"How To use Split-Run Testing to
Raise Your Conversion Rates"
Have you ever heard the phrase "split-run
testing?" No? If you have a website and you're trying
to sell something online, you need to know about this valuable
testing process that can increase your bottom line.
Split-run testing is where you create different versions
of a sales page (for example) to test its effectiveness.
When users enters your site, they're shown one version or
the other. Once you do this enough times you can easily
see which version converted visitors into buying customers.
Are you following me here?
| The benefits
of split-run testing are many. You can see at a
glance what's working and what isn't. By testing
different versions of your copy and tracking
what converts, you can make permanent changes and
see an increase in your sales with the same amount
of traffic. When you improve your conversion rates,
the money you spend on marketing will work harder
for you as more of your site's visitors make the
leap from browsers into buyers. |
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If your sales copy is ineffective, all the traffic in the
world will not increase your sales activity. By testing
and tracking and finding out what does and doesn't work,
you can incorporate changes that are proven winners and
make more money. Sound good? Of course it does.
So what kinds of things might you want to test? Some people
might start with two different versions of their sales letter
(for example, your home page). Then
once they finish testing the copy itself, run tests on more
specific elements like including more or less testimonials,
the headline, adding a Post Script or not, etc.
There are many different factors that you can test, but
for the most accurate measuring resuolts, the trick is to
test only one component at a time. You'll
also want to allow each test to run to between 500 to 1000
unique visitors before coming to any conclusions.
Here are some things you might want to test:
1) Your Headlines
2) Different Design Elements of Your Site
(i.e., fonts, colors, etc.)
3) Sales Letter
4) Navigation Structure of Your Site
5) Bonus Offers
6) Pricing Points (high or low)
7) Long Copy Versus Short Copy
8) Different Advertising Strategies such as
banners, ezine ads, pay per click copy
9) Openings/Closings
10) Order Forms
So now that you have a clear idea of what "split-run"
testing is, how do you do it? There are many different software
packages out there that can do the job for you.
Let's review some options:
1) Scientific Internet Marketing Assistant: Download the
software here.
Created by Duncan Carver, who is an absolute genius when
it comes to online marketing. It's hard to believe he gives
this software away for free, but
he does. It allows you to run multiple tests simultaneously,
broken down into individual campaigns. You can test five
different test subjects against each
other at once.
2) Split Testing Pro Software: If you want to improve your
online conversion and dramatically increase your sales,
you might want to check out this split testing software.
Only 99.00
http://www.absplittesting.com/
3) Evolutionary Splittester: "A piece of software
that you simply download then upload to your website. It
has an incredibly easy to use interface taking less than
10 minutes to install, and from there with just a few clicks
you can set up a group of up to 16 headlines."
http://www.evosplittester.com/main/main.php
4) Split Testing: Free to use but if you want them to set
it up for you the cost is 50.00.- You can also pay them
an additional cost to manage the tests for you.
http://www.splittesting.com/
As you can see, testing and tracking what works and what
doesn't isn't that hard -- and can save you a lot of money
in the end. Without testing, you have
no way of knowing what's working with your marketing efforts,
and that's like playing pool in the dark. You might be able
to feel your way around, but you'll
have no way of knowing if you're aiming in the right direction
when it comes to sinking the ball in the pocket.
Converting visitors into buyers is the name of the game
online. Isn't it time you found out if all your hard work
is paying off?
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