Perform Split Testing with phpA/B

Split testing, also called A/B testing, is a testing method where you compare a base sample with another test sample, changing one specific variable inside it.

For example, you could have a base landing page, and then you would compare it against a new landing page where you changed the main headline.

As a blogger, there are many things you could improve with split testing. Examples include:

• The number of subscribers you get by testing the headline and position of the subscription form.
• The AdSense earnings by testing different AdSense units and placements.
• The bounce rate of the blog, by testing different placements of your content above the fold.
• The number of retweets you get per post, based on the placement of the retweet button.

But how do you perform a split test? You have two options. You can either do it manually, by changing the variable one week at a time and then tracking the results, or by using a piece of software and letting it rotate the variables for you.

The second option is usually the best one, and a couple of days I discovered a software you can use to do that. It is called phpA/B, and it is free as long as you use it for personal purposes.

I haven’t test it yet, but it looks promising. The main idea is to let you test anything within your site, with a simple setup interface. You can also integrate it with Google Analytics if you want.

Definitely worth a look. Once I test it here I’ll write a more complete review, so stay tuned.

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