Ultimate A/B Testing resources and how I used them

Posted August 4, 2009 by Brian Cray

Reading time: About 2 minutes

Definition: A/B testing allows you to test variations of content simultaneously to see which performs best.

Update – Aug 3rd, 2010: I just released phpA/B for A/B testing with PHP. Try it out today!

A/B testing overviews

Using Javascript to run A/B tests

  • For flexiblity use Genetify, a stand alone Javascript file that allows you to do testing on variations in content and CSS.
  • For ease-of-implementation use Google Website Optimizer, a more turnkey solution than Genetify. Just plug stuff into Google Website Optimizer and it does almost everything for you.

Google Website Optimizer tutorials

Genetify tutorials

New A/B tests on Brian Cray.com

I’ve been wanting to run an A/B test on Brian Cray.com for a while. This morning I setup some tests in my blog post footer using Google Website Optimizer to test which words influenced the most action.

Here are the tests:

Variations of “Add comments”

  • Add comments (original)
  • Respond
  • New comments

Variations of “Subscribe”

  • Subscribe (original)
  • RSS

Variations of “Share”

  • Share (original)
  • Bookmark
  • Save

Variations of “Follow me”

  • Follow me (original)
  • @briancray
  • Twitter

What will be the results?

What do you think the results will be? Have you run similar A/B tests? You should share your experiences with others in the comments!

About the author

Photo of Brian Cray

Brian Cray is a Columbus, Ohio-based web entrepreneur & consultant. View some of Brian’s work in his portfolio and learn how to make kick ass websites by reading his blog.

10 Article comments

Show/add comments

13 Article references from other blogs

Show all references

966
Previous:
Next: