16 A/B Testing Experts You HAVE to Follow to Get Ahead
Isaac Newton, the genius scientist who discovered the laws of gravity and invented calculus, is also famous for saying, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Genius helps genius. You know this—that’s why you’re checking out this list of top A/B testing influencers to follow. You want to know whose shoulders you can stand on to activate more genius in your A/B testing journey.
And, my friend, you’re in the right place.
A/B testing is a powerful tool in the arsenal of any marketer. If you use it correctly, you’ll get huge benefits like
- The best ROI from your existing traffic
- Less spending on ads
- More certainty about website optimization
- Improved user experience on your site, and more.
The catch is using it correctly. To do that, you have to come up with original hypotheses and relevant testing ideas, overcome biases, understand the mechanics of conversion rate optimization, think outside “best practices”, and keep up with the growth in the industry.
Where better to get that than from industry-leading A/B testing experts who’ve overcome similar challenges as yours and came out successful?
Let’s get to know some of them. But first…
How Did We Put Together This List of A/B Testing Influencers?
This isn’t a comprehensive list of the top A/B testing specialists in the world. We created this list based on something very personal. Our own learning curve.
We divided our content team into groups. And each group was on the lookout for A/B testing/experimentation/CRO content that could break down the complexities of the rigorous scientific process into common sense, (almost) axiomatic learning.
Next, we focused on using what we picked up from the folks whose words stuck with us in blogs, newsletters, and social media micro-content.
It’s these stalwarts who made it to the first draft of our list. It’s highly intentional.
Here are additional details around how the initial pool of candidates, pre-selection, was assembled.
We ran a search on:
- LinkedIn, Twitter, Substack, YouTube, and Medium
- People talking about #abtesting, #cro, #experimentation, and similar hashtags
- Consistent speakers in notable CRO events and podcasts, and
- The people behind CRO agencies with a proven track record.
After we came up with a broad list of experts who’ve said or done something influential in A/B testing, the next step was to narrow it down. That’s where the criteria came in. So, we shortened the list to people who have all or some of these:
- Researched experimentation and shared results
- Own credible platforms where they speak or write about A/B testing
- Give a sneak peek into the struggles and challenges involved in A/B testing and experimentation
- Established large experimentation programs from scratch or taken one to the next level
- Refreshing views about A/B testing, but in a way that’s conducive for those who wish to learn about it
We tried to include some fresh faces because even without an established following, some people share interesting ideas worth listening to.
So, you will find that we didn’t dwell much on their qualifications, laurels, and achievements for this. Instead, for each influencer, you’ll find why you should follow them and what they have to offer you this year.
Now, in no particular order, let’s meet some of our giants.
1. Craig Sullivan
Craig Sullivan is the Optimiser in Chief at Optimal Visit where he provides CRO consultancy services. He’s led the conversion optimization, UX strategy, and analytics programs of global brands and speaks at Econsultancy, Conversion Conference, eMetrics, Internet World, CRO Cafe, etc.
Why you should follow: Craig likes to share and teach about user experience, which is core in any A/B test. When you follow, you’ll add more insights about user-centered design, usability testing, and web analytics to your feed.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
One of our favorite recent posts of his:
2. Ronny Kohavi
Ronny Kohavi is the big name behind the experimentation programs at Amazon, Airbnb, and Microsoft. He comes from a solid academic background (Ph.D.), writes and speaks about controlled experiments, personalization, and A/B testing.
Why you should follow: From a strong scientific background in experimentation, Ron’s posts champion the right mentality towards testing and optimization. He usually debunks misconceptions about A/B testing and experimentation statistics and shares his research.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
- ScholarSite (paid)
Research papers published:
- Online Experimentation at Microsoft, 2009 (Award-winning paper)
- Online Experiments: Lessons Learned (with Roger Longbotham)
- More are available here.
Books published:
He co-authored Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments: A Practical Guide to A/B Testing with Diane Tang from Google and Ya Xu from LinkedIn. It has been defined as “the new bible of how to get from data to decisions in the digital age” (and it’s one of my colleague Karim’s favorite A/B testing books). He also has other A/B testing books to his name.
The type of online content you can see from Ron:
3. Georgi Georgiev
Georgi Georgiev is the Owner and Manager of Web Focus LLC. Since 2012, he has developed online tools for web analysts and A/B testers plus he’s published in-depth articles and white papers about web analytics, statistics, and A/B testing.
