Experimentation isn’t just some luxury reserved for companies with dedicated optimization teams. These days, it’s a critical ingredient in the recipe for digital growth. More than three-quarters of global firms already conduct A/B testing and the market is projected to grow 14 percent annually through 2031.
What’s changed? Digital teams worth their salt don’t just go with their gut. They rely on data to make decisions down to the pixel width of a button or color of a hex code. (True story: An A/B test at Orbitz showing that changing a last-minute sale booking button from blue to red netted millions in extra revenue based on the implied urgency of the red.)
The difference between a headline that clicks or one that flops can make or break a campaign. A landing page layout that feels intuitive to one user segment may leave another cold. For marketing teams with pipeline goals, every conversion counts — and A/B testing provides the evidence to act quickly and confidently.
I don’t have a dedicated person for conversion rate optimization, but I do have a team full of curious marketers and a really good CMS. That combination means we can keep testing layouts, headlines and CTAs without slowing down.
Why A/B testing for content teams must live in the CMS
Most organizations still struggle to make A/B testing routine. Traditional experimentation tools often require separate platforms, long onboarding timelines and developer support. It can take six to 12 months from purchase to first test with a standalone platform. And every time a content team switches apps, they lose valuable productivity.
That’s why Brightspot is embedding A/B testing directly into its CMS. By placing experimentation alongside content creation workflows, teams can reduce friction, improve speed and scale optimization without bottlenecks. In short: no swivel, no delay, no silos.
How Brightspot CMS makes A/B testing easy
With experimentation now built in directly to the CMS (for organizations running Brightspot CMS version 4.5 or higher), users can:
- Launch A/B tests fast: Build content variations, set success goals and control traffic splits — no developers required. Can be applied to specific page layouts (e.g., 2- vs. 3-column templates), call-to-action buttons, headlines, creative assets (e.g., image vs. video).
- Learn from results: Track consolidated insights in one dashboard, get real-time alerts and dynamically estimate test durations.
- Optimize content quickly: Auto-promote winning variations, archive underperformers and customize metrics with built-in guardrails.
The result is a faster test-and-learn cycle, with content teams empowered to publish evidence-based decisions rather than relying on instinct.
A marketing leader’s view on why testing matters
For Jessie Kennedy, Brightspot’s VP of Marketing, experimentation is not an abstract concept — it’s a daily practice.
“I don’t have a dedicated person for conversion rate optimization, but I do have a team full of curious marketers and a really good CMS,” Kennedy says. “That combination means we can keep testing layouts, headlines and CTAs without slowing down.”
Her team has learned hard lessons along the way. One new pay-per-click landing page layout, for example, delivered zero conversions in two weeks. Instead of sticking with it, the experiment showed them the risk: had they made the change permanent, the loss would have equated to more than $1 million in missed pipeline opportunity.
“That’s why I love A/B testing,” Kennedy explains. “Had we just made the layout change and stuck with it, we would’ve lost out. With testing, we caught it early and adjusted.”
She emphasizes two guiding principles for her team’s approach:
- Start with the right questions: “Focus on what you want to learn, not just what you want to test.”
- Share the results: “Review them as a team, apply the learnings and keep the cycle going.”
“We do monthly lookbacks to review results and make action plans,” Kennedy notes. “It’s not just about winning or losing tests. It’s about building a culture where data shapes decisions.”
How A/B testing in CMS builds toward personalization
Brightspot’s A/B testing capabilities are just the beginning. With more AI-powered capabilities coming to the Brightspot platform in the coming months, experimentation will expand into multivariate testing, smarter test design and even more actionable analytics insights.
The vision: to help organizations move seamlessly from testing to delivering audience-specific content experiences at scale. All without requiring time- and cost-consuming context switching between platforms, and by avoiding the kind of costly customizations that have left publishers doubting the true power of personalized content experiences.
For content and marketing teams, this means A/B testing is not just about optimization — it’s the foundation of personalization. You can’t deliver tailored experiences unless you first understand what resonates with each audience segment.
- One experiment per asset: Running multiple experiments on the same page or component can interfere with results (unless it’s an advanced user). See below for differences in types of tests – currently, A/B/n testing is supported in this implementation.
- Use a 1:1 variation split whenever possible: A 50/50 traffic split between control and variation helps you reach statistical significance faster and reduces sampling bias.
- Estimate test duration upfront: Use the duration calculator to determine the minimum time your test should run based on expected traffic and conversion goals.
- Test during normal traffic patterns: This will reduce skewed data that may occur when running tests during atypical periods like holidays or product launches – major announcements can also skew results. Recommended traffic numbers here.
- Avoid mid-test changes: Modifying a variation or test setup while it’s running can invalidate your data. If a major change is needed, stop the test and launch a new version.
- Test one variable at a time: To understand what’s driving results, isolate your changes. Testing multiple elements at once makes it hard to attribute impact to a specific change.
Why A/B testing in CMS is a win for every team
- Editorial and content teams: Faster feedback loops, greater confidence in publishing decisions
- Marketing teams: Direct impact on conversions and campaign ROI without relying on external tools
- Technical teams: No developer bottlenecks or fragmented integrations
- Digital executives: Higher ROI from CMS investments through continuous optimization
Launch, learn and optimize with confidence
For Brightspot, the philosophy is simple: experimentation should live where content lives. By embedding A/B testing directly in the CMS, organizations can accelerate growth, improve decision-making and create a culture of continuous optimization.
Launch, learn, optimize — and never stop testing.
