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control 

page

 (or audience sample) to compare against. This will typically be an existing landing 

page. Two new alternatives can be compared to previous control, which is known as an ABC 

test. Different variables are then applied as in Table 12.8.

An example of the power of AB testing is an experiment Skype performed on their main 

topbar navigation, where they found that changing the main menu options ‘Call Phones’, to 

‘Skype Credit’ and ‘Shop’ to ‘Accessories’ gave an increase of 18.75% revenue per visit (Skype 

were speaking at the 2007 E-metrics summit). That’s significant when you have hundreds of 

millions of visitors! It also shows the importance of being direct with navigation and simply 

describing the offer available rather than the activity.

A/B or AB testing

Refers to testing two 

different versions of a 

page or a page element 

such as a heading, 

image or button for 

effectiveness.

Control page

The page against which 

subsequent optimisation 

will be assessed. 

Typically a current landing 

page.

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