As an affiliate marketer, maintaining a winning campaign is half the battle. The other half is continuous optimization to ensure long-term profitability and growth. Testing new offers and variations is important, but it can feel risky when you already have a campaign that's doing well. This is because the budget for testing new ideas can seem like it's going to cut into the profits of your successful campaign. The trick is to test smartly, reducing risk while aiming for big rewards.
This is where controlled testing comes in. In this article, we’ll explore the 80/15 weighted rule—a simple and effective way to do split testing. We’ll explain how this rule works, why it’s useful, and how you can use it to keep your campaigns profitable as you scale to other offers.
Understanding the 80/15 weighted rule
The 80/15 weighted rule is a straightforward yet powerful approach to controlled testing. The idea is to allocate 85% of your traffic to your proven winning combination (the control) and the remaining 15% to test new variations.
Breaking it down:
Why the 80/15 weighted rule works
1. Minimizing losses
Directing 85% of your traffic to a proven winner ensures that most of your efforts generate profit. Even if the test variations don’t perform well, the impact on your overall profitability is minimal.
2. Allowing for optimization
The 15% allocated to testing variations provides a controlled environment to discover potentially better combinations. If a test variation outperforms your control, you can promote it to your new control, continuously enhancing your campaign.
3. Gathering statistically significant data
While 15% might seem small, it’s enough to gather statistically significant data over time. This data helps you make informed decisions about which variations to keep, modify, or discard.
Implementing the 80/15 weighted rule
To effectively implement the 80/15 weighted rule, you’ll need a tracking platform that allows you to control traffic distribution. Here’s how you can do it:
Step-by-step guide:
When to use the 80/15 weighted rule
The 80/15 weighted rule is ideal when you already have a proven winning combination and want to optimize further without taking on too much risk. However, it’s not suitable for every situation:
Conclusion
Controlled testing using the 80/15 weighted rule strikes a perfect balance between maintaining profitability and fostering innovation. By directing 85% of your traffic to a proven winner and using the remaining 15% for testing new variations, you can explore new possibilities without jeopardizing your existing success.
Remember, the key to effective controlled testing is a solid tracking platform that allows you to control traffic distribution. By setting up your tests correctly and monitoring the results closely, you can make data-driven decisions and continuously improve your campaigns.
The 80/15 weighted rule is just one approach to controlled testing. As you gain more experience and confidence in your testing abilities, you might discover other strategies that work better for your specific needs. The important thing is to always be testing, analyzing, and optimizing based on the data you gather.