No matter what kind of website you have (e-commerce site, blog, etc.), A/B testing is very important. With this analytical technique, you can gather valuable data that provides much clearer insight into the preferences and needs of your visitors and customers. You can also measure the impact of different variations of a single element. As a result, you’ll inevitably gain a significant edge over your competitors! Want to learn more?
A/B Testing: What Is It?
Also known as A/B testing or split testing, an A/B test pits two elements of a pageagainst each other. Ultimately, this test identifieswhich elements make customers much more responsive. For example, suppose you need to test a headline. You can create two similar pages with different headlines. You’ll then direct traffic to each of the two pages. By doing so, you’ll be able to determine which of the two headlines results in more time spent on the page, more views, a higher conversion rate, more sales or leads, a lower bounce rate, and so on.
A/B testing is therefore effective in that it gives you a clear and very precise idea ofhow your website visitors reactto the various elements on a page.
For example, you can test calls to action (CTAs), page titles, subheadings, content, widgets, landing pages, themes, and more.
What are the A/B testing tools available on WordPress?
There are, in fact, a large number of powerful tools available for conducting A/B testing. These include:
- Nelio A/B Test;
- Google Optimize;
- Thrive Headline Optimizer;
- WordPress Call to Action;
- Split Hero;
- WordPress Landing Pages;
- Simple Page Tester;
- Title: Experiments;
- A/B Press Optimizer;
- Marketing Optimizer.
Use the "Nelio A/B Testing" plugin to set up an A/B test on WordPress
Nelio A/B Testing is a WordPress plugin that you can access for free. A/B testing on WordPress involves six steps, which we’ll examine in detail.
Step 1: Install the “Nelio A/B Testing” plugin
The first step in conducting A/B testing on WordPress with Nelio A/B Testing is toinstallthe plugin. You must do this from the WordPress plugin library. Here’s how to do it:
1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel;
2. In the menu on the left, click the "Extensions" tab, then click "Add";
3. You'll see a search bar in the upper-right corner. Type the name of the extension—Nelio A/B Testing—into that bar;
4. Once you find the Nelio A/B Testing extension, click“Install Now.” You’ll then confirm your choice by clicking the “OK” button. After that, a“Installing…”message will appear. You’ll need to wait a few seconds;
5. Once the installation is complete, click“Activate theplugin” in the lower-left corner. At this point, your Nelio A/B Testing plugin is activated on your WordPress site.
After activating the extension, a configuration page will open, allowing you to set up Nelio A/B Testing. First, you mustaccept their privacy policy and terms of use. Only then will you be able to actually start using the extension to perform A/B testing.
Step 2: Creating Your Very First A/B Test
The purpose of installing the Nelio A/B Testing plugin is, of course, to conduct A/B testing. This second step will allow you torun your first test.
After accepting the privacy policy and terms of use, you must click“Continue”to proceed to the creation process. Note that once you’ve created your tests and want to view them or create new ones, it’s very simple. Just click the“See my tests”button. This button is located below your current Neolio free subscription quota.
To get back to creatinga test, in the top-left corner of the interface, click “Add Test.” Next, selectthe element you want to test. Note that if you’re using only the free version of Neolio, you can select only two elements:Heatmap or Page. In the Pro version of the extension, you’ll be able to unlock other types of elements. For example, you can perform A/B testing on an entire theme, an article, a menu, or custom code.
Step 3: Setting Up the A/B Test
To set up the A/B test, go to the creation interface. Start byentering the name of the test. Don’t worry—you can name it whatever you like. Next, choosethe page on your WordPress site where you want to run the test from the list of pages in the field.
The third step is toname the variant. This variant will actually beanother versionof the page you previously selected, created specifically for the test. As you may recall, A/B testing allows you to compare two or more variants of the same element to determine which performs best. And that’s how you set up an A/B test.
Step 4: Modifying the A/B test variant
For the test to be effective and valid, you must modify the various variants you have added to your test. Initially, the variants are simply exact copies of the element you selected during setup. This is the default configuration. It is now up to you tomodify these variants.
So, how do you do it? Simply hover your mouse over the variant name field. Two options will appear: “Preview” and “Edit.” Then click “Edit” to modify the selected variant andcreate a different version of the item you originally selected.
To do this, the extension will redirect you tothe WordPress editorso you can let your creativity run wild. Also, be sure to save any changes you make. All you have to do is click“Save Draft.”
Step 5: Setting the Objective for A/B Testing
Once you’ve finished making changes, scroll down a bit further in the A/B testing settings. There you’ll find a section called “Conversion Goals and Actions.” Now you needto name your A/B testing goal. You’ll then select a goal from among the four types suggested to you. These four goals are as follows:
- Page view: Here, every time a visitor or prospect views the page being tested, a new conversion will occur. It’s up to you tochoose a content type. It could be an article or a page. You must also choose the content to be tested;
- Click: As soon as a visitor clicks on a specific HTML element using an element ID or a CSS selector, a new conversion will occur. Therefore, you’ll need todecide on the appropriate testing method(HTML element ID or CSS selector). Next, you must enter its value;
- Click external link: For this goal, every time a visitor clicks on a specific link, a new conversion will be recorded. You must thereforespecify the link or linksthat should be tracked for the conversion;
- Custom event: This allows you to track conversions using aJavaScript codethat you'll need to create.
For example, if you choose the “Click” objective for A/B testing on one of the pages of your e-commerce site, the test will target all HTML elements on the page using a CSS selector that matches the class of your “Add to Cart” buttons.
