Content testing: How to measure the effectiveness of your content

Words, they say, are powerful. If you’ve ever questioned this notion, try picturing your favorite digital product without words. How usable would it be?

Without the context that written content gives, your designs will be practically unusable. So, it only makes sense to tailor your content to your users’ needs. An effective way to ensure that your content meets your users’ needs is through content testing.

When done well, content testing can help you pinpoint the exact words and phrases that resonate best with your users.

In this article, we’ll cover what content testing is (and what it isn’t), why you should test your content, and show you some methods for measuring the effectiveness of your content.

So, let’s get started by defining what content testing is.

What is content testing?

Content testing is a user research method that evaluates how well the copy in a digital product resonates with users and supports their intended goals. It’s an iterative process that involves testing various aspects of content, such as language and tone of voice, to ensure that it effectively communicates information and guides users through a digital experience.

Although content testing and usability testing often go together, you shouldn’t confuse the two. Unlike usability testing, which aims to evaluate the overall usability of a digital product or interface, content testing focuses primarily on the quality and impact of the written content.

Typically, content testing seeks to address the following questions:

• Is the content easy to understand?
• Is the content engaging to the users?
• Does the content address users’ questions and concerns?
• Does the content reflect the brand’s voice, tone, and values?
• Is the content accessible to users with disabilities?
• Does the content follow a logical order?

And just in case you’re wondering why you should even bother with finding the answers to these questions, here’s why:

Why test your content?

Imagine you’re designing a landing page. You’ve created personas, analyzed the language preferences of these personas, and tailored your copy to suit them. After investing significant time and energy into crafting the perfect copy, would you just cross your fingers and hope the copy converts? Most likely not.

Content testing offers a proactive approach to ensuring your copy is effective because it:

Teaches you how users perceive your voice and tone

By analyzing user feedback, you can spot common trends in how people perceive your voice and tone. This helps you adjust your tone to better match what users expect.

Ensures the quality of your copy

Content testing can help you identify confusing language, ambiguous terms, or sentences that may hinder comprehension. This makes it easy to improve your copy’s clarity and usefulness.

Shows you the exact impact of your writing decisions

Because content testing produces well-structured data, even numbers that are easy to understand, you can measure the impact of your copy on users.

Gives you a clear idea of how to improve your copy

By testing various text elements, you can understand what works best for your users and what doesn’t. But most importantly, you’ll understand the why behind it. That way, you would know what to change and what to keep.

Helps you create more accessible content

Through content testing, you can learn about the obstacles users with various disabilities might encounter when accessing your content. This information can help you tailor your content to meet the needs of diverse users.

Helps you understand your users better

By analyzing user responses, engagement metrics, and feedback from content testing, you can better understand your users’ likes, dislikes, expectations, and preferred ways of processing information. With this knowledge, you can tailor your content to better meet their needs and expectations.

Now that we’ve discussed the importance (“why”) of content testing, let’s turn our attention to the “how.” We’ll start by looking at ways to evaluate your content, followed by an overview of some content testing methods.

6 ways to evaluate your content

Here are some criteria you should use when testing your content:

1. Readability

Readability determines how easily users can read and understand your text. Key considerations include:

• Is the font legible?
• Are the calls to action clear and effective?
• Can users scan the content to find what they’re looking for?
• Does a reader have to read the copy more than once to understand it?

2. Accessibility

Accessibility tells you how easily readers with disabilities can access and understand your content. It involves considerations such as:

• Is the content structured in a way that’s easy to navigate and understand for users of all abilities?
• Is the content format compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers?
• Is the color contrast between the text and foreground sufficient for visually impaired users?

3. Usability

Usability lets you know how easy it is for users to engage with your text. Some key considerations include:

• Is the content written in clear, concise language?
• Can users complete their tasks without any confusion?
• Does the content display correctly on various screen sizes and devices?

4. Searchability

Searchability tells you how easy it is for users to find your product online. Key factors to consider include:

• Are your meta descriptions clear and concise?
• Does your content include relevant keywords that align with your target audiences’s search queries?
• Where does your product rank in search results?

5. Navigability

Navigabilty determines how easy it is for users to navigate your content. Factors to consider include:

• Can users find what they’re looking for with ease?
• Does your copy flow logically from one point to the next?
• Can users access the information they need without going through multiple steps?
• Are your headings and subheadings structured to guide users through your content?

6. Tone and voice

Tone and voice determine whether the language used aligns with your company’s brand identity. Factors to consider include:

• Is your voice on brand and consistent across the entire product?
• Is the language used appropriate for your industry and target audience?
• Is your content inclusive, devoid of stereotypes, and without potentially offensive language?
• Does the tone of your content evoke the desired emotional response from the audience?

7 key content testing methods

Here are seven methods you can use to test your content:

1. A/B testing

A/B testing is a quantitative research method that involves putting different versions of the same content before users to determine which performs better. The version that outperforms the others is typically chosen for broader implementation.

It’s important to note that although A/B testing can tell you which content performs better, it doesn’t tell you why. You would need to turn to other research methods to discover the reasons behind the users’ decisions.

