8/19/2005
Split Testing for Search Engine Performance
Split testing allows a site to test two different approaches to acheive a goal. Set up both approaches (A and B) in a seperate page or email or post, split traffic equally between them and wait, then examine the results.
What’s your goal? Purchases? Email signups? Ad clicks?
Whatever the goal is, measure the responses for both A and B and when there is a clear winner, stop the test and send all of your traffic there. Declaring a clear winner can be a little tricky, but it will vary depending on your traffic and how polarizingly different your approaches are.
Now, take a break. Figure out a new approach to test and repeat. This way you will always be improving your response rate, and thus your bottom line.
Some variables to consider:
- Price points
- Length of content page (long and complete or short and to-the-point)
- Personal elements (signature, photos, testimonials) or direct business approach
- Headlines
- Call to Action
- Graphical layout / colors
- Location of each of the page/email elements
Popularity: 20%
