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Best way to perform A/B split testing

by Monathoo
36 replies
Hello Warriors,

I need some advice on split testing. When performing a split test for a squeeze page for example, is it best to use paid traffic or would it generally work with organic traffic too?

Your assistance is highly appreciated, Thank you,

Regards

Mo
#a or b #perform #split
  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    Hi Mo,

    Any traffic regardless of source or method generated.

    You should definitely use it with PPC campaigns. But every PPC platform I've used has a split test feature built in. So just use that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

      Hi Mo,

      Any traffic regardless of source or method generated.

      You should definitely use it with PPC campaigns. But every PPC platform I've used has a split test feature built in. So just use that.
      Hi Ken,

      Thank you for your advice. For a newbie like me, would you be able to recommend a good newbie, user friendly platform? Thanks

      Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    Good resource.

    The Ultimate Guide To A/B Testing | Smashing Magazine

    Looks very good for general pages, non-PPC applications. Non-affiliate link.

    A/B Testing Tool | Split Testing and Multivariate Testing Software - Visual Website Optimizer
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  • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
    Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

    Hello Warriors,

    I need some advice on split testing. When performing a split test for a squeeze page for example, is it best to use paid traffic or would it generally work with organic traffic too?

    Your assistance is highly appreciated, Thank you,

    Regards

    Mo
    I would say with PPC you would have a more accurate understanding of how a particular market responds to your squeeze page. You control what particular keyword triggers your ad, and the keyword a person uses says a lot about your market.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by SlfMastery View Post

      I would say with PPC you would have a more accurate understanding of how a particular market responds to your squeeze page. You control what particular keyword triggers your ad, and the keyword a person uses says a lot about your market.
      Hello Slf,

      Thank you for your input. So would you suggest PPC as being the best way to perform split tests? Or would traffic methods such as Solo ads and Ad swaps work too?

      Mo
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      • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
        Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

        Hello Slf,

        Thank you for your input. So would you suggest PPC as being the best way to perform split tests? Or would traffic methods such as Solo ads and Ad swaps work too?
        Mo
        Hi "Monathoo":
        The more specific the list, the better. In other words, if the list owner can tell you WHY the people opted in his/her list, then you can tell if you have your target market to test. Ex. If the list signed up for a "How to Make Money with AdSense" eBook, that would not do you any good if your Squeeze page was about "How To Make Money With Local Businesses."

        Hope that made sense.

        -C
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        • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
          Originally Posted by SlfMastery View Post

          Hi "Monathoo":
          The more specific the list, the better. In other words, if the list owner can tell you WHY the people opted in his/her list, then you can tell if you have your target market to test. Ex. If the list signed up for a "How to Make Money with AdSense" eBook, that would not do you any good if your Squeeze page was about "How To Make Money With Local Businesses."

          Hope that made sense.

          -C
          Right, I understand SLF. Thank you very much. So when buying into PPC, how would I know that my ad is targeting the specific niche or subject that I want?

          Thanks so much for your help

          Mo
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          • Profile picture of the author TopOfTheMornin
            Another useful tool for WordPress sites may be Split Magic (splitmagic.com | Wordpress Split Testing) which lets you split test among unlimited URLs. I bought the thing but have not yet used it though.
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            • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
              Originally Posted by TopOfTheMornin View Post

              Another useful tool for WordPress sites may be Split Magic (splitmagic.com | Wordpress Split Testing) which lets you split test among unlimited URLs. I bought the thing but have not yet used it though.
              Hi,

              Thank you for your suggestion. Will look into the tool when the time is right for me i.e. as soon as I have figured out what niche to target and got my keywords. Thank you

              Mo
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          • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
            Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

            Right, I understand SLF. Thank you very much. So when buying into PPC, how would I know that my ad is targeting the specific niche or subject that I want?

            Thanks so much for your help

            Mo
            In Google Adwords I chose the keyword(s) I wanted my ad to show up with, and I'm pretty sure it would be the same with whatever PPC company you choose.

