most helpful people out there! Thanks guys!
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  • Profile picture of the author williamrs
    It depends on what I'm testing.

    Talking about PPC campaigns, I choose an offer, create a landing page (if necessary) and set up a campaign. I then decide what is my "testing budget", which is the amount of money I'm willing to spend (maybe lose) on that particular campaign. I don't make this choice based on how much I can afford, but based on how much the offer seems to be worth.

    After burning my "testing budget" I stop and analyze my numbers (I do it all the time along the test, but at the end I do it more carefully). If I think that the campaign has a good potential (a combination of ROI and volume) I give it one more shot and bet a few more bucks on it. After the second test I should have a winner or a loser. If it's a winner, then I scale and optimize it. On the contrary, I simply quit it and move one.


    William
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    • Profile picture of the author Adam7
      Originally Posted by williamrs View Post

      It depends on what I'm testing.

      Talking about PPC campaigns, I choose an offer, create a landing page (if necessary) and set up a campaign. I then decide what is my "testing budget", which is the amount of money I'm willing to spend (maybe lose) on that particular campaign. I don't make this choice based on how much I can afford, but based on how much the offer seems to be worth.

      After burning my "testing budget" I stop and analyze my numbers (I do it all the time along the test, but at the end I do it more carefully). If I think that the campaign has a good potential (a combination of ROI and volume) I give it one more shot and bet a few more bucks on it. After the second test I should have a winner or a loser. If it's a winner, then I scale and optimize it. On the contrary, I simply quit it and move one.


      William
      Wow William... that is some seriously awesome straightforward information - exactly what I was looking for. And it seems like such a solid strategy!

      Excellent info, thanks so much!

      Adam
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  • Profile picture of the author dtang4
    I usually just use the free reporting tools from the sites. I run a few different campaigns (usually randomize things locally) and compare the results via the reports.

    If you have a substantial amount of traffic, you can try more detailed and statistically relevant tests. Do A and B testing for various campaigns, ad types, placements, etc.
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