Advertising

A/B Test

In short

An A/B test compares two versions of an ad, audience or landing page that differ in exactly one element, to find out which one performs better.

Also known as: A/B testing, A/B-test, split test, split testing

An A/B test (also called a split test) compares two versions that differ in exactly one element, such as two creatives, two audiences or two landing pages. Both versions run at the same time under the same conditions, so any difference in results can be traced back to the variable you changed.

How an A/B test works

  1. Hypothesis: e.g. "A testimonial video brings in more qualified leads than a graphic."
  2. Change one variable: Everything else stays the same (budget, audience, run time).
  3. Pick a target metric: e.g. cost per lead, conversion rate or cost per deal.
  4. Run it long enough: Until each version has enough conversions.
  5. Evaluate and adopt: The winner becomes the new baseline for the next test.

Meta's Ads Manager has a dedicated A/B test feature that splits the audience into non-overlapping groups. Google Ads offers something similar with experiments.

Example

A recruiting agency tests two landing pages with 1,000 visitors each. Version A (long form) gets a 4% conversion rate, so 40 applications. Version B (short form) gets 7%, so 70 applications. After screening in the CRM, 12 applicants from A are qualified and 14 from B. B wins, but by a much smaller margin than the conversion rate suggested.

A/B testing in lead generation

In lead generation, the numbers from the ad platform are often the wrong target metric. A version that brings in more leads can also bring in more poor-fit leads. A meaningful test therefore measures what happens after the form: appointments, deals, revenue. Because those numbers are smaller, such tests need more time or budget.

LeadMetrics attributes leads, deals and revenue to the ad the lead came from. In Ad Analysis you compare up to 4 ads with 3 metrics each side by side, for example cost per lead, cost per deal and ROAS. Learn more about the dashboards.

Common mistakes

  • Changing several things at once: Then you don't know what made the difference.
  • Deciding too early: 5 leads versus 8 leads is usually chance, not a result.
  • Only looking at platform metrics: Click-through rate and cost per lead say little about closed deals.

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Frequently asked questions

At least one full week to even out weekday fluctuations, and until each version has collected enough conversions. With only a few leads per day, that often means two to four weeks.

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Related terms

All terms

Ad Creative

An ad creative is the visible part of an ad: the image, video or carousel together with the text, headline and call to action that your audience actually sees.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors or leads who complete a desired action, such as submitting a form or making a purchase.

Ads Manager · Meta Ads Manager

Ads Manager is Meta's tool for creating, managing and analyzing ad campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and the Audience Network.

Benchmark

A benchmark is a reference value you measure your own metrics against, such as industry averages, past periods or your own best-performing campaign.

Cost per Lead

Cost per lead (CPL) is the average amount you pay to acquire a single lead: ad spend divided by the number of leads generated.

Ad Set

An ad set is the middle level of an ad campaign: this is where you define the audience, placements, optimization goal and often the budget for several ads.