Everything You Need To Know About A/B Testing Solutions (FAQs)
What Is A/B Testing?
A/B testing, or “split testing” is the process of creating two or more versions of digital content, pushing both on a limited trial basis, and then comparing key performance metrics in order to decide which version to move ahead with.
A/B testing is commonly used in marketing, communications, lead generation, website and application development, design, and other creative industries. It’s used primarily to iterate and improve the performance of digital content by testing new variations, although performance metrics can depend on your organization’s specific goals.
For example, if your goal is to improve conversion rates, you may A/B test different call-to-action buttons or landing page content. If your goal is to improve user engagement or time on page, you may A/B test different copy or imagery, and then use a heatmap tracking tool or session recording to track user visitors.
What Are A/B Testing Solutions?
A/B testing solutions are tools that facilitate the A/B testing process for websites, applications, marketing campaigns, and more. Typically, they are SaaS-based and integrate with your website or application to facilitate more seamless—sometimes continuous—A/B testing that can be implemented every time a new page or website update is made.
How Do A/B Testing Solutions Work?
A/B testing solutions work by integrating with your websites, applications or marketing tools to deliver variations of content to different user groups in order for you to test performance. They can do this in a variety of ways.
In a standard A/B test, the solution uses URL redirecting to send one group of users to one page, and another group to a different URL. Using metrics such as session recording and conversion tracking, you can check which page performs best. You could also A/B test two versions of the same URL, or even particular elements on a page, such as different font colors or particular images used.
A/B testing solutions should enable A/B testing for websites, mobile apps, and APIs. The best solutions enable you to quickly spin up tests and collect data, often with tools such as heatmapping and session recording to help you make sense of the data collected, along with integrations with tools such as Google Analytics.
Many software development tools and marketing-focused web development tools such as landing page building solutions offer A/B testing as an integrated feature. These tools would, for example, enable you to build two landing page variants in a code-free designer, and then A/B test the performance of both.
What Features Should You Look For In A/B Testing Solutions?
Choosing an A/B testing solution should be focused primarily around your business outcomes. Which metrics you’re looking to track, what digital content you need to A/B test, which data sets you need to collect, and how you can effectively measure the data are all critical questions to consider when choosing a solution.
That said, there are a number of key features that all A/B testing solutions should offer. These include:
- A/B testing flexibility: Some tools offer immense flexibility in terms of A/B testing coverage, from websites and URLs to new feature launches. Others are more focused on specific areas such as landing pages and email campaigns.
- Engagement data tools: We recommend looking for solutions with strong data collection and analysis tools. This could include site traffic, engagement metrics, session recording and heatmaps to help you compare page performance.
- Comprehensive reporting: Data analysis is a critical part of A/B testing. Look for a tool with comprehensive reporting of collected data with clear metrics, graphs and export capabilities to help you understand trends.
- Scalability: Pricing for A/B testing solutions is often based around visitor numbers with limits to maximum group sizes etc. Consider the scalability of your chosen solution against your A/B testing requirements.
- Recommendations: Some A/B testing tools provide AI-generated recommendations to improve performance based on your data trends. This can be a great way of making the most of your A/B testing software.
- Ease of use: Ensure your chosen tool is easy to use, with a clear modern and fast admin dashboard.
- Policy management: Admins should be able to configure A/B testing policies, including defining where user groups are sent, how A/B testing works, and where collected data is stored.
- Security: As you may be recording sessions and user data, security is an important consideration. We recommend looking for trusted solutions with identity controls such as multi-factor authentication.
- Support: Consider solutions with a responsive support team and up-to-date knowledge base.