            As for knowing if your ad is targeting the "right" market, only your conversions will reveal that.

            So, let's say you were targeting the "stop dogs from barking" niche, you could target keywords like "how to stop my dog from barking fast" or "home solutions for quieting barking dogs."

            The more specific the better it should convert. So, if you have a product that teaches how to stop Pitbulls from barking, you would target keywords like "how to stop my pitbull from barking."

            You would just have to put yourself in the place of your niche market and guess what they would type in the search engine. Use Google's keyword tool and type in the main keyword and get more suggestions of (long tail) keywords.

            If you're just building a list for Pitbull owners in general, for example, you can go "lateral" in finding tons of keywords. You just have to create many different free eBooks/ Reports to get them to optin (TIP: Just create a free eBook with Links to specific (YouTube) Videos or other websites that talk about a specific situation. That shouldn't take you too long.

            Anyway, when I say "lateral," just think what else would Pitbull owners search for? Ex. How to stop my pitbull from chewing, how to build my Pitbull's strength, how to train a Pitbull puppy, etc.

            Then with that list of Pitbull owners, you can market to them ANY product relating to Pitbulls.

            Hope that helped.

            Charlie
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  • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
    This is really difficult to answer.

    With organic traffic you are getting a general sampling of the consumer base as a whole. So while test A may come out the winner, there could actually be a segment within the base that responds better to test B.

    Now imagine you are then going to buy traffic and use A since it won the organic test. What if your paid traffic source consists of the types of people that liked test B? That can happen.
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    Did you see my second post?

    I pulled that from my bookmarks. Haven't needed it, yet. Check it out. It looks easy enough to set up. A little on the pricey side, but it has a lot of features. You can find less expensive split test s/w.

    But, one word of caution is to use one that will track the visitors and always display the version they saw first.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

      Did you see my second post?

      I pulled that from my bookmarks. Haven't needed it, yet. Check it out. It looks easy enough to set up. A little on the pricey side, but it has a lot of features. You can find less expensive split test s/w.

      But, one word of caution is to use one that will track the visitors and always display the version they saw first.
      Hi Ken,

      Thanks, sorry did not see your second post the first time round. Thank you for the link, will try and study it in detail. So from what you're saying I gather that PPC would be the best way to send traffic to your test as opposed to organic or purchased traffic such as Solo Ads etc, am I correct?

      Mo
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

        Hi Ken,

        Thanks, sorry did not see your second post the first time round. Thank you for the link, will try and study it in detail. So from what you're saying I gather that PPC would be the best way to send traffic to your test as opposed to organic or purchased traffic such as Solo Ads etc, am I correct?

        Mo
        The best way? It just depends on what works best for you, your budget, etc.

        You may be able to get faster results with PPC depending on your budget and the numbers for the keywords. Some phrases don't get a lot of traffic, and remember that Google's keyword tool is famously over-inflated.

        If you have a site that is ranking highly, then use that.

        It does not matter. Every page needs to be optimized, period. And every page can be improved and optimized - always.
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    Just remembered about Google Website Optimizer. Have not used it but pretty sure you can do split testing with it.

    Here:

    https://accounts.google.com/ServiceL...ign=standalone

    If you Google, Google Website Optimizer you'll find their blog for it and other support.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

      Just remembered about Google Website Optimizer. Have not used it but pretty sure you can do split testing with it.

      Here:

      https://accounts.google.com/ServiceL...ign=standalone

      If you Google, Google Website Optimizer you'll find their blog for it and other support.
      Hi Ken,

      Yes I think you can, just had a look at it. So the process would be as follows,

      1) Setup your test
      2) Send traffic using PPC
      3) Integrate Google Optimizer to track your stats

      Am I correct in assuming the above procedure?

      Thank you all for your great input!

      Mo
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

        Hi Ken,

        Yes I think you can, just had a look at it. So the process would be as follows,

        1) Setup your test
        2) Send traffic using PPC
        3) Integrate Google Optimizer to track your stats

        Am I correct in assuming the above procedure?

