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Meta ads
Optimise ad campaigns through A/B testing.
Learn how to run A/B tests to drive higher returns for your ad campaigns.
How to find a winning strategy with Meta's A/B testing tools.
When you identify an opportunity for a new strategy, run an A/B test in Meta Ads Manager to understand which ad variant delivers the best results. Meta's A/B testing tools can help answer questions such as what ad creative resonates with your key audiences, or which targeting strategy drives more conversions.
A/B testing also ensures that your audiences will be evenly split and statistically comparable when you test a change in campaign variables.
What an A/B test could look like for your business.
We highly recommend A/B testing for any business objective. Here's an example of what an A/B test could look like for your business.
Test one of these variables on your next campaign.
In your test, input your new strategy in Version A and existing strategy in Version B.
Creative test ideas
Test whether using vertical videos in your campaigns leads to better campaign results. Small businesses who used this approach achieved a 12% lower cost per web conversion, on average.
Version A: Vertical video + static ads
Version B: Horizontal video + static ads
Loungewear brand Juvia tested Reels-style ads in the Reels placement and drove 1.8X more sales.
Version A: Reels-style video ads in the Reels placement
Version B: Standard video creative in Reels Placement
Tip: New customers are 26% more likely to buy your product after viewing a Reels-style video.
Wild Alaskan Company drove 1.8X more sales by including creative with different music and animation in its campaign.
Version A: Campaign featuring various ad formats and content styles
Version B: Standard approach featuring only one content style
Tip: Get creative strategies to help you test whether varied creative improves your campaign's auction performance.
Campaign setup test ideas
Using broad targeting led to a 59% lower cost pre result for ESL FACEIT Group. Ad sets with an audience size of at least 2 million often see better performance because a larger audience gives the ad auction more chances to find those likely to engage with your ads.
Version A: Broad targeting
Version B: Existing targeting strategy
Online retailer The Red Wagon drove 77% more purchases and 57% lower cost per purchase using a mix of core and high-intent targeting strategies known as full-funnel targeting.
Version A: Full-funnel targeting
Version B: Existing targeting strategy
Brand Moda in Pelle tested Advantage+ shopping to see if it drove higher return on ad spend compared to their usual campaign setup and saw a 2.4X increase in return on ad spend.
Version A: Advantage+ shopping campaign
Version B: Manual sales campaign
Get answers to commonly asked A/B testing questions.
This isn't true experimentation. When multiple campaigns or ad sets run simultaneously in Ads Manager without the A/B testing or experiments tool, the system does not evenly split them, but instead treats them in combination, skewing delivery and budget distribution. This overlap can contaminate strategies and result in inaccurate comparisons. To accurately test ad strategies, use the A/B testing tool which divides your audience into random, non-overlapping groups that are shown ad sets which are identical on all aspects except for a distinct variable.
A test variable is one change within a campaign, ad set or ad. In ad testing, just one variable should change while the rest of the campaign setup and creative remains identical. This could include testing one different setting in your ad set up, such as using an Advantage+ shopping campaign versus a manual campaign, or broad targeting versus your standard targeting approach. In ad creative, variables could include the colour of a product, a different text font, Reels-style video or product-lead imagery.
Businesses can continuously explore new formats and strategies for campaigns, and adapt their approach based on test results. Test when you have a hypothesis for how you could drive performance improvements, when you have a new creative concept or campaign setup, or when you have a question or see performance declines.
With A/B testing, audiences are randomly split. Adequate budget ensures even split and confident strategy determination. To properly test hypotheses and identify winning strategies, use the A/B testing tool. Those who adopt a testing approach tend to see better returns over time.
Ready to get started?
Apply what you learnt when evaluating your results to get better ad performance.
Available on desktop and the Ads Manager app.