Why use A/B testing?

Just in case you’re wondering why you should choose A/B testing, here’s why:

• It gives you a glimpse into user behavior and preferences in real-life situations.
• You can see whether changes in your copy improve conversion rates and by how much.
• It allows users to be involved in designing their user experience.

2. Card sorting

Card sorting is a quantitative and/or qualitative user research method used to evaluate the information architecture of a digital product. It involves asking users to group ideas and information in a way that’s logical to them using physical or virtual cards. Through this exercise, you can know where users expect to find certain content.

Why use card sorting?

Here are a few reasons why you might want to use card sorting:

• It can help you discover where users expect to find certain information.
• It gives you an idea of users’ expectations toward naming conventions.
• It shows you how users expect to navigate your product, for example, which pieces of information to find under a particular menu section.

3. Search term analysis

Search term analysis is a quantitative user research method that involves analyzing search terms to identify what people already use and if there are any trends. Tools such as Google Trends can show you the terms most familiar to users in your region.

Why use search term analysis?

Here are some reasons why search term analysis might be worth your time:

• It shows you the absolute and comparative popularity of certain terms.
• It can improve your SEO ranking by showing you what people search for so you can include them in your content.
• By monitoring search term trends over time, you can identify emerging topics, interests, or customer behaviors. This information can help you stay ahead of market trends.

4. Comprehension survey

Comprehension survey is a user research method that tests whether a user understands a piece of content. This can be long-form content, short text, or anything in between.

Why use a comprehension survey?

Here are some ways a comprehension survey can help you:

• It shows you which parts of your copy need improvement.
• It allows you to spot ambiguities and unclear language.
• It can help you improve your writing skills.

5. Highlighter testing

A highlighter test is a quantitative research method where users read a passage, marking confusing parts in one color and highlighting clear sections in another. This exercise helps you figure out what’s easy to understand and what’s not.

There are two types of highlighter tests: moderated and unmoderated tests.

Moderated test: Participants are typically asked about their decisions or thought processes during or after the test session.

Unmoderated test: Participants take the tests independently but may still be asked for feedback through follow-up surveys or interviews.

Why use highlighter testing?

Here are some reasons why highlighter testing is beneficial:

• It gives you an idea of the overall clarity of your content.
• It shows you how well users understand certain terminologies, especially technical ones.
• You can learn about the comprehensibility of long and short copies.

6. Cloze tests

A Cloze test involves hiding every xth word from view, and the participants are asked to guess the hidden word. You can let participants come up with words themselves or present them with options to fill in the missing words. This exercise can give an insight into their comprehension level.

Cloze tests can be conducted in person or virtually.

Why conduct a Cloze test?

Here are some ways a Cloze test can help you:

• It can show you whether or not users understand your copy.
• You can discover what your users’ expectations are in terms of communication.
• You can gain insight into your users’ vocabulary, particularly in tests where users can select their own words to fill in the blanks.

7. Usability testing

Usability testing is a qualitative research method in which a moderator prompts participants to perform tasks to evaluate their understanding of the content used. For example, you can ask participants to read content about a feature and describe what it does.

Why conduct a usability test?

Here are some benefits of usability testing:

• It can help you identify general usability issues.
• You can spot ambiguity and misunderstandings in your content.
• It can help you see how well your writing fits into the overall flow.

Although we’ve focused mainly on seven content testing methods, it’s important to note that some other approaches can provide valuable insights into your content’s performance. Here are a few of them:

Other effective ways to test your content

Eye tracking

This research method involves observing where test participants focus on your content and the order in which they read it. It also looks at how much time they spend reading and whether they’re re-reading. This can help you determine if users understand your content the first time they read it.

Session replays

Session replays are recordings of user interactions with your digital content. They capture users’ mouse movements, scrolls, clicks, and other interactions in real time. These recordings can show how users navigate your content, including any areas they struggle with.

Heatmaps

Heatmaps give you a visual representation of how users interact with different text elements, showing you areas of interest and engagement. With this insight, you can make well-informed content placement decisions.

There are several analytical tools that you can use to view a heatmap of your site. LogRocket is one such tool, offering three different ways to see how users interact with your content:

• Clickmaps: This displays where users click on an interface. Typically, areas with more clicks are represented with warmer colors like red and orange, while areas with fewer clicks use colors like green and blue.

  

• Scrollmap: This shows how far users scroll down a webpage before dropping off. Areas with red or orange indicate high engagement while areas with cooler colors like blue show user drop-off.

  

• Hovermap: This tracks mouse movements across a specific page, showing you where users most commonly hover their mouse. Redder sections indicate where users spend the most time on your webpage.

  

Wrapping up

Content testing takes the guesswork out of your content strategy, offering clear insights into what resonates with users and what doesn’t. In this article, we’ve explored a handful of testing methods. So, whether you’re looking to enhance readability, perfect your voice and tone, or gauge real-world performance, there’s a research method here for you.

And, if you don’t have the time or resources for extensive research, analytical tools like LogRocket offer insights into user behavior that can help optimize your digital content. So, why leave your content’s success to luck?