Why you should follow: Georgi brings an incredible fact-based angle to A/B testing and experimentation. You’ll get content that’s grounded in logic and data-driven evidence. One of the top places to go for analytics knowledge.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Books published:
- Statistical Methods in Online A/B Testing: Statistics for data-driven business decisions and risk management in e-commerce
Here’s a thought-provoking parallel between the COVID-19 vaccine trials and A/B tests:
4. Ben Labay
Ben Labay is the Managing Director at Speero by CXL. He comes with more than a decade of academic and statistics experience and over 5 years in marketing and digital industries.
Why you should follow: Ben frequently speaks about research, experimentation, customer experience, UX, and change management. He puts out free video content about these topics as well on LinkedIn.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Up your experimentation game with his series on CRO narratives:
5. Els Aerts
She’s known as the “Queen of user research” – an integral aspect of a proper experimentation program. Els is the Co-Founder of AGConsult, a Belgium-based usability and conversion optimization company.
Why you should follow: From 20 years of experience in the field, she shares her knowledge of user research, customer-centric design, usability, UX, and conversion optimization with her followers.
Where she speaks about A/B testing:
- The blog of AGConsult (it’s mostly in Dutch but the Google Translate extension helps)
- She’s developed and teaches a series of web writing courses and speaks at CXL Live, Conversion Hotel, and Digital Elite Camp.
Books published:
She co-authored a book about web writing that you probably want to check out (in Dutch).
This post is guaranteed to make you think about customer research in a different way:
6. Jakub Linowski
Jakub is the Chief Editor of GoodUI where he writes about evidence-based UI patterns. He works with experimentation teams at Microsoft, Yummly, VivaReal, etc., who share their A/B test results with him.
Why you should follow: It will feed you with inspiration for A/B testing UI changes. His goal is to help design and growth teams replicate each other’s success. So, his content is rich with observations about Netflix experimentation, as well as those of other big brands like Amazon, Airbnb, Etsy, etc.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Here’s an analysis of an A/B test on action buttons he recently shared:
7. Bhavik Patel
Bhavik Patel (AKA Dodonerd) is a product analytics leader and the founder of CRAP Talks. CRAP Talks is a forum for sharing ideas, inspiration, and passion around marketing issues with practicality and application.
Why you should follow: Add more fun memes about product management and experimentation to your feed. And according to his LinkedIn, Mark Hamill (the actor who played Luke Skywalker in the franchise) liked two of his tweets. So if you’re a Star Wars fan then his posts are going to be right up your alley! Errr… That’s how it works, right? Right?!
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
- His Tuesday Newsletters (features experimentation, product analytics, product management, and data)
- His Medium blog
- The CRAP Talks YouTube Channel
Luke Skywalker liked this post:
8. Tyler Buffington
Tyler is a senior data scientist at Big Fish Games and a senior data analyst at The International Public Safety Data Institute. He’s experienced in statistics and software development. This is how he’s been able to make valuable contributions to data-oriented software products and designed statistical methodologies for A/B tests.
Why you should follow: Put more data science experience behind the A/B testing knowledge you’re acquiring – especially if you also enjoy some analogy with music.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Research published:
- Valuable-AB-testing (a GitHub project that aims to answer the question “How much is an A/B test worth?”
A post that quantifies the economic value of an A/B test:
9. Lukas Vermeer
Lukas Vermeer, an experienced experimentation practitioner, is the Director of Experimentation at Vista. He designs and builds the infrastructure and processes for starting and scaling A/B tests. He was Booking.com’s Director of Experimentation for 8 years.
Why you should follow: He usually speaks at data science and conversion rate optimization events. Even if you don’t attend, he shares some of that content and value with his followers on Medium and sometimes, LinkedIn. You’ll see that he explains science and stats using engaging stories.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Research papers published:
He co-authored a number of research papers including:
- Experimentation growth: Evolving trustworthy A/B testing capabilities in online software companies
- Democratizing online controlled experiments at Booking.com
- Top challenges from the first practical online controlled experiments summit (Ronny Kohavi worked on this one too)
A piece he co-wrote that introduces the A/B testing flywheel concept:
10. Jonny Longden
He is the conversion director at Journey Further, a performance marketing agency. For 13 years, he’s worked with top brands to use analytics and experimentation to optimize their digital innovation and engineering.
