Yes, just like other marketing channels, you can run split tests for SEO. However, some, like affiliate marketing, carry a high risk of burning revenue, while others, such as email and PPC, pose a lower risk. SEO split tests focus on controlled experiments that minimize potential impacts on revenue if something doesn’t work.
The secret to successful SEO split testing lies in setting up equal control groups. This ensures you can measure changes accurately without jeopardizing your site’s overall performance.
In this article, I’ll walk you through one of our top SEO split tests for optimizing content and page structure, complete with real-world examples for eCommerce, publishers, and lead generation. Plus, I’ll share some of the most impactful SEO split tests you can implement to drive better results.
SEO A/B Test: Does Content Impact Category Pages?
To demonstrate, here’s a step-by-step example of one of our favorite SEO split tests designed to measure whether adding content to category pages improves their performance.
Setting Up Your Test
Step 1: Identify Test Pages
Pick 8 similar pages on your website. These should have comparable metrics, such as:
Search Volume: Pages targeting similar traffic potential.
Keyword Difficulty: Similar competitiveness for primary keywords.
Visitor Intent: Pages with aligned user intent, whether informational or transactional.
Backlinks: Similar link profiles for fairness.
Internal Links: Equal linking structures.
Content Structure: Word count and matching use of headings, schema, and features.
Focus on pages currently ranking on pages 3-5 of Google search results via Search Console.
Step 2: Create Control and Test Groups
Split the 8 pages into two groups:
Test Group: Modify 4 pages by adding content or making targeted updates.
Control Group: Leave the other 4 untouched for comparison.
Step 3: Track Key Metrics
Use a spreadsheet to track performance indicators such as:
Total keywords in the top 100 positions.
Keywords moving into the top 10 or 20 positions.
Organic traffic changes.
Keyword rank movement for specific terms.
Average ranking position for the group.
Launching Your Test
Now, it's time to take action. Here’s how to execute and monitor your SEO split test:
Make Changes in Staging: Draft content updates or modifications in a staging environment to avoid unexpected errors.
Verify Consistency: Ensure that all changes in the test group are uniform, and the control group remains untouched.
Track Baselines: Update your spreadsheet with baseline metrics for both groups before launching.
Publish Changes: Push the updates live and request indexing if your site isn’t crawled frequently.
Evaluating the Results
I prefer to give at least one to two months before making assumptions to gather meaningful data. Remember that search engines may roll out core updates during this time, so track results weekly for consistency.
Key Evaluation Metrics:
Keyword Gains: Track how many keywords move into higher-ranking positions.
Traffic Increases: Monitor organic traffic growth for test pages.
Conversion Improvements: Evaluate metrics like sales, leads, or page views based on your goals.
With content tests in particular I look for unexpected outliers, such as new backlinks or overall site authority improvements driven by recent changes.
For example, if high-value content pages in your test group start attracting backlinks, they could pass authority to other important pages on your site. Similarly, addressing a common customer pain point might lead to mass media citations and increased visibility.
And that is one of our favorite split tests for SEO traffic. Because none of these pages are significant traffic or revenue drivers at the start of the test, the company won’t tank if they fall in rankings. That’s why it's a safer bet and one you can learn from.
Real-World Impacts
Here’s how different industries can benefit from this test:
Publishers: Boost visitor numbers and page views per session.
Ecommerce: Drive direct sales, grow email/SMS subscribers, or increase return visits through remarketing.
Lead Generation: Capture more qualified leads, improve local pack visibility, and test new audience segments or regions.
Top SEO Split Tests to Try
As promised, here are some additional high-impact SEO split tests you may find valuable:
Passing Authority from the Homepage to Categories or Collections
Test if strategically adding internal links from your homepage to key category pages boosts rankings and traffic.
Reducing Internal and Footer Links
Check if simplifying your internal link structure or reducing footer clutter improves user engagement and search performance.
Optimizing Indexable Content
Experiment with pruning outdated or thin content to see if fewer, higher-quality pages perform better. This can be particularly impactful for older sites.
Schema and Rich Results Testing
Add or remove structured data to determine if achieving rich results (e.g., featured snippets) increases clicks and revenue.
Content Formatting and Length
Analyze if the way your content is structured - including word count, H-tags, and coding - affects ranking improvements or keyword reach.
Each of the tests above follows the same principle: setting a control group. If you manage multiple web properties with similar trust, traffic, backlinks, and authority, you can conduct tests on unique URLs. Alternatively, on a single site, you can test across different categories, collections, product pages, or lead pages.
Wrapping Up
The key to a successful SEO split test is comparing the control and test groups after sufficient time has passed. Weekly tracking lets you create visualizations - like line graphs - to showcase progress. You may also want to track total keywords in the top 100 and top 10 positions, total visits, and total sales that started from that page to determine if your changes paid off.
By focusing on low-risk pages that aren’t major traffic or revenue drivers, you can experiment without fear of causing significant harm to your site’s performance. With each test, you’ll gather valuable insights to refine your SEO strategy and drive sustainable growth.
So go ahead - start testing and boost your results.
Article by
Adam Riemer
Adam Riemer is an award-winning digital marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and growth consultant with over 20 years of experience. His agency develops and implements data-driven, ROI-focused marketing strategies. Covering everything from top-of-funnel affiliate marketing to SEO, email, and conversion optimization, he helps brands of all sizes drive growth and scale effectively.
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