What is Split-Testing?

!±8± What is Split-Testing?

Pay per click advertisers often advocate split-testing. For those in the know, it's almost obvious. But for those who don't understand what it means, it's a little abstract. Here's an overview of what split-testing is all about.

So you have an ad that's up and running. To get to this point you had to find a product, do some keyword research, and write an ad that you think will not only generate clicks, but will also generate sales. That's great. If you're doing that, you're on the right track.

But you can do better. How? By split-testing.

When you have just one ad out there, it's difficult to tell what's working. That's where split-testing comes in. Split-testing simply means creating a very similar, but ever-so-slightly different ad. If your original ad mentions free shipping at the end of your last line, you might create a mirror ad (as your split test ad) that references the free shipping at the beginning of the last line of your ad.

Another example might be to write an ad without referencing the price of your product. Your second ad could include the price. From there you could track which ad receives a better response.

Great - that's split-testing. So what do you do from there? Run your ads for about 30 clicks each. That gives you enough of a sample to be able to tell what's working and what isn't. Drop the ad that's performing worse. While you keep running the better performing ad, create a new ad that builds on what you've just learned from your split test.

Repeat the entire process. In the long run, you will be continually improving your ads. This will lead to more clicks and more sales. Track everything that you do!

So that's it. Now you understand split-testing. Sure, there's more to learn, but now you are equipped with enough knowledge to get your split-testing program started. Good luck!