As an optimisation agency, we often champion the mantra:
“Test everything!”
But what does “everything” mean?
Well? Pretty much everything.
Why? There is the standard argument which I’ll get out of the way… if you’ve been in testing long enough, you’ll have countless stories where the “obvious” solution produced completely unexpected results. Even when confidence in a variant is high, the results often defy assumptions, reinforcing the notion that implementing without testing carries a business risk. And yes, risk mitigation is a major reason we advocate for testing.
Testing safeguards your business in several ways:
- Brand-driven changes: Ensuring updates don’t disrupt the customer journey.
- Budget measures: Measuring the impact of removing or investing in functionality and/or development.
- Non-funnel metrics: Exploring opportunities to influence metrics like engagement or loyalty while maintaining conversion.
But here’s the thing: testing isn’t just about risk mitigation or incremental gains. When decisions are reduced to a binary view of risk vs. reward, we lose sight of testing’s true purpose: learning about your customer.
This is where the risk of skipping testing really lies. When a change feels “too small to matter” or “too obvious to fail,” the temptation is to skip testing and go straight to development. While this approach might feel efficient, it overlooks the critical opportunity to learn from customer behaviour.
The purpose of A/B testing isn’t just to validate decisions. It’s to uncover what your customer values, what motivates them, and what drives their behaviour.
When a test idea is pushed straight to development, you miss the chance to:
- Understand why the change succeeded or failed.
- Identify hidden insights that could influence broader strategies.
- Leverage learnings for innovative on-site optimisations.
- Translate findings into other areas of the business, from marketing to product development.
For example, a seemingly small copy change might not only boost conversions but also reveal deeper insights into how customers perceive your brand or value proposition. These learnings can shape strategies beyond the test itself, delivering long-term value far beyond the immediate impact.
Testing is not just a decision-making tool – it’s a customer insight engine.
When we view testing through this lens, we move beyond the black-and-white view of risk vs. reward. Testing becomes about truly understanding your customer, so every decision, whether on-site or beyond, is grounded in data-driven insights about what matters most to them.
So, the next time a change feels “obvious” or “low-risk,” pause and ask:
What could we learn about our customers from testing this?
The answer might surprise you, and drive value in ways you hadn’t anticipated.
If you want to find out more, take a look at How we Work or drop us a quick message here for a chat.
