A/B Testing and Its Benefits to Small Businesses Online

Conducting business online is a whole a lot different than selling with a physical store. For one, the Internet houses a large pool of potential clients which may be challenging to reach unless you know the most viable spot to start.

Attracting buyers is also not as easy as hanging a flashy tarpaulin announcing big price slashes. It takes a lot of efforts to convince netizens to give your products a try, and it takes more than just basic information on how marketing works to have swag of online sales.

Fortunately, there are various methods that simplify the process of penetrating the online market. A/B testing is one of those that can help businessman have a head start in e-commerce.

What is A/B Testing?

True to its name, A/B testing is the process of crafting two different versions of your homepage. The first version (A) bears distinct dissimilarity from the second version (B). You may opt to change the banner, the photos, the layout, buttons, tabs, and other web designs. But you can only test one component at a time.

The two variations will be shown to website visitors randomly. Viewers will have an unconscious participation in the test in order for you to acquire the most objective results. After the set period for the experiment is concluded, you proceed to the evaluation on which version performed better in terms of click-out rates, number of links clicks, volume of sales made, traffic amassed, etc.

In simpler terms, A/B testing is the process of showing two pictures and garnering votes from consumers on which version is better.

A/B testing can provide utmost assistance and guide for small businesses and tenderfoot entrepreneurs in that:

It gives a clear idea on the specific preferences of the target consumer.

While conducting surveys and soliciting feedback from buyers contribute in the getting to know you stage of every business, nothing can bring unbiased information better than A/B testing.

Note that the process entails the participation of the buyers without their knowledge. As such, they are being their true self when they navigate around the site. This reveals their unpolished and unmasked browsing behavior which can give you a hint on the best possible marketing strategy to implement.

You can determine what captures their attention, motivates them to make a purchase, or lures them into re-visiting the website. Holding A/B testing, in this sense, is therefore a quicker way to study the niche and make formulate tactics that can give more ideal results.

A/B testing defines a direction towards an efficient marketing.

It follows that an entrepreneur who knows his niche can bring forth the most suitable kind of products and services. As a result, a lot of resources and budget are spared from being misspent on advertising and other forms of marketing.

A/B testing is a marketing tool without convincing the audience to buy per se. Rather, it unveils the potential means on how to stir the buyers into action. This is why the method is highly recommended for endowing businesses with high conversion rates.

The testing process is not rocket-science.

Experienced businessmen may resort to more sophisticated marketing paths, but fledgling companies would do just fine with A/B testing. And while the process is misconstrued as complex and cumbersome, there is a myriad of programs that you can use to be well-rounded with the procedure.

You can opt to hire a professional to analyze the results. Professional fees should be the least of your worries with the number of firms that are willing to extend a hand in exchange for a very pocket-friendly price. In any event, here are some great resources, and a cool plugin, to help you better understand and implement A/B testing, in case you prefer to DIY.

• A/B Testing – The Complete Guide
• The Ultimate Guide To A/B Testing
• 8 Rules of A/B Testing – The Art in Marketing Science
• Easily perform A/B testing from within WordPress itself (free plugin)

Bottom line is once you have a high traffic website, you have done 90% of the work, but let’s face it, just because someone walks into your store doesn’t mean you’re going to make any money. You have to track and test different arrangements that will get not get your customer to your store but to also buy. This is one of the best important features in the methods of online marketing that should never be overlooked.