To optimise your website’s SEO performance, you’ll need to incorporate a few digital strategies. One of the more common SEO strategies in recent times is split testing.
Split testing is a commonly used methodology for SEO that allows the tester to discover different results depending on the variation.
When done properly, split testing can help you capture valuable data, leads, and acquire more visitors in the process. However, if it’s done wrong, you’ll waste time, money, resources, and eventually, search engine rankings.
What’s split testing?
Split testing, also known as A/B testing or multivariate testing, is a means of regulating experiments to improve a website’s performance. Think of it as an experiment that happens in real-time for visitors clicking on your website. Incoming traffic is distributed between the original and variations of your website. The results from each variation will determine which one shows the best signs of improvement.
This method of experimentation is commonly used by testers to see which factors of their website are worth improving. For example, testers can experiment with signup forms, registration pages, or other parts of a website to see if a quantifiable goal can be improved.
After gathering measurable data, the tester can make subjective choices and decide which design will work best for their website. As a result, the experiment will support the website’s SEO.
Elements to consider
With split testing, you’re allowed to experiment on many elements. The tools provided allow you to target specific audiences, giving way for a more customised experience. As you continue to experiment with your website, you’ll improve the web experience of every visitor passing through.
Almost any element can be targeted for split testing. Testers can experiment with the following elements:
- Visual content (images and videos)
- Textual content (headlines, call to action (CTA), and descriptions)
- Layouts (size of buttons, menus, etc.)
- User flow (speed of entry and exit points)
Now that you’re given examples of which elements you can target, what’s the best approach for experimentation? Here are a few strategies you can incorporate when split testing:
- Create lesser distractions to see which versions of the experiment works best.
- Call to action is your friend. Each CTA will resonate with each group of audiences differently.
- Make every change consistent and symmetrical for user flow to improve conversions.
It’s best to make split testing a habit since you can acquire valuable data in real-time. Remember, each click on your website is data from potential customers. When results are conflicting with one another, put them to the test through split testing to achieve a “final result”, or the best design.
Avoiding jeopardy
While split testing is considered to be an effective method of experimentation, you should avoid a few mishaps along the way as well. To achieve satisfying results, review more about the best A/B practices and seek the recommendations from split testing experts.
Don’t jeopardise your SEO performance! Here are a few things you should consider while split testing your SEO.
Utilise Google’s bot
Google is an avid supporter of A/B testing. In fact, they encourage testers to try split testing since it tailors to users for a better experience.
Apply a JavaScript overlay
This is the most common method of split testing because it doesn’t harm your SEO. The split testing solution controls the whole process provided by the JavaScript code.
Don’t forget mobile SEO
Remember to conduct split testing for mobile SEO as well. You can determine if your website is fit for mobile use, especially since Google’s ranking algorithm will use the mobile page’s content as a ranking signal.
Personalisation
There are split testing tools that offer personalisation features. While personalisation features are limited to SEO, they will still impact SEO as a whole. Take this into consideration to maximise your website’s SEO potential.
Conclusion
Split testing is a method of performing controlled experiments. Use split testing to your advantage by conducting tests to see which variants of your website can provide the best user experience.
There are many tools you can use to test different variations of your website. While the effectiveness of the tool will determine your test results, it’s important to focus on preparations first.
Give your landing pages enough time to build traffic so your experiments will become successful at the end. Obtain every data to gather results, even those that seem minor. Every data is valuable, so collect as many results as you can to broaden your website’s horizon.
Have you considered optimising your SEO for better user experience? For SEO services in Singapore, contact OOm at +65 6391 0930. We’re a digital marketing agency that can provide you with a wide range of services that includes SEO, SEM, Facebook marketing, and many more.