        Thank you all for your great input!

        Mo
        I think #3 needs to happen before #2.

        I've not used this service by Google. But I'm sure they will tell you what you need to do.

        If you are not experienced with PPC, then do that - FiRsT. Extremely important.

        Seriously, you'll be fighting too many learning curves if you've never done PPC before. It's not hard to do, but there are some things you need to know, etc.
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        • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
          Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

          I think #3 needs to happen before #2.

          I've not used this service by Google. But I'm sure they will tell you what you need to do.

          If you are not experienced with PPC, then do that - FiRsT. Extremely important.

          Seriously, you'll be fighting too many learning curves if you've never done PPC before. It's not hard to do, but there are some things you need to know, etc.
          Ok, back to the drawing board. Let me first learn PPC. I was not initially sure of the traffic methods and did not even think of PPC until it was brought up in this thread. Since it seems to be the general consensus that I use PPC then that is what I will learn first and then get into split testing.

          Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me

          Mo
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          • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
            Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

            Ok, back to the drawing board. Let me first learn PPC. I was not initially sure of the traffic methods and did not even think of PPC until it was brought up in this thread. Since it seems to be the general consensus that I use PPC then that is what I will learn first and then get into split testing.

            Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me

            Mo
            My impression is your site is not highly ranked in organic search (SEO). If that is the case, then yes, PPC is how you can drive traffic immediately to your site. That's the beauty of it. But it's only beautiful if you know how to do it properly, and effectively, so you don't lose a lot of money.

            If you do not have an adwords account, then look around for new account coupons. You can find them worth $50 or even $100. Use it.

            Also, with adwords, avoid certain niches like weight loss unless you have a "thick" site on the subject. Avoid affiliate offers for such sites, affiliate links, etc.

            Avoid thin sites on weight loss, forex, make money online, and topics like those. No straight squeeze pages. But a landing page on a non-thin site is fine.

            Each adword campaign has a quality score which is cumulative for your account. Get the highest QS's possible because this will help reduce your CPCs.

            In short, learn PPC.

            If you want a good place to learn, check out Wealthy Affiliate.

            This is probably the best training you'll get for adwords, as far as I know. Kyle and Carson have been around for maybe ten years or more. They're very good.

            | Beating Adwords | Wealthy Affiliate

            Sorry, this is some affiliate site for them. (Not mine) You can Google them and find the original site.
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            • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
              Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

              My impression is your site is not highly ranked in organic search (SEO). If that is the case, then yes, PPC is how you can drive traffic immediately to your site. That's the beauty of it. But it's only beautiful if you know how to do it properly, and effectively, so you don't lose a lot of money.

              If you do not have an adwords account, then look around for new account coupons. You can find them worth $50 or even $100. Use it.

              Also, with adwords, avoid certain niches like weight loss unless you have a "thick" site on the subject. Avoid affiliate offers for such sites, affiliate links, etc.

              Avoid thin sites on weight loss, forex, make money online, and topics like those. No straight squeeze pages. But a landing page on a non-thin site is fine.

              Each adword campaign has a quality score which is cumulative for your account. Get the highest QS's possible because this will help reduce your CPCs.

              In short, learn PPC.

              If you want a good place to learn, check out Wealthy Affiliate.

              This is probably the best training you'll get for adwords, as far as I know. Kyle and Carson have been around for maybe ten years or more. They're very good.

              | Beating Adwords | Wealthy Affiliate

              Sorry, this is some affiliate site for them. (Not mine) You can Google them and find the original site.
              Thank you Ken, I will look into it and start my learning curve, have a lot to learn Lol! Thanks a lot, you have been very helpful!

              Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveSRS
    it is called google experiments now.. I'm also just learning how to use it and recently setup my first split test with it.. was really easy to setup! I'm still in my first 2 weeks (which they force you to complete to get some real results).
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by SteveSRS View Post

      it is called google experiments now.. I'm also just learning how to use it and recently setup my first split test with it.. was really easy to setup! I'm still in my first 2 weeks (which they force you to complete to get some real results).
      Hi Steve,

      Yes I just saw and its integrated with Google Analytics now. Thanks for your input. If you have a blog post or something that would allow me to follow your results, it would be great Thanks

      Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    It is a point that you do have control over the keywords that trigger your ad. And that does say something about the market, but that's about it.

    There are the three or four phases of search terms that reflect what they person is looking for and why. This can be general research and information gathering. Comparison shopping, looking for reviews, etc. And people who are ready to buy something.

    And then there's how you structure or design your PPC campaign and the keywords you use in each ad group. So you can target your market in any of those phases of the search cycle.

    You really should optimize any page on your site regardless. You can optimize the headline on every page using split testing and you should because it will increase how well the headline converts or compells the reader to start reading.

    It does not matter how the traffic arrived on your site or the method used to get that person there.

    The ideal approach is to split test everything, regardless.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

      It is a point that you do have control over the keywords that trigger your ad. And that does say something about the market, but that's about it.

      There are the three or four phases of search terms that reflect what they person is looking for and why. This can be general research and information gathering. Comparison shopping, looking for reviews, etc. And people who are ready to buy something.

      And then there's how you structure or design your PPC campaign and the keywords you use in each ad group. So you can target your market in any of those phases of the search cycle.

      You really should optimize any page on your site regardless. You can optimize the headline on every page using split testing and you should because it will increase how well the headline converts or compells the reader to start reading.

      It does not matter how the traffic arrived on your site or the method used to get that person there.

      The ideal approach is to split test everything, regardless.
      Thanks Ken, Wow this split testing is whole science on its own! Ok let me go back to my research. Some very valuable points you brought up there. I think I need to learn a little more about what to test and how to test it before I start sending traffic to my test. I obviously understand the point of optimizing the whole site but for now I need know from my readers whether they are happy with my content or not and then I need to start testing my optin form.

      Thank you Ken, you've been very helpful

      Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author sbzone
    Create two pages for different products and do the testing to see which ad performs the better. It is always better to see the A/B testing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vitus
    Paid first, so you know your converting keywords, and then your organic traffic for the converting keywords, because maybe there's a difference.
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    • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
      Originally Posted by Vitus View Post

      Paid first, so you know your converting keywords, and then your organic traffic for the converting keywords, because maybe there's a difference.
      Thank you Vitus. I now understand. So use paid traffic to check what is working then drive organic traffic to it. I hope I am correct in assuming thats what you mean. Thanks for your input!

      Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
    Originally Posted by stevejones003 View Post

    PPC
    PPC
    PPC
    Lol! Steve Jones, Thank you for that very elaborate recommendation! I get the point, PPC is the way to go. Thanks

    Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
    Thanks Charlie, thats very helpful. So it all boils down to finding the right niche and using keywords with enough searches and not to much competition to target my audience. Ok, I think I'm almost there. Need to go do some research now. Thanks a lot for your help buddy

    Cheers

    Mo
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    • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
      Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

      Thanks Charlie, thats very helpful. So it all boils down to finding the right niche and using keywords with enough searches and not to much competition to target my audience. Ok, I think I'm almost there. Need to go do some research now. Thanks a lot for your help buddy

      Cheers

      Mo
      Hey Mo:

      You're welcome. Hopefully it all clicks with you.

      Actually, any niche can be monetized, but the hard part is finding out what exactly they want based on the keyword they used to find you. Some may just want more information in which case you can offer them a free report to capture them on your list. And, if you can time your offer when they are ready to buy, then you will convert.

      The best you can do is guess what they want. But, testing is the only way you will find out what converts the best. Test one thing at a time.

      I'm sure you heard this before but the best niches are the one's that are "hungry" for something. This is what I mean by "hungry."
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      • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
        Originally Posted by SlfMastery View Post

        Hey Mo:

        You're welcome. Hopefully it all clicks with you.

