How to A/B Test with Google Analytics Segmentation

by Shehbaz Tamboli

We all know A/B testing works wonders. We’ve seen it work. We’ve seen companies turn around their fortune to a million dollars through this. It is undoubtedly one of the best ways to gain conversions. But not everything comes with a silver lining. You must have a strategic approach to get desired results from testing. A great deal of advertisers do testing incorrectly. They squander their time and their cash by aimlessly leading A/B testing, hauling out skewed results, and making a move that converts into nothing. That is not testing. That is messing around, and feeling great since you believe you’re doing it all right.

We are all aware with the buzz word A/B testing. To put it in simple words, it is a form of analysis that helps you determine which one of your game plans is showing positive results. In this article we will talk about how segmentation can get the results you desire. Let us first begin with what is segmentation before we jump on to how it works.

What is Segmentation?

Not all your site visitors are the same. They originate from various nations, talk distinctive dialects, utilize diverse programs, get to the webpage using varied search terms, tap on different tabs on your site, spend longer on different pages, utilize distinctive gadgets, and a host of other vast differences. So, why are you analysing all visitors as though they were the same? As a part of hygiene and good practise, customers are distinguished on the basis of shared interests. Google web analytics experts gathers these characteristics and allows you to use them to group your visitors and analyse them accordingly.

For Starters:

It is important to split desktop using audience from mobile/tablet using audience. Clearly, both see the same website in different forms. The prior sees a lot of content and takes in a lot more at once than the latter who are struggling to click buttons smaller than their fingers. This segmentation helps you understand which screen drives the most conversions in comparison.

As mentioned earlier, not all visitors are the same. If the communication is sent to the new and the regular customer, you think they will be left with anything but confusion? You won’t get the same response from both the parties with the same email. The key to this is personalization. You need to group your visitors in lists that can be targeted with the same communication. For example: Specific offers can be sent to the new customers while loyalty programs to the regular ones.

Segmentation and its application – 

To utilize segmentation in Google Analytics, you essentially need to tap on the “Reporting” tab and start with any report. In the picture underneath, you will see there are a few segments to browse. Pick whichever you’d like and tap the “Test” button. You’ll be able to discover the rate of users and sessions coordinating the specific fragment channels.

When you tap on “New Segment,” you can make your own section with channels of your picking. Right now, Google Analytics allows you to have up to 1,000 segments for each account however, not more than 100 segments for any single view. Examine the picture underneath to see the choices for various categories you can use to configure the filters for each segment. Upon making another segment, tap on “Preview” to find out how the present report is influenced by this specific section.

Segments to focus on – 

Understanding segmentation is vital, however the question is — what sorts of segments exist?  There is an assortment of segmentations that you can make to split your audience.

  • Demographic
  • Attitudinal
  • Geographical
  • Preferential
  • Behavioural
  • Motivational
  • Content viewed
  • Interest Level
  • Device
  • Day and Time
  • Abandonment

You can add many more depending on minutely you want to split and analyse your audience.

Google Analytics Advanced Segments

With the recent fix in Google Analytics a lot of changes have been seen and they all have been improvements. The built in segments are a must try for beginners to see how they can be used by your business to analyse and compare before you move on to making your own segments that suit your website better. With advanced settings you can do the following:

  • You can choose between analyzing the data based on the hits, sessions, etc.
  • You can distinguish users based on their first visit on your website. So for example if you want to target people who visited your website first in May, you can do so with this awesome functionality.
  • Pull out segments that others are using from the Google Solutions Gallery to understand what is working for businesses around you.

Make sure that the segments you use are helping your business. Find out if there are any more segments that can help you get better data. Plan on how you will use the data once it is generated. Will it be to improve your website or your marketing activities? If not done right, testing can accomplish more damage than good. That is the reason a strategic approach to testing followed by a segmented approach is imperative for better results.

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