There are over 1.7 billion websites online. And each of these sites is competing for your, and your customer’s attention.

But you know your market. You’ve got your customer profile, and you know who you’re selling to. In fact, you may even have a great website ready to launch.

Is that enough to capture your audience’s attention?

On that precipice right before your website goes live is an important time in your marketing plan and the time for conversion testing.

What is a conversion test? Why do you need it?

Let’s talk about it. Read on for more.

What is a Conversion Test?

Conversion testing, also known as A/B testing, is simply a way to test how your audience responds to specific data and layouts of your site. It shows you which designs you’ve created that are most likely to convince your audience to purchase your product.

With conversion testing, you take two nearly identical sample groups. Often, you’ll do this by using a program that switches out which version of your website design is shown to your audience.

After running the test for a set period of time, you’ll have some data on which design led to more sales. Sometimes, it’s split 50/50 and your team will need to choose. But often, it’s clear which layout people respond to best.

The purpose of your business is to convert visitors to customers, so figuring out which layout of your site drives the most sales is crucial. You don’t want to miss out on even one conversion, and A/B testing ensures that.

Other Reasons Conversion Testing Is Crucial

Conversion testing also benefits your business in other ways. While increasing sales is likely your goal, it can also help you achieve other minor goals.

For example, if you’re an affiliate marketer, or you run a YouTube channel, A/B testing can help you figure out which layouts of your site your visitors respond to best so that you can not only drive affiliate sales but also drive clicks.

You’ll also drive your bounce rate down, which is incredibly important when it comes to user engagement and gaining brand awareness. If someone navigates away from your site in just a few minutes, this shows that your site is either poorly designed, or it isn’t meeting the needs of its customers.

Don’t Stop While You’re Ahead

Once you’ve run a conversion test, you may be tempted to raise your hands in triumph and neglect your site. You’re now safe in the knowledge that you have a layout users want to engage with, and that converts leads.

But that would be a mistake. You need to continue to refine your A/B testing as often as you can. You may find that certain layouts work for certain products and services but not for others. Continuing to fine-tune is as important as keeping an instrument in an orchestra in tune.

A/B testing is but one crucial way to ensure your website is still reaching its target audience.

Want to know more about the design process? Click here for 5 popular website types to help you grow your business.