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Split Testing: What is it?

Split testing is the method of testing different versions of the same product, message or process and gathering the results to determine which works better.

It is most commonly used in marketing using two different advertising styles, which is the reason it is also called “A/B” testing.

Split testing, or A/B testing can be implemented with more than two different versions, but it often pays to test only two at a time and test the winner against new criteria in another split test.  For the savvy among you, this is where using AGILE methodology for fast iterations and feedback on each of your A/B tests can work wonders.

An Example of Split Testing

Michael the Marketing Manager wants to find out which ad gets the highest response rate.  He has a list of 1000 existing customers, so he sends one version of the ad to 500 customers with a link to one website landing page, and the other version of the ad to the other 500 customers and a different website landing page.

When the website from his second ad gets 150 hits more than the first one, he knows he is on to a winner.

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