Split testing in simple terms means creating variations in your website design to test the effectiveness of one or more design variables. For instance, you can have two variations of your sales page for split testing – one with a smaller product image and another with a bigger image, and use both to check which one is more efficient in increasing sales. You can test as many variables of a particular page as you like to determine what is essential and what is not for your website.
Also known as multivariate testing, split testing can be carried out in two ways. One method, known as the a/b split test, is to take the entire web page with all the variables you want to test, and create variations by changing only one variable to see the effect it has on sales. By changing one variable at a time, you can avoid confusion and have a clear idea as to which variable is attracting more traffic and which is not.
If you have a budget constraint you can stick to the basic a/b split testing. Otherwise, you should consider using multivariate testing software that can test as many as 3000 variations of your webpage automatically. Just specify the different variants you want to test in your website – color, font, text, headlines, images, offer ads etc and the software can get you results that specify which website components and component combinations are attracting traffic and driving sales.
Whether you do it manually or use paid or free software, split testing can be a great way to identify the important components of your website and prevent overcrowding it.