Smartocto has made it possible to conduct image testing, allowing newsrooms to measure the impact of alternative visuals on their articles, ultimately enhancing article performance.

This feature is provided as a supplementary component within the feature Tentacles. Besides evaluating headlines and teasers, clients can incorporate this functionality to enhance the appeal of their articles to visitors. There is an extra charge associated with this service due to the substantial data consumption involved in image testing.

As with standard Tentacles functionality for testing headlines and leads/intros, image testing follows a similar process. Users can incorporate up to three alternative images at the front end of their website. Additionally, they have the option to modify the headline to better complement the new visuals.

See how image testing works in the short video demo above.

It is simple, yet powerful. Testing article headlines is already the most normal thing in the world for our online journalists. I am convinced that testing images in smartocto will be just as successful.

Roy Wassink

Roy Wassink Insights Manager @ DPG Media

"Being able to A/B test images is a long-cherished wish of our news editors”, Roy Wassink, insights manager of DPG Media says. “It gives them a useful, additional opportunity to present their articles to our readers in the best possible way.”

When you test an image, you can also adjust the headline for the same article. "Sometimes, something noteworthy happens in an image that can be highlighted with a headline," notes smartocto’s success manager Martijn de Bie. "This may occasionally blur the distinction between whether improved performance is due to the headline or the image, but ultimately, the goal is to enhance an article's performance."

When smartocto refers to ‘good performance’, it encompasses more than just high click-through rates (CTR). The system takes into account user loyalty within smartocto's Tentacles feature. A click is considered a loyalty click if the visitor remains on the page for at least 10 seconds afterward, indicating that the article lives up to the expectations set by the headline. Higher CTR, combined with increased loyalty, ultimately leads to more engaged visitors.

Clients interested in this feature can contact their success manager.

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