These days, everything operates off of data. Therefore, it’s no different in digital marketing. With such a competitive atmosphere, it’s critical for companies to be on their toes and make decisions based on what’s been proven to work or not before. Enter A/B Testing. According to Marketing Insider Group, A/B Testing is the process of comparing two or more variants of a web page, ad, email, etc., to figure out which one has a higher success rate. The ability to use such strategies allows a company to use data instead of gut instinct to make moves, increasing the likelihood that every action taken will succeed.
What Is A/B Testing and Why Is It Important?
A/B Testing is the process of making two (or more) versions of a digital asset Version A (the control) and Version B (the change). The marketer presents both to different segments of the audience and assesses which version worked better based on results click-through rates, conversions, engagement, time on page as metrics of value. Because it’s a more scientific method, it takes much of the guesswork out of the decision-making process and enables the marketer to make changes that foster better results and user experience. This is critical for continual digital marketing, as businesses can continue to optimize for the best results.
From headlines to where buttons are placed to where call-to-actions are situated to aesthetic elements, A/B Testing shows what’s best for specific audiences. For instance, a retail business may want to discover which product page out of two leads to more sales; a newspaper may want to discover which article title out of two gets more views. No longer is A/B Testing an arduous, time-consuming effort with solutions like Storyblok. Storyblok’s use of modular content and an API-first approach means the developer and marketer needs are separated, as developers only need to concentrate on frontend adjustments for UX improvements while the marketer can publish the A/B test on the back end relatively quickly and with minimal help.
For example, an enterprise that needs to A/B Test two marketing banners on its website and app can have it launched via Storyblok’s visual editor quickly and see it live in action instantly. The opportunity to A/B test via a headless CMS like Storyblok elevates one to be more decisive and operate campaign workflows with more efficiency. Integration is effortless, and projects are managed and executed in a cohesive fashion that promotes optimal content delivery. If Storyblok is ever used in the process of testing to see what works, it will be because A/B testing was successfully done with it in the past. A/B testing should be successfully done again and again.
Benefits of A/B Testing
No more hoping for the best, as A/B Testing provides a definitive answer. Instead, for example, marketers no longer have to go with their intuition or what a focus group thinks is the best creative idea. They have the best solid data to assess and determine an informed choice although the initial intuition may be something entirely different. In addition, with a solid marketing budget, no excess is wasted on failed campaigns or attempts that don’t work because the better choice will be determined ahead of time once it goes live. For instance, an B2B eCommerce site might A/B test their sales page with a buy now button featuring just the essential information versus a buy now button that also has an extensive image and description to determine which page sells more at the end.
A SaaS organization might A/B test an email subject line to determine which is opened more for further analysis. Even changing a call to action button from red to blue or changing the headline from “Sign up now!” to “Please sign up!” can change user engagement and conversion. A/B Testing is used on a more widespread scale. If it works on a smaller sample being tested, the company can implement that across the board for greater efficiency. This guarantees future success. Solutions such as Storyblok take A/B testing to a whole new level. Because Storyblok has a no-code WYSIWYG editor, marketers can create and deploy their variations without unnecessary delays from development backlogs or needing a developer to create the variation.
Thus, the marketing team can fulfill its needs for the best marketing opportunity, while the development team can use its time on the frontend for the best optimization. Then, once A/B testing is established, it easily transfers to other sites via the Storyblok API and componentized approach to content, meaning even the largest of enterprises that require similar digital branding across various touchpoints can easily adjust.
How to Conduct Effective A/B Tests
Conducting A/B Testing involves several steps:
- Define Clear Goals: Determine what you want to achieve, whether it’s higher click-through rates, improved engagement, or increased sales.
- Choose Variables to Test: Focus on elements like headlines, images, buttons, or layouts to understand their impact.
- Run the Test: Split your audience into segments and expose them to different versions simultaneously.
- Analyze Results: Use analytics tools to measure performance and identify the winning variation.
Using a headless CMS like Storyblok simplifies this process. With its centralized content hub, teams can efficiently test and deploy different versions, ensuring consistency across platforms.
Examples of A/B Testing in Action
This is why A/B testing is successful across industries. Companies have seemingly found their comfortable little places over time to increase productivity that results from increased engagement. For instance, a publishing company can A/B test article titles to determine which one evokes the biggest response and, therefore, more web views. An eCommerce company can A/B test its purchase funnel flipping the payment and shipping tabs, making required fields the email field, or making an optional field the additional information needed to assess which process gets the least amount of abandoned shopping carts and the maximum amount of completed transactions.
Every step in the process matters. Similar to this in the e-commerce space is A/B Testing on product pages. Image left or right, longer description or bullet points, “buy now” buttons in one of two places all show what’s best to convert. Similarly, A/B Testing can occur for onboarding for a SaaS company to guarantee all users experience the same and are retained within the application. Thus, these tangible applications allow companies to make tiny adjustments all the time to readjust to what’s best for them and their clients. Yet for companies operating international efforts, this only makes the problem worse, as the content needs to resonate with different visitors in different places. Enter Storyblok. The multilingual and localization capabilities of Storyblok allow for easier A/B testing across territories. This means companies can create variations that are more suitable for their region but under the same corporate branding.
A global cosmetics company, for example, may want to A/B test its promotion for its latest mascara, one version for its readers in the United States and one version for its readers in Australia. Where A/B testing may become far more feasible across platforms and regions is with Storyblok’s modular content and understanding of API-driven builds. Projects can be swapped for critical change. Storyblok’s adaptability and growth potential make A/B testing not only palatable to facilitate further discovery but also a road to guaranteed success in the future.
The Role of A/B Testing in Personalization
One of the biggest marketing trends is personalization. A/B testing only enhances the possibility. For instance, content can be created for certain audiences to see if it resonates. For example, a health and wellness app can A/B test different workouts recommended to users based on previous activity. A travel app can A/B test offers given to users in New Orleans vs. Miami to see which product purchase is more successful. Using a headless CMS like Storyblok only solidifies the potential for personalization even more. Marketers can review trends and offer different findings from the tested exposure on one channel or many channels without fear.
Why Storyblok Is Perfect for A/B Testing
Of all these solutions, Storyblok will work best for any company utilizing A/B Testing. Since it’s API-driven, delivering to other platforms is a breeze and also, since the content is modular, it’s quite easy to create variations for testing. Finally, the ease of the interface allows developers and marketers to work together, which leads to successfully executed A/B Testing.
Conclusion
A/B Testing is essential to fulfilling an effective digital strategy and generating results. It’s a scientific experiment that is tested, measured, and refined in the process—and at the conclusion. Analytics software like Storyblok facilitates the A/B Testing so teams can version their versions (and the version suited for their audience) for maximum customization. For those ready to take their marketing to the next level, only professional A/B Testing via headless CMS will suffice.