Step 6: Launching the A/B test
We’ve reached the final step in the process of conducting A/B testing on WordPress with Nelio A/B Testing. At the top right of the Nelio test creation interface, you’ll see the“Start”button. Click it to start the A/B test.
As for the progress and results of the A/B test, you can track them directly within the extension. The extension provides several graphical interfaces and statistics to help you interpret the results as effectively as possible.
In addition, in the“Nelio A/B Testing > Tests”tab, you can access all your tests. But what’s even better is that you can stop or pause a test. Just click the“Stop”and“Pause”buttons located on the dashboard for the test in question.
Use Google Optimize to Run an A/B Test on WordPress
Google Optimize is also one of the A/B testing tools available. In fact, it’s a free tool that will help you effectively learn the basics of A/B testing. While it’s true that it isn’t directly integrated with WordPress,it does integrate with Google Analytics, and all you need to do is set it up in WordPress to start using it. Let’s take a look at how you can use Google Optimize to run an A/B test on WordPress.
Set up Google Optimize in WordPress
Before you can use Google Optimize to perform A/B testing, you need to set it up in WordPress. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Start by going to Google Optimize andcreating a free account. To do this, click the “Get Started” button. We recommend using the email address linked to your Google Analytics account;
2. You need to link your Google Analytics property. On the page on the right, click“Link Property”;
3. This previous step will allow you to view your Google Analytics property. If, however, multiple properties are linked to your Gmail account, choose the one you think is best for use with Google Optimize. Then click“Link”;
4. Here, you need to click "Get Snippet";
5. You must now update your Google Analytics code on your WordPress site using your Google Optimize container ID;
6. Click "Done." Your WordPress site is now ready to use with Google Optimize.
Conduct WordPress A/B Testing with Google Optimize
You'll surely find this section even more interesting, as we'll show you how to run your first A/B test with Google Optimize on your WordPress site.
Step 1: Launching the A/B test
To create your new test—also known as an “experiment”—click “Let’s Go” on the Google Optimize dashboard.
Step 2: Creating the A/B test
This step involves setting up the A/B test. Let’s say you want to run a simple A/B test to change the color of a call-to-action button. Before continuing, it’s important to note thatall CSS and HTML elementson your WordPress website can be modified in Google Optimize.
Returning to the A/B test regarding the color change of the CTA button, you must first choose a name for your test. Next, enterthe URLwhere you want to edit the code for the A/B test. In the “Experiment Type” section, select the type of experiment. Finally, click “Create.”
In addition to A/B tests, Google Optimize allows you to run other types of tests that could be extremely useful for your website. These includemultivariate tests,redirect tests, andpersonalization tests.
Step 3: Creating Variants
At this stage, the editor page you previously selected for the experiment will be used by Google Optimize as the original variant. Next, you’ll need to create another variant by clicking“Create Variant.”Then give it a name that you’ll easily recognize later. If we take the example of changing the CTA button, you could name this variant “red button,” for example. The variants of the original CTA button must be different. Then, click “Done.”
Step 4: Modifying the variant
Much like with the Nelio tool, you’ll also need to edit the variant you’ve created. As you might expect, the variant you’ve created will be an exact copy of the original. You’ll see“0 changes”written in red. Click this button to make the desired changes to the variant of the original item.
As for the editor you’ll be using to make changes, you’ll likely be prompted to use the Google Chrome extension. However, to enjoy an excellent preview and editing experience, we recommend installingthefreeGoogle Chrome Optimize extensionon your site. This software isincredibly powerful. Once installed, you’ll be able to make any kind of change to your pages.
Step 5: Defining the Objective of A/B Testing
At this stage, you need to define your objective—in other words, what you want to test. You’ll notice that the traffic split is set to 50%. This percentage is the default setting, but you can safely leave it as is. Next, provide aconcise description of your objective.
That way, later on, you’ll easily rememberwhy you chose that goal. This part is especially helpful because A/B tests can sometimes last for months. By adding something that will help you remember later, you’ll be able to get back on track more quickly. Once you’ve defined your goal, click“Add an experiment goal.”
Step 6: Link your goals in Google Analytics to those in Google Optimize
If you’re using Google Analytics and have linked your account to Google Optimize, you can also link your Google Analytics goals here. In fact, as a business, if you’re already using Google, you likely have form goals, conversion goals, e-commerce tracking goals, and much more. Google Optimize therefore lets youlink these various goals to your A/B teston WordPress.
But this is by no means mandatory! You can, of course, setcustomgoals for your A/B testing.
Final step: Launching A/B testing
Well, you're now ready to start your test on WordPress. After saving all your settings, click "Start the Experiment." Traffic will then begin to be tested at the location you specified in the test. You can also run tests using site-wide targeting preferences.
From there,Google Optimizewill do its job, and you can sit back and watch. These tests on Google Optimize usually take one or two weeks. By the end, you’ll know which variant delivered the best results. Google Optimize is free but very powerful, with highly effective features. Tracktransaction data,page views, and therevenuegenerated by changes to colors, buttons, and more through A/B testing with Google Optimize.
A/B Testing on WordPress: A Summary
Nelio A/B Testing is a WordPress plugin that will help you obtain clear, accurate, and reliable results. Based on these results, you’ll be able to determine which version performs best for a specific element on your WordPress site. As for Google Optimize, it’s also effective and allows you to understand your site visitors’ preferences. Once you start using A/B testing, you won’t be able to do without it.
