Marketers are now expected to test web pages as a matter of course. Testing pages, however, often requires special configuration of websites to properly handle rotation and tracking of options. One of the reasons you selected Marketo is the system natively handles landing page testing using a feature called Testing Group.
AB testing is native to the landing page system. You can create Test Groups in Design Studio or in a Program.
What I talk about when I talk about AB testing
In case you are unfamiliar with AB testing, here’s an overview. Feel free to skip this section and move on to the juicy core of getting it done in Marketo.
While I hear much talk about performing AB testing by marketers, not as many of us are doing these tests back at the office. Let’s change that right now, with this chapter. First, let’s review what AB testing is.
AB Testing of Landing Pages:
- The comparison of two or more pages that are randomly shown to visitors with the goal of discovering which page has more conversions (form fill outs or purchases).
- The system designed to build, attract, and report on emails and pages.
In a complete testing system, you can AB test the email, the page, and the thank you page. Some marketers recommend an additional offer on the final page. The best follow up offers tend to be a demo or additional content sign ups, but could also be upsells for other products.
If you need further ideas, I recommend visiting KISSmetrics or WhichTestWon.com.
Key Components to Setting Up a Test
Let’s get started!
- Programs must have local assets to have a Test Group.
- Page needs to be unapproved to be listed as an option to add to the Test Group
- Clone design studio pages to a Program first, then add to Test Group.
- Watch Your SEO!
- Know what you plan to test before you begin.
- Keep a log or a local report that reports on just these pages.
Step 1: Create a Page
Remember to set the URL slug properly so your Test Group URL makes sense for SEO.
Step 2: Place an Offer on the Page
I trust you can come up with page copy.
Step 3: Convert the Page to a Test Group
Right click on the page icon, choose Convert to Test Group. This step also creates the Test Group URL based on the original URL, so make sure you got this part right in Step 1.
Step 4: Clone Page A to Create Page B
Right click and press “Clone.” This is what you get:
Step 5: Modify Page B
Modify the page in whatever way makes sense for your test. Remember – only change one thing about this page to have a true AB test.
Step 6: Add Page B to Test Group
You need to do this from the Test Group: click on Edit Test Group Members and this dialog appears. If nothing appears here, try unapproving the B page.
Step 7: Approve the Pages in the Test Group
Step 8: Approve the Test Group
The Test Group URL will not work until you approve the entire Test Group as a separate option. The individual page URLs will be active, if you happen to know their URLs.
Step 9: Test the Test Group URL
Now copy the URL listed on the Test Group level to use in emails or on other pages. Remember to test this in a couple of browsers to see how it functions and ensure it displays the intended page variations.
Step 10: Declare a Winner and Create Test Page C
Depending on your setup, it make take several days to a couple of months to have enough visits to statistically validate a winner. Marketo only displays Visits and Conversions (Form Fill Outs), so you will have to use Excel or a rule of thumb to determine this. I would allow at least two weeks before deciding a winner, assuming you have enough web traffic.
More from the Marketing Rockstar’s Guide to Marketo
Stay tuned – the Marketo Guide is going to be available soon!
There are more details available in the full chapter below:
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