6 Types of Ad Tests To Improve Your Advertising Efforts

As a marketer, you already know that online advertising is crucial in today’s digital world. However, in a sea of ads, you need to find a way to make yours stand out, particularly in the eyes of your target audience. That’s where ad testing comes in.

Completing the right ad tests can be a little tricky — you might test your ads for the sake of it and not get much insight in return. You should understand the types of ad tests and when it’s best to use them for your ad campaigns.

This post will break down what ad testing is, why it matters, as well as six different types. Keep reading to learn all about ad tests, and subscribe to Revenue Weekly for marketing insights straight to your inbox!

What is ad testing?

Ad testing involves using market research and tools to analyze how impactful an ad will be. To ensure your ad aligns with your target audience’s interests and goals, you place your ads in front of them and ask them for feedback.

The importance of ad testing

As of 2023, over 912 million people use ad blockers when browsing the Internet. It’s pretty easy to see how people feel about ads, so making yours intriguing will give you a higher chance of capturing your target demographic’s attention. To create that ad, you must go through the testing process.

Ad testing provides extensive information about your ads, telling you what works and why. If something is amiss, you can return to the drawing board to rework it.

Your team can also use concrete numbers to advocate for or against a specific ad campaign. This way, you don’t waste time deciding which option is best.

What to know before you test an ad

Before you start testing ads, you need to prepare. You must have your ads in hand and a set of metrics you wish to analyze. The main two factors are your stimuli and test objectives.

Stimuli

Take a moment to select your stimuli or the ads you wish to test. There should be at least three stimuli per test so that you can compare and contrast. Consider the platforms you plan to run them on, such as Instagram or Twitter (X), so you know their intent and format.

For example, you might have one ad for the same concept with two different images or phrasing. Here is one example:

You could then change some text, quotes, or other features to see what works:

Test objectives

Without test objectives, you’ll be testing for the sake of testing, which isn’t helpful. To narrow your testing, you should understand the purpose of the ads. These metrics will take different forms depending on your stimuli.

If your ad shows your brand’s new electric toothbrush, you might want to focus on purchase intent and appeal. Other common test objectives include believability, uniqueness, and relevance. You could run tests based on specific elements of your ad’s copy, such as the use of punctuation or numbers.

6 types of ad tests

Generally, all kinds of ad testing involve placing your stimuli in front of your target audience with a survey they can fill out to provide feedback. Still, you can take a few approaches to testing your ads, and the option you choose will depend on your ad campaign, budget, and platform.

1. A/B testing

If you want to test direct response ads when they’re live, A/B testing is the best option. Here, you will go live with two similar ads for a smaller target audience. Then, you see which one does better regarding engagement.

The downside is, you might not always understand the cause. However, since there are many ways to run A/B tests, you can customize your testing to suit your needs.

Read Now: The Beginner’s Guide to A/B Testing

2. Sequential monadic testing

This option allows you to focus on a smaller group within your target demographic. You give each respondent two or more stimuli, and they answer the same questions about each one.

With this type of ad test, you save time and money, but you don’t have to ask many questions, which could lead to more sparse data about your ads.

3. Qualitative testing 

Through qualitative testing, you can use focus groups or online tools to receive highly detailed feedback. This option targets specific subsets of your target demographic, and you have an in-depth discussion with participants to better understand their feelings and opinions regarding your stimuli.

Note that the scale of a qualitative test may not be enough for your needs.

4. Monadic testing

With monadic testing, you will present each survey taker with one of the three ads. Then, you can ask more focused questions about one specific ad in a shorter survey, which can improve your response quality and quantity.

The downside is that monadic survey design requires a larger testing group, which might be out of your budget for a certain campaign.

5. Comparison testing

With comparison testing, respondents see two stimuli side by side and answer questions about which one they prefer. This process is efficient and budget-friendly. Still, you might not get worthwhile results if the stimuli are too similar.

6. Eye-tracking tests

A version of biometric testing, eye tracking can help you understand what specific parts of your more visual ads, such as videos, capture peoples’ attention. This approach is best when you ask questions to understand why those aspects resonated most with your respondents.

There are numerous options for ad testing — you have to select the best methods for each ad campaign you run. Of course, that’s a bit easier said than done, but you can make a more confident and informed decision with a basic understanding of which types of ad tests exist.

Work with WebFX to take your digital ads to the next level

If you need help getting started with digital ad campaigns for your business, we’re here for you. Our digital advertising services include launching and testing ads to make sure that every campaign is driving the results you want.

We make it easy for you to optimize your ad campaign while lessening your workload. Contact our team to get a free proposal today!