        Actually, any niche can be monetized, but the hard part is finding out what exactly they want based on the keyword they used to find you. Some may just want more information in which case you can offer them a free report to capture them on your list. And, if you can time your offer when they are ready to buy, then you will convert.

        The best you can do is guess what they want. But, testing is the only way you will find out what converts the best. Test one thing at a time.

        I'm sure you heard this before but the best niches are the one's that are "hungry" for something. This is what I mean by "hungry."
        Thanks again Charlie for taking the time out to guide me. I might become too dependent on you! Haha! I followed your links and wanted to ask you, how long have you been with Wealthy Affiliate? I read some reviews and it seems to be the place to start. But is only for affiliates? Am looking into it more. Thanks for introducing me

        Mo
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        • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
          Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

          Thanks again Charlie for taking the time out to guide me. I might become too dependent on you! Haha! I followed your links and wanted to ask you, how long have you been with Wealthy Affiliate? I read some reviews and it seems to be the place to start. But is only for affiliates? Am looking into it more. Thanks for introducing me

          Mo
          Hi Mo:

          Glad I could offer some guidance. I know how it is when first starting...tons of information to take in, not knowing why something is not working, etc. This is definitely a skill that takes time to develop and cash in on.

          If you are expecting to make a $100 a day in 7 days as a complete newbie, you will be disappointed. But, if you look at this as something you would do for the rest of your life and get excited learning new things and ways to earn money, then you will do fine.

          My problem is I think I have ADHD where I cannot focus on ONE project. uhhhhhhh.

          As far as Wealthy Affiliate (WA), I've been with them for about 2 years??? or so and use them when my sites are having problems (my sites are hosted with them and they have dedicated support), to build a network of IM, when I have specific questions, and to keep up with the changes with Internet Marketing, i.e. Panda updates, new opportunities like Pinterest, etc.

          I would say WA is for affiliate marketers and offline marketers.

          They just created a "Starters Membership" and it's currently FREE FOREVER so I would recommend anyone to go inside and check it out now. If you go inside, type in the search box "@squidooslfmstr" and ask me any questions in my Profile comment area...and no, you do not have to use my affiliate link.

          I'll help you with whatever I know.

          Take care,
          Charlie
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  • Profile picture of the author dlane1987
    Google A/B then send traffic. take the best change something send traffic and repeat till all works.
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  • Profile picture of the author Monathoo
    Thanks Charlie, will definitely give them a try and and you have been very helpful to me so it would just be natural for me to reciprocate by using your affiliate link I see a lot of good reviews about them and it wouldn't hurt to try out the free starters membership that has no time limit. Will link with you on the inside Thanks again for everything

    Mo
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    • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
      Originally Posted by Monathoo View Post

      Thanks Charlie, will definitely give them a try and and you have been very helpful to me so it would just be natural for me to reciprocate by using your affiliate link I see a lot of good reviews about them and it wouldn't hurt to try out the free starters membership that has no time limit. Will link with you on the inside Thanks again for everything

      Mo
      Alright Mo, maybe I'll chat with you again.
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  • Profile picture of the author Clickthroo
    Some great advice here, but I think there is an 'elephant in the room' - a single factor that isn't really covered above but is vitally important.

    Traffic segmentation involves creating a number of landing pages within 'segments' and then filtering your traffic into the most relevant segment.

    So, for example your segments could target by country, language, day of week, time of day, keyword, referring URL, browser, OS, device, and any combination therein.

    So, for example, it makes sense to use one landing page test for the following visitors:

    - from Google France
    - using the keyword 'keyword 1'
    - on a desktop PC


    And then a different landing page test for these visitors:

    - from Google.com
    - using the keyword 'keyword 2'
    - on an ipad


    You should split-test within each segment and this will also allow you to identify the most profitable segments and scale traffic to those segments whilst pausing non-performing segments.

    Split-testing a few generic landing pages is a great start, but for the best results you need to be segmenting your traffic as well.

    (This is much easier to set-up than you may think - hint *signature*hint ).

    I hope this helps.

    Dave
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