He also adds that you should run a test for a maximum of six weeks and if that doesn’t show you much difference in results, you’re probably not testing something that’s influencing visitors’ behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Download Free: A\/B Testing Guide<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAnother conversion expert, Rich Page<\/a>, mentions that a site getting 1,000 unique visitors<\/a> per week or less is a low-traffic website.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe problem with small traffic sites is that running split tests on them seems futile.
<\/strong>
Let’s say, you have an existing conversion rate<\/a> of 5%, and the expected percentage increase in conversions is 10%. If you’re testing 4 variations, you might have to wait for months or even years to get conclusive results (95% confidence level), depending on your website traffic. You can use this free duration calculator<\/a> to validate this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWho would wait for so long? It doesn’t make any sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I feel you. Your argument is right. It isn’t that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But to think that there’s no way out of this situation is wrong. And this is exactly what this article aims to explain — that small-traffic sites can also split tests to optimize their conversion rates<\/a>. Here’s how:<\/p>\n\n\n1. Track Micro-Conversions, Instead of Macro-Conversions<\/h3>\n\n\n
Product sales or paid signups are the ultimate goals, yes. But these macro-conversions are relatively harder to come by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you have a traffic crunch, instead of tracking test data by macro-conversions, declare test results with micro-conversions<\/a> that indirectly contribute to sales.<\/strong> As long as you know the conversion ratio from micro-conversions to the ultimate goal, you can calculate the effect on macro-conversion and know which test version is working for you.<\/p>\n\n\n2. Test Something High-Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n
Maybe you want to test a new pricing plan<\/a>? Or replace that image slider with a great discount offer to your most popular product category? Make sure all the prominent website estate\u2014such as the site’s header, above-the-fold area, and left-side of the page\u2014is occupied by important page elements that eventually contribute to your page goal. Think about something that can give you a new insight and take you in a new direction for future tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSometimes small changes have a big impact on conversion rates.<\/b> The key to such results is testing something that has a high impact on the customer’s psyche. Something that can influence their decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understand their concerns. Know what primary factors they consider before taking action on your site. For a funky clothing site that targets teenage and college students, pricing and free shipping can be very important. For a luxury clothing brand that focuses on high-end celebrities, a 1-day shipping guarantee or an exclusive collection section on the site might be high-impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Know what matters the most to your ideal customer. When you test something high-impact, the drastic difference in results reduces the time taken to declare statistically significant results.<\/p>\n\n\n
3. Test Radical Designs<\/h3>\n\n\n
When you ask your customers to choose between a red apple and a green apple, it will be difficult to say what the majority will prefer. You will need a huge sample size<\/a> to answer that. Ask them for a choice between apple or orange — and even a small sample size of the audience will soon tell you what most people prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe table below from TechCrunch portrays this perfectly<\/a>. Drastic changes often impact the conversion rate in a big way as well. Notice that as the difference between the previous and the new conversion rate increases, the requirement for test visitors and test duration<\/a> to run the test decreases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"table](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2014\/02\/analysisparalysis.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThus, you must do away with button color tests and the like if you have little traffic. Drastic changes make you reach conclusive results quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the drawback to these tests is that it is difficult to get any learnings from them. You cannot know what change increased or decreased the conversions. Was it shifting the call-to-action below the fold<\/a> that worked? Or is it the change in the headline? Or anything else?<\/p>\n\n\n\nOne great way to overcome this drawback is to test two different themes in these page-level tests rather than randomly changing multiple page elements. <\/b>Getting significant customer learnings from such tests is easy and can be very useful for future tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Know that you’ve hit the jackpot when you learn that you can apply to optimize your overall marketing efforts, including your offline campaigns. When a rehabilitation facility chain tested its control page that focused on luxurious features and the secluded location of its centers against the trust-focused approach on its challenger page, it got a 220% lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem with small traffic sites is that running split tests on them seems futile. Who would wait for so long? It doesn’t make any sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel you. Your argument is right. It isn’t that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But to think that there’s no way out of this situation is wrong. And this is exactly what this article aims to explain — that small-traffic sites can also split tests to optimize their conversion rates<\/a>. Here’s how:<\/p>\n\n\n Product sales or paid signups are the ultimate goals, yes. But these macro-conversions are relatively harder to come by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you have a traffic crunch, instead of tracking test data by macro-conversions, declare test results with micro-conversions<\/a> that indirectly contribute to sales.<\/strong> As long as you know the conversion ratio from micro-conversions to the ultimate goal, you can calculate the effect on macro-conversion and know which test version is working for you.<\/p>\n\n\n Maybe you want to test a new pricing plan<\/a>? Or replace that image slider with a great discount offer to your most popular product category? Make sure all the prominent website estate\u2014such as the site’s header, above-the-fold area, and left-side of the page\u2014is occupied by important page elements that eventually contribute to your page goal. Think about something that can give you a new insight and take you in a new direction for future tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes small changes have a big impact on conversion rates.<\/b> The key to such results is testing something that has a high impact on the customer’s psyche. Something that can influence their decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understand their concerns. Know what primary factors they consider before taking action on your site. For a funky clothing site that targets teenage and college students, pricing and free shipping can be very important. For a luxury clothing brand that focuses on high-end celebrities, a 1-day shipping guarantee or an exclusive collection section on the site might be high-impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Know what matters the most to your ideal customer. When you test something high-impact, the drastic difference in results reduces the time taken to declare statistically significant results.<\/p>\n\n\n When you ask your customers to choose between a red apple and a green apple, it will be difficult to say what the majority will prefer. You will need a huge sample size<\/a> to answer that. Ask them for a choice between apple or orange — and even a small sample size of the audience will soon tell you what most people prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The table below from TechCrunch portrays this perfectly<\/a>. Drastic changes often impact the conversion rate in a big way as well. Notice that as the difference between the previous and the new conversion rate increases, the requirement for test visitors and test duration<\/a> to run the test decreases:<\/p>\n\n\n Thus, you must do away with button color tests and the like if you have little traffic. Drastic changes make you reach conclusive results quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the drawback to these tests is that it is difficult to get any learnings from them. You cannot know what change increased or decreased the conversions. Was it shifting the call-to-action below the fold<\/a> that worked? Or is it the change in the headline? Or anything else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n One great way to overcome this drawback is to test two different themes in these page-level tests rather than randomly changing multiple page elements. <\/b>Getting significant customer learnings from such tests is easy and can be very useful for future tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Know that you’ve hit the jackpot when you learn that you can apply to optimize your overall marketing efforts, including your offline campaigns. When a rehabilitation facility chain tested its control page that focused on luxurious features and the secluded location of its centers against the trust-focused approach on its challenger page, it got a 220% lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>
Let’s say, you have an existing conversion rate<\/a> of 5%, and the expected percentage increase in conversions is 10%. If you’re testing 4 variations, you might have to wait for months or even years to get conclusive results (95% confidence level), depending on your website traffic. You can use this free duration calculator<\/a> to validate this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Track Micro-Conversions, Instead of Macro-Conversions<\/h3>\n\n\n
2. Test Something High-Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n
3. Test Radical Designs<\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n