There are two basic steps to increasing your web income exponentially. Are you ready? Here they are:

Step 1. Test

Step 2. Go back to Step 1!

Internet testing lies at the heart of ALL successful online businesses. Because if you’re not testing and tracking the results, you’re running on instinct and luck. As useful as those things are, you can’t duplicate them — or know what to change if your business is NOT getting the results you want.

Internet-based testing involves breaking down and separating certain elements of your website or sales process so you can modify them, track your results, then improve on your existing processes. For example, you can test your landing page copy, offers, price, headlines — virtually every aspect of your e-business.

Done correctly, the information you learn through testing can lead to dramatic improvements in your conversions! No matter which sales element you are testing, however, it’s imperative that you follow a few basic Internet testing principles so you don’t accidentally skew your results.

Here’s how to get perfect test results every time…

Set an objective. You must have an objective when it comes to setting up your test. This could be anything from generating more clicks through to your order page to decreasing shopping cart abandonment or getting more subscribers for your email list.
Choose your control, a benchmark against which you can measure your test results. This should be the current live element you want to test, such as the headline on your salesletter.

Create your test version. The first thing you need to do is create your test pages — in other words, a new version of the “control.” These pages should be identical to the control except for ONE change — the change to the element you want to test. This could be your headline, opt-in offer, call-to-action, or any other element that might affect its performance.

Ensure you can track results. If you don’t already have a web analytics program, set one up. A web analytics program tracks every action a visitor performs on your site — so you’ll be able to see the exact effects of your testing. Google Analytics is a great program for small business owners, and it’s free to use and easy to set up.

Start testing. Select an Internet-based testing method: linear testing, split-testing, or multivariate testing. Linear Internet testing involves running your control version for a set period of time, then replacing your control with a new test page. But because other factors may influence your sales numbers during the first or second week of testing (time of the year, holidays, etc.), they may throw your results out of whack.

Split-testing allows you to get results twice as fast. You run two or more versions of a page or message at the same time — cutting your testing time in HALF. Plus, it also neutralizes most of the external factors that could influence your test results, like national holidays and global events.

A more advanced type of Internet testing that allows you to test combinations of different sales elements at the same time is called multivariate testing. Google Website Optimizer is a great multivariate testing tool within Google AdWords… however, you’ll need a lot of traffic to get solid results using this method.

How long should you run your tests? You can either set a time limit or end the test when you’ve reached your desired number of visitors. You don’t always need a lot of traffic or a lot of time to get accurate results. But, generally speaking, the longer your test runs, the more visitors will be exposed to it, and the more accurate your results will be.

Follow these Internet testing principles as you test each of your major sales elements — and get ready for increased conversions, leads, and sales!