What is A/B & Multivariate Ad Testing?

ByDoubs Team

A/B ad testing is a pretty simple concept: Create two or more versions of an ad, show them to people, and determine which ad works best to achieve your conversion goals.

Users who are at various stages in the buying process are randomly served versions of the ad — either “A” or “B” — and based on how they react, a “winning ad” is determined. Use the data from an ad test to create a better test and ultimately increase your ROI over time.

By creating these ads in AdBasis instead of AdWords, you are easily able to isolate and test specific variable combinations within an ad — location, keyword, bid, ad copy, landing page, etc. — in order to actually understand why your ads work.

Because these experiments can be so cost effective, larger experiments known as multivariate tests can be performed effectively.

A multivariate test is a form of ad testing that allows an advertiser to alter and test multiple variables within an ad. Multivariate testing is all about finding optimal combinations of ad variables when multiple elements of an ad are up for debate. More information on multivariate testing.

OK…so how do you begin doing this?

Sync Your AdWords Account to AdBasis

Syncing your AdWords account within AdBasis is easy!

  • Go to your Account screen within AdBasis either by following the link or clicking Account in the left hand margin.
  • Under 3rd Party Accounts click button to the ON position (see below).

Getting started 1

  • Log into the AdWords account you’d like to sync

Getting started 2

  • Read and accept our terms of service.

Getting started 3

  • Click “Register Account” on the account you would like to sync.

And your account is now synced!

The activity you conduct within AdBasis will appear in your AdWords account. When you create an experiment within AdBasis, those ads will appear in your AdWords account and will start collecting real impressions and clicks!

Once your account is synced, you now have the power to collect click data and statistical significance for your experiments. For conversion and revenue data, you will need to add a few simple lines of code to the Javascript of your web pages.

Implement the AdBasis Snippet

Implementation is easy – copy and paste a small code snippet into your site’s code. Here’s how:

  • Go to your Account Screen
  • Under “Conversion Tracking Snippet” click on the snippet once to highlight
  • Copy the snippet
  • Paste the snippet as high as possible in the tag of any page on which you would like to track conversion behavior. To be safe, add the snippet to all pages.

Getting started 3 5

 AdBasis provides tons of great data on clicks, statistical significance and experiment results without having to add the code snippet.

Implement AdBasis Revenue Tracking:

Setting up the Revenue Tracking custom event conversion within AdBasis is extremely important. And just like the AdBasis snippet, it’s quite simple.

AdBasis tracks exact revenue amounts from purchases or events that take place on your site and attributes the amount to a particular experiment and the specific ad variation clicked on by the user.

Learn how to:

  • Track total revenue associated with your experiments and the incremental ROI you generate through AdBasis.
  • Add revenue tracking code to your site.

Go to our full walkthrough on implementing Revenue Tracking.

Testing Ideas

Congratulations, you’ve set up your AdBasis account. Now you’re probably thinking about testing out some of your ideas. Read some of the below materials to get the creative juices flowing.

  • Ad Testing: 7 Essential Steps
  • 26 Things to Test in Your Search Ads
  • 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Testing Ads
  • Location Based Ads: Not Just Geo-Targeting

Approach to Experimentation

Prior to building your first experiment, it is important to think about the fundamentals behind ad testing. Some things to remember:

1. Experimentation is a Continuous Process

The goal of experimentation is to try different things in order to beat your current baseline ad. When you create a successful experiment and a winner emerges, that means your ads are not yet optimal and there is still room for improvement. Try experimenting with another variable combination and iteratively evolve your ad strategy.

Continuous

2. Ad Testing Needs to be Researched

Chances are, you have an existing AdWords account with tons of data that can be used for your first AdBasis experiment. Whether it’s importing existing keywords (or negative keywords) or including your proven geo-targets, using the data you’ve already uncovered is key to your first experiment’s success.

Identifying the big opportunities for improvement within your AdWords account is step one. Look at the areas you are struggling with — this could be certain products, landing pages, geographies, overall campaign results, etc. Focusing on the areas that need improvement can help you see positive results more quickly.

3. Ad Testing Needs to be Planned

You are a marketer, so you know that planning your marketing calendar based on important dates for your company is vital to proper execution. Ad testing within AdBasis is no different.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve set up your account and are approaching experimentation with the right mentality, please read through our Experiment Building Guide.

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