SEO, Scraping and AB Split Test

We often get asked about the affect of split testing on SEO. After all, we don’t want to build up our conversion muscle, then chop off our SEO legs.

With multiple content options that change randomly depending on the visitor, what will Google “see”? Will they see different things then mark you down for it?

How does AB testing affect bots?

We do not use special redirects or cloaking for Google, Facebook, LinkedIn or other bots.

Best Practices for SEO-Friendly A/B Testing

To ensure that your split testing efforts harmonize with your SEO goals, consider the following best practices:

Consistency in Core Content: Ensure that the main content and keywords that you want to rank for are consistent across all test variations. This approach helps maintain your site’s relevance for targeted search queries, irrespective of the variation served to the user.

Use of Canonical Tags: When full page split testing, Implement canonical tags to signal to search engines which version of the content should be considered the “original” or preferred version for indexing purposes. This practice is particularly useful when testing significantly different page layouts or content structures.

Temporary Testing: Limit the duration of your A/B tests to the minimum necessary time to gather significant data. Prolonged testing periods with dramatically different content variations can confuse search engines and users alike.