Why you should follow: In his words, “9 out of every 10 changes you make to your website (without experimentation) is a waste of money or could damage your revenue.” Stick around his content and you’ll learn how to put data and experimentation in front of your development and innovations.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
On the necessity of failure in experimentation:
11. Joshua Frank
Josh Frank founded Test Triggers. He manages A/B testing campaigns for eCommerce and software companies.
Why you should follow: His content covers CRO, eCommerce, and A/B testing. If you’re in the eCommerce or software scene, here’s an influencer who’s made it through any challenges you may face and is freely sharing his experience.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Winning strategies for online store owners:
12. Jeremy Epperson
Jeremy Epperson is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Conversion Guides, a CRO agency. He researches, builds, and implements processes and testing strategies for exponential growth in startups. In 2022, Jeremy and Sina (next on the list) have announced their agencies are merging. These guys are on a mission to disrupt the industry–we expect big things from them!
Why you should follow: Jeremy coaches startups and is experienced in business growth. If you’re interested in avoiding startup pitfalls while triggering CRO-fuelled growth without the steep learning curve, get close to his content. You’ll get to understand the place of experimentation in your overall business growth strategy.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Get better results with CRO:
13. Sina Fak
Sina Fak is the head of optimization and business intelligence at Conversion Advocates, one of the top CRO agencies. He’s a thought leader in using data to drive business decisions.
Why you should follow: Staying on his posts will give you insight into using the results of your A/B tests to drive business growth. This way, whatever your testing results may be, you can translate it to business intelligence.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
Books published:
He’s currently writing a book on how leaders translate complex data into business intelligence.
Get into the right mindset to test:
14. David Mannheim
David Mannheim is the former founder of User Conversion, the UK’s largest independent conversion optimization consultancy. Today, he’s a creative optimization consultant with expertise in experimentation and personalization and the Global VP of CRO at Brainlabs.
Why you should follow: He shares exceptional content on personalization, experimentation, eCommerce, and development. He champions providing outstanding user experiences. So, you can get answers and advice around CRO topics in the retail industry.
Where he speaks about testing:
Some of the topics he covers on Substack:
15. Manuel Da Costa
Manuel Da Costa is the founder and head of product development at Effective Experiments. It’s a platform for managing CRO workflow. He’s also the founder of Conversion World, the online community for CRO professionals that hosts the annual virtual event of the same name.
Why you should follow: Manuel is a seasoned voice to check in the CRO and A/B testing sphere, especially on LinkedIn. His content is great for learning and shaping the experimentation culture in your organization. Plus, you get access to videos and webinars if you prefer those types of content.
Where he speaks about A/B testing:
- Effective Experiments blog
- His LinkedIn page
- Twitter (not very active here)
Here’s some great advice for CRO professionals:
16. Brian Massey
Brian is a Conversion Scientist™ (and Managing Partner) at Conversion Sciences, a data-driven conversion optimization agency. He speaks at conferences like CXL, Conversion Jam, and ConversionSummit, in his lab coat (nice touch, by the way).
Why you should follow: He’s a trained computer scientist who stays on brand, and gathered over 20 years of experience in online marketing. He’s helped thousands of companies of all sizes find success on the internet and shares that experience with his followers.
Where he speaks about CRO:
Books published:
- Your Customer Creation Equation: Unexpected Website Formulas of The Conversion Scientist
- He co-authored: Digital Marketing Growth Hacks: The World’s Best Digital Marketers Share Insights on How They Grew Their Businesses with Digital
On changing the way we design:
Next Steps
No matter what your favorite type of content is – A/B testing podcasts, blogs, YouTube videos, books, and social media posts – there’s someone worth checking out on every channel.
These folks are some of the best content creators and social media influencers in the industry. If you aren’t following them already, then do yourself a favor and hit those “follow” buttons. You’ll thank yourself later for it! Fill up on top-level stats and analytics knowledge, test ideas inspirations, experimentation culture, solutions to A/B testing challenges, optimization best practices, and ultimately, be a better A/B tester every day.
Like we mentioned in the intro, this is a list of the folks our team most benefitted from, but there are many more worth checking out. Nominate your favorites and let us know what you think about this post – do these influencers get it right? Who did we miss that deserves an acknowledgment for their contribution to the world of conversion optimization?
Written By
Uwemedimo Usa
Edited By
Carmen Apostu
