Good morning, search marketers, how are you running SEM A/B tests?
You've now got one more option. Advertisers can now run A/B tests on a percentage of your campaign traffic in Microsoft Advertising. Experiments is rolling out now, so keep a lookout for the new tab in the UI. If you're used to drafts & experiments in Google Ads, this will feel familiar. The set up is very straightforward. Be sure to build adequate time into your testing calendar. Microsoft suggests running an A/A version for a couple of weeks first to ensure you're test is going to run properly. Once you switch over to the A/B test, you'll likely want to run it for another two weeks, depending on the volume of ad traffic your campaign typically gets, the percentage of traffic you've assigned to the test and the elements you're testing.
In the latest installment of his video interview series, Search Engine Land contributing editor Barry Schwartz chatted with Rand Fishkin, formerly of Moz and now founder of SparkToro, in Seattle last week. The two SEO old-timers (who are both younger than I am, so I can say that) reminisce about getting started in the SEO community, the days when the engines seemed to have bottomless entertainment budgets and what Rand has learned along the way from starting two companies. Check out part one of Barry's interview here. Rand will also be keynoting SMX East in NYC this November.
Read on for much more, including Search Shorts and our curated list of recommended reading.
Ginny Marvin
Editor-In-Chief
