What is A/B testing?
The A/B test consists of launching, at the same time, two different versions of the same element to find out which one works better and thus optimize your strategy to the maximum.
Why at the same time? Because the moment you launch them and the time during they are online is also decisive. So, if we publish two versions at different times, it would be impossible to know whether the better performance of one or the other is determined by the characteristics that differentiate them or by the time chosen for their publication.
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It is important to note that these two versions can only differ in one of their elements. That is, differentiate them in color, typography, text or location, but always make the changes one at a time.
Of course, you should allow enough time between changes to know the results of a first A/B test before launching new versions. And so on and so forth.
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How does A/B testing work?
Let’s look at a practical and simple example. Let’s say we have a CTA in the web for the visitors to download a tourist guide about our destination. The objective is, then, to get your contacts, that is, to convert visitors into leads (sales opportunities).
We launch two CTAs exactly the same, but one is blue and the other is yellow. After three days we can clearly see that the blue CTA has performed better. We now launch the winning blue CTA and another green CTA. And so on with about four versions.
Then, once we have the winning color (green, for example), we will modify the photograph that accompanies the CTA. And we will perform the same process with all the elements.
Just as a curious fact, recent studies have shown that the colors that work best and get the most clicks are purple and orange. In fact, Amazon uses them. Of course, it is necessary to match the colors with the brand and, taking into account that each target is different, it is best to test and not take anything for granted.
And, in case you were wondering, no, launching different versions does not have to have a negative impact, on the contrary, you will keep the user closer and closer to conversion.
A/B testing on your booking engine
Call-to-action buttons and your Landing Pages are usually the most conversion-focused elements. Therefore, it is logical to think that they will be the most susceptible to A/B testing.
In the end, if what you want is to sell your rooms or that your users download certain information to get their contact information (and become leads), you must work on knowing what attracts their attention and encourages them to make that much sought-after click.
In the case of a hotel website or a tourist website, the final objective is the reservation of a room. Then, performing A/B tests on your booking engine will be essential to determine which version is the best. Which elements and which format of your booking engine bring you more conversion, more sales.
It should be noted that the A/B test can be transferred to any other format and content. For example, we can work with A/B testing in Facebook ads, in our email marketing strategy and even in simpler messages or images in any social network.
