Have you ever wondered why some AB tests boost conversions while others miss the mark? It’s not just about having the right tools—it's about following proven best practices.
If done incorrectly, AB testing wastes money and time, and can even lower your conversion rate. But when done right, it lets you test web designs, split traffic, and find what works for your audience.
Here are 11 best practices for successful AB testing.
Wrong expectations lead to disappointment and lost money. Don't base your goals on other companies' success stories. Every website is different, and your results may vary.
Set realistic goals for your conversion program. Aim for a 20-30% increase in conversion rates per year to cover the cost of running the tests. You can also calculate the ROI you want from your CRO investment.
For example, if you invest $80,000 and want a 3X return, you'd need a 24% conversion rate increase on $1 million in sales.
Without the right resources, AB testing can become a bottleneck. Make sure your team has front-end developers or a CRO agency that can handle 2-4 AB tests per month. You also need analytics tools to track the results.
Some tests may require complex code changes or tool integrations, so plan your resources accordingly.
Start by finding conversion problems on your site. Create buyer personas, analyze data, and conduct surveys to understand where users struggle. Then, list the problems with a clear hypothesis for how to fix each.
Next, prioritize the problems based on their potential impact, the page’s traffic, and the ease of implementing the test.
Each AB test should be driven by a clear hypothesis. For example, you might hypothesize that adding social proof to your homepage will increase conversions by 10%. Focus only on changes related to the hypothesis to keep your test results clear.
Before running a test, calculate how many visitors you need to get valid results. Online calculators can help you estimate the sample size based on current conversion rates and expected improvements.
Testing with too few visitors can lead to inaccurate results.
It’s tempting to test many variations at once, but that can muddy your results. Instead, limit your variations to under seven for most websites. This keeps your data cleaner and makes it easier to draw conclusions.
After finding a winning design, run another test to validate your results. This helps confirm that the changes work long-term and aren’t affected by seasonal factors or other events.
Every AB test provides valuable insights that can inform your future tests. Look for lessons learned from both successes and failures to improve your marketing and site design.
By following these 11 best practices, you can turn AB testing into a powerful tool for conversion rate optimization. Stay focused on learning from each test and continue improving your website’s performance.
AB Testing is an essential part of conversion rate optimization. To keep your momentum, consider Shopify development services and see how we can help implement these changes on your store.
For more on tracking conversions and simplifying your testing, check out our step-by-step guide on how to track conversion in the simplest way. Explore the latest trends in ecommerce AB testing to stay ahead of the competition.