Discover Why A/B Testing is Important in Paid Search
Mar 28 2016 | 04:12 PM | 5 Mins Read | Level - Intermediate | Read Mode
Rohit Roy Former News Editor, MarTech Advisor
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Rohit is a well-rounded B2B marketer with a vast experience and interest in marketing technologies. He excels in juggling a plethora of technology tools to manage and automate every area of marketing. His key strengths include utilising marketing automation to support audience development and client campaign execution. His in-depth knowledge of e-mail marketing, newsletter and customer data management, makes him the go-to person for understanding the how-tos of these important categories in the MarTech landscape. Following a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Rohit is now pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration. An avid runner, he conducts training runs for the city’s marathoners to prepare them for full and half marathons and ultra races across India.
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A/B testing is a critical part of paid search success. It has been seen that businesses that do not A/B test their paid searches are at the risk of losing their competitive edge as they content for conversions. The most attractive and optimized Adwords landing page should undergo rigorous testing. Businesses can easily improve their conversion rate by simply relocating or altering the call to action button, experimenting with fonts and colors or changing headlines.
Today, as most businesses have an online presence, being discovered by the target audience can be a challenge. A majority of online experiences begin with paid search, and A/B testing is an essential tactic which can help you to get the most out of a paid search. The most effective way to improve the CTR is to have a robust A/B testing process in place. Having a high CTR can have a deep impact on your PPC campaign. While carrying out an A/B Testing for paid search, you can compare two versions of a single ad in order to ascertain which performs the best. Once a winner merges, you can run that ad with the remaining budget to maximize the spending. A well-planned A/B testing can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
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DownloadPlanning an A/B Test
The nature of the test along with the elements will depend on your goals. To create a successful test you will have to figure out what do you want to test. Once you know what you will test, you can start making a list of the variables. You might test the location of the call to action, the text used, the color of the button or the surrounding space. Before starting a test, you must have a clear idea about the results you are looking for. By carrying out controlled tests and gathering empirical data, you can easily figure out which marketing strategy will work best for you. If A/B testing is done consistently, it will improve the bottom-line. It is easier to take decisions and craft marketing materials which are more effective. It is important to focus on the things which have a big impact. During A/B Testing you will have to work with the following elements:
- Hypothesis
- Testing
- Analysis
- Reporting
A/B testing will allow you to make careful changes to user experiences. By constructing a hypothesis, you can learn why certain elements of experiences impact user behavior. A/B testing can be used to improve a given experience and improving a single goal such as the conversion rate over time. If you are testing for PPC, you will have to test the headline, body text, link and the keywords which the ad displays. The headline should contain a maximum of 4 to 5 words and must include the search keyword. The body text will allow you to expand on what the business is offering. The link is one of the most important aspects as this is where the conversion will be taking place. Keywords also play an important role in testing. You can test for multiple copies for each keyword and ad group. As the clicks and conversion depend on the keywords, testing will help you know what will work best.
After testing, check the results from the past. Next, it is important to analyze and create a report on the test. In the report it is important to highlight the metrics which matter. The KPIs will vary according to the test goals. They can range from bounce rate, time-on-site, conversion rate, click-through-rate, page engagement and a variety of factors. Identify the KPIs which are most important in your test so that the outcome is both significant and measurable. It is vital to ascertain the numerical goal associated with the performance metrics. Most often the metrics which are used to gauge success include ROI, gross profit, and cost per registration, CPA or CPM.
Factors to bear in mind
During testing, it is best to minimize time-based factors which can affect the test results. It is advised that you test one thing at a time so that you can pinpoint the factors which is affecting the success of your ads. You must pay close attention to the data which you are gathering through the test. You should run the test long enough to collect accurate results.
