Creating a Testing Plan

At each stage in the testing process, the answers you receive will likely generate further questions and additional, “I wonder whether? …” Richard Mouser of ScientificWebsiteTesting.com (www.scientificwebsitetesting.com), one of our testing mentors, taught us these simple steps:

  1. Make a list of things you want to test.
  2. Prioritize that list.
  3. Start testing and keep adding to the list based on test results.

The next few sections discuss these steps in detail.

Making your list of things to test

You might not feel like you have any ideas worth testing at this point, but don't worry. You just need to start getting ideas down on paper regardless of whether the ideas are good.

If you follow this process, you'll end up with more ideas than you have time to test, and you'll never stop adding to your list. The most promising ideas will bubble to the top of your list, your website will get a little better with each test, and your marketing skills will get sharper in the process.

Think back to when you launched your website

Richard Mouser has a wonderful suggestion to help you come up with testing ideas. He notes that in the frenzy of getting a website built, there are always compromises. No one has the time to create the perfect website on the first try. And even if you had all the time and money in the world, how could you possibly know for sure what “perfect” would look like?

Take a deep breath, follow our mesmerizing pocket watch swinging back and forth, and feel ...

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