Testing Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Case for Testing: The Science of Conversion Rate Optimization

Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta and co-authors released a paper exploring “Do Display Ads Influence Search: Attribution and Influence in Online Advertising.” The questions driving the study were straightforward. First, do display ads make a difference in moving buyers along the sales funnel? Second, if yes, then how much of a difference do they make and for how long?

Most online marketing professionals read the above and immediately form an opinion. “Yes, of course,” you’re saying, based on years of personal experience in the industry. Or perhaps your response is “No, not in the case of industry X or Y,” based on a very specific anecdotal case you worked on.

But before we dive into the answer, and why it matters to conversion optimization testing, let’s explore a different question. What are the chances that your gut reaction answer is right – not just to this specific line of inquiry in online marketing, but how you make decisions about your business in general and in your understanding of how your customers make buying decisions?

(more…)

By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:56:27-07:00January 10th, 2014|Testing|6 Comments

Simple, Free A/B Testing With Google Content Experiments & WordPress

For any online business interested in A/B Testing these are great times. There are an incredible number of platforms and tools out there that we use daily to easily test copy, landing pages, and everything else on your site. Since I started with some simple scripts and Excel spreadsheets years ago, these tools have come a long way in terms of both usability and capability.

But many of these tools come with some hefty price tags that, while easily justified for a large ecommerce or SaaS business, are out of reach for many smaller companies. Many startups or small businesses can get a lot of benefit from testing, but don’t necessarily have the budget for the sophisticated platforms or require all of the bells and whistles.

As they often do, Google has provided us with a free (if limited) solution – Google Content Experiments. Since many SMBs run on WordPress, we thought putting together a simple guide on using Content Experiments with WordPress might make it easier for you to start your first test.

(more…)

By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:57:35-07:00December 27th, 2013|Testing|0 Comments

10 Common Objections To A/B Testing And How To Handle Them

A/B testing (and more broadly conversion optimization) is for many online companies the highest Return on Investment (ROI) activity that they can undertake. Yet for all of the reasons to get serious about testing, there seem to be many objections that prevent companies and marketers from getting started.

These objections are often hotly debated and hard to untangle. It’s tough to know which voices to trust with all the static and bold claims being thrown around.

Let’s take a rational approach to this debate, forget about being “right” for pride’s sake, and help you use A/B testing as effectively as possible to build your business.

It’s Time to Question Assumptions

The most common objections to A/B testing tend to boil down to two things: 1) unfounded assumptions; or 2) lack of specialized knowledge or technical skill.

By taking a look at some of the most common objections to A/B testing, you can see if any are currently holding you back. Analyzing the situation objectively will give you insight into how to use A/B testing more effectively.

(more…)

By Corey Pemberton|2014-04-21T14:58:29-07:00December 18th, 2013|Testing|3 Comments

How to Practice (Google) Safe A/B Testing

Is A/B Testing allowed by Google?

Am I going to get penalized in search results?

These questions seem to come up often, so I thought I’d sum up the latest information, both from Google’s own blog and the Internet’s collective wisdom.

The short answer to this question is yes, A/B Testing is perfectly acceptably by Google, as long as you keep a few things in mind.

(more…)

By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T15:01:10-07:00October 24th, 2013|Testing|0 Comments

3 Key A/B Testing Considerations for Startups

It’s somewhere on your ever growing to-do list – “figure out A/B testing”. You may have even read how the Obama campaign increased sign ups by 161% and Twitter increased clickthroughs by 173% through testing and measurement.

But who has time for that? You have a product to build, investors to pitch to, and customers to find. Testing and analytics seem too complex, only for the high traffic sites and a big distraction. Oh and did we mention – we don’t need numbers, we have a huge disruptive vision!

It could be a colossal mistake and a significant missed opportunity.

(more…)

By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T15:02:40-07:00August 21st, 2013|Testing|0 Comments

Company

Services

Resources

Contact Us