Sep 21 2008
Splits – Not Just For Cheerleaders Anymore
Marketers have long known the value of split testing, while normal folks thought only cheerleaders did the splits. Split testing, sometimes called A/B testing, is a technique for presenting the same information in two different ways to determine which is more effective. Unless you are familiar with both statistical analysis and web coding, split testing can be complicated to set up and the results can be difficult to decipher.
Until now, that is.
Google is offering free split testing using a tool they call the Website Optimizer. To use it, go to http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer and click the Sign Up button. Like all Google tools, it is free. There are demonstrations, FAQs, and a flash tour on the homepage to help you get started.
Split testing could mean the difference between success and failure for your next product launch. You could just take your best guess at what will be a good marketing campaign, build it, put it on the web, and wait for the money to roll in. If the money stays stubbornly away, you could try plan B. Then C. You might strike finally gold with Plan D. If only you’d tried that sales pitch first… how many more books or DVD might you have sold?
That’s the beauty of split testing. If you test both Plans A and B, you may discover that neither converts very well. You can make the changes Google suggests and re-test.
If you knew, before you went live with your new marketing campaign, that a Buy Now button in the upper right hand corner of the page is clicked on thee times as often as the same button at the bottom of the page, resulting in three times as many sales even with no other changes to the sales copy – which web design would you choose?
That’s exactly the kind of information Google Website Optimizer provides.
If you’ve never done any split testing, start experimenting today. Even if you just check a sales page that has already been online for three years, the knowledge you gain will be invaluable.
Photo by Graeme Bird Licensed under Creative Commons
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