10 A/B Testing Mistakes that you should avoid

Mistakes are the integral part of your learning process, but when making them is costing you money then it is the time you need to stop making them.

The most reliable way to increase your conversion rate is by A/B testing, but you can only do so if you are conducting your A/B tests the right way.

Here we will show you the 10 ways A/B testing can ruin your site and not only this you will also get to know that how you can avoid these mistakes.

1) Testing the variant without the control

Not fully testing the variation and putting it live is the most stupid mistake we all make while A/B testing.

Before even testing the variants and putting them live by deleting the original ones is what you need to stop doing.

What you should do?

To get to know which variants are bringing you better conversion rates you need to test both simultaneously. So, it’s never a good idea to not test the things and push them live.

So, it is recommended to actually run an A/B test and see which one is better.

2) Running too many tests on a single page

By running too many tests on a page, one after the other you fall victim to local maximum and opportunity cost.

Opportunity cost: you lose the opportunity of optimizing other pages, as you keep on running tests on the same page.

Local Maximum: once you hit the peak of your conversion rate, the gains you’ll get will be miniscule no matter how many tests you run.

When you keep on running tests, then the consistent gain in conversion rate is very less like 0.4%. So, you should not run too many tests on a page.

What you should do?

You should set up a time that for how long you should run a test to achieve a particular conversion rate.

So, it is better to set your goals beforehand and work according to them to avoid losing opportunities. And, once you see that tests are bringing miniscule change, and then you should stop doing any more tests on that page.

3) Testing more than one element in an A/B Test

When you start A/ B testing then you want to optimize all of your pages to increase conversion rates. And, this is the most common mistake that most of the marketers make.

It’s never good to test more than one element in an A/B test, as you do not get significant results from it. And, you don’t get to know what actually worked in your interest and what did not.

What you should do?

While running an A/B test you need to make sure that you are testing only one element in it. Yes, you can create multiple tests and test other elements in them one by one.

So, it is highly recommended to make one change in one A/B test to get to know what actually works.

4) Running an A/B Test for far too long

If you call off your A/B tests too late, then you end up wasting both your precious time and efforts. In that time, you could have done some other tests and would have optimized other elements.

You not only waste your time but you also miss out revenue when you run a test for far too long than it is required to get a particular statistical significance.

What you should do?

To make sure that you don’t waste your time in running a test for a long duration of time then you must set your goals and work for them in the backward direction.

5) Setting the test up wrong

If you set up the test wrong, then you may not get the right results.

For example, if you are already testing one variant and then in between the test if you introduce another variant, then the new variant does not help you get desired results.

Because when a new variant is introduced in the middle, then it isn’t treated as the part of the original test. That’s why you always set it up in the right manner.

What you should do?

It is suggested that you should always start the test from the scratch that is from the very beginning because when you introduce a variant in between, then it doesn’t work in your interest.

So, if you want to test a new variant, then start a completely new test.

6) Not running an A/B test before implementing

For example, you run a generalized test, and your variant helps you increase the conversion rate up to 30%. And, you start applying it to your entire site from design to call-to-action everywhere.

And, if your website conversion rate starts dropping, then you must not wonder why because the reason is clear you didn’t run an actual A/B test before implementing it.

What you should do?

Before making changes to your site, you should set up a new test on a new page and see whether the results you got from the significant test are true for other pages also or not.

So, it is recommended to always run an A/B test before implementing it on your website.

7) Installing the wrong A/B Testing tools

There are so many tools with the help of which you can run A/B tests. But finding the right tool which can help you A/B test everything present on your site is a bit hard.

But if you don’t install your tools the right way, then the results you are getting from the tests must be wrong.

What you should do?

The great solution to this problem is to find a tool that contains in-built A/B testing. You should be using the tools which have A/B testing as the part of their core functionality.

Because when you use a tool that has built-in A/B testing, then you do not need to worry that whether it is installed correctly or not.

For example, Sumo helps you test frequency, action of conversion, Improvement, statistical significance etc.

8) Doing A/B Testing without keeping a goal in mind

Whenever you go down on an A/B testing road, you should have a specific goal in mind. Because if you don’t know for what you are running your test, then how will you get to know that whether you were able to achieve your goal or not.

Running test with no goal is like sailing on a boat somewhere without any map in hands.

What you should do?

If you want your tests to be more efficient and effective, then you must set a goal before running a test.

Because when you set up a goal, you set yourself up for a more structured test.

9) Ignoring the data while A/B testing

Why are you running A/B tests if you do not want to select the clear winner and want to make your own assumptions at the end?

The silliest mistake marketers make is by ignoring the data they get from the results and doing what they think is right for their site and then end up getting their site in trouble.

What you should do?

You should set your A/B test the right way and trust the data you get from the tests and make the changes to the site accordingly.

Even if the results you get are against your taste and what you expected, you should go with the data because only the numbers can help you take the best decisions.

10) Giving up after one test

If you give up after running a single test, then you miss out the chances of succeeding if you would have conducted more tests.

For example, if you A/B tested an image on your landing page and got a 10% gain in your conversion rate and settled with it. But if you would have run the test again, then there are chances that you may have got a better conversion rate.

What you should do?

You should not give up after running a single test rather you should run more number of tests to get a better lift in the conversion rate. So, it is recommended to not to give up after just one test.

Hope that you will become aware of the above mentioned mistakes and avoid making these in future. And, rather run the A/B tests the correct way to get better conversion rates.

Source: 10 A/B Testing Mistakes that you should avoid