The reason you may want to split test anything is to find out if one version of a website works better than another. Split testing can be done on many levels. The most broad way of doing it is one entire website vs another entire website. It can broken down to some very basic elements like the color of a font, depending on how dialed in you want your conversion rates to be. Generally, everyone wants a higher conversion on a website to make more money and direct their users to the best places to do it.

Before you even get started with split testing we must have a clear set of statistics for how the element is already doing. If you don’t have prior test results, then all this split testing to find the better of the two will be wasted time. Use Google Analytics or if you’re against javascript based analytics programs, Webalizer works just as well.

You have some stats and now you’re ready to start finding out what works best. Here is a short and simple PHP script for split testing. There are much more complex systems and scripts out there to handle in depth testing. For this post I’m going to keep it simple. The script below will generally give you a 50/50 distribution.

<?php

$split = rand( 1, 100 ); //Generate random number for split test.
if( $split > 50 ){ //If the random number is greater than 50 then use Test 1
?>
    TEST 1 Goes Here
<?php
} else { //If the random number is less than 50 use Test 2
?>
    TEST 2 Goes Here
<?php } ?>

Using the script and your stats, set a goal for your tests. Lets say increasing your conversion rate from 1% to 2%. If this first test doesnt do it, adjust your test subjects and try again. Don’t settle on your tests until you feel you have sapped every last ounce of productivity out of your users. The best part about all this testing is you now have learned so many new rules for future sites. The time it will take a website to be extremely profitable is extremely reduced and now you have time to test even more aspects of the sites conversion.

Whats the major rule here? Always test, everything. Test is another fancy word for doing. Dont ever stop trying new things and you will accomplish more than most online.