Considering Google uses A/B testing to optimize the performance of their pages, shouldn't all site owners do the same? If you haven't noticed, Google's Gmail home page has been running a small A/B test to help promote new Gmail sign-ups. In Google's case, they are running an A/B/C/D/E test.

Gmail's test consists of random sign-up buttons all with unique messaging which will help Google select the most enticing version in terms of new user registrations. Below are 5 different samples Google is using for Gmail registrations:

Setting up an A/B test is fairly straightforward and here somethings worth considering if you want to setup one of your own:

• Select one element on a landing page or conversion page and focus your testing on that element
• Determine how many different versions of that element you'd like to test.
• Each version of the element will need to be served up randomly to users and Javascript (or other scripting languages) is an excellent way to do this. Furthermore each element will have to be given equal amount of page views.
• Analytics is very important because you need to be able to track the number of page views to each 'version' as well as the amount of conversions each 'version' delivered.
• Create a dashboard for yourself comparing the performance of the different 'versions.'
• Run the test long enough so that you have ample data to make a decision on which 'version' to go with.
• Repeat the A/B test process because there is always room for improvement.