# Showing Social Follower Count A/B Test

Page: https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/lab/ab-test-library/tests/showing-social-follower-count-ab-test

## Hypothesis

If a current follower count appears next to the brand link, visitors may take it as a sign that the brand has a real audience. When the number fits the context, that signal could raise the conversion rate, while a low number may offer little reassurance.

## When to run this test

Visitors who do not know the brand well tend to give themselves away through trust questions in support tickets, survey answers from people hearing of it for the first time, and trips to the social profile and back. If the count reassures them, visitors see that signal on the page, keep going and convert more often. If the number is not the real, current count for a single platform, because it adds up several platforms or will go stale without automatic updates, fix the data source first.

## Primary metric

**Purchase conversion rate (CR)**: Choose purchase or registration before launch and compare the same event among assigned visitors.

## Other metrics

- **Page exit rate**: Make sure a low follower count does not increase exits.
- **Perceived trust (survey)**: If surveyed, use the same survey and sampling method in both arms.
- **Click-through rate**: Track visits to the social platform and whether visitors return to convert.
- **Time on page**: Read time alongside conversion; longer visits do not directly prove distraction.

## What to check before and during the test

- **Count**: Show the current follower count for one platform next to the existing brand link.
- **Keep presentation fixed**: Keep link behavior and use one fixed format, size and placement.
- **Real audience**: Use the actual count; do not invent a threshold or inflate the number.
- **Separate tests**: Rounding, placement and platform choice are separate comparisons.
- **Mobile**: Check the space used and access to the main CTA on small screens.

## What to watch when reading the result

- Judge the result on the purchase or registration event you chose before launch; clicks to the social platform only matter if visitors come back and convert. A rising page exit rate means a small lift in conversion is not enough to ship; read time on page together with conversion as well.
- Conversion data does not tell you whether trust went up; if you want to know that too, measure perceived trust with the same survey and sampling method in both arms. Keep the finding limited to this platform, count and placement, and check on small screens whether the counter gets in the way of the main CTA.
- Do not change the counter's visual emphasis while the test runs, because a change midway mixes two presentations into one result. If the difference stays small, enter each arm's visitors and conversions into the [A/B test significance calculator](https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/calculators/ab-test); if the p-value says chance could explain the gap, do not treat the counter as a win.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Which follower count should be shown?

Use the genuine, current count for the specified platform. Do not inflate it or imply a unique cross-platform audience by summing unrelated totals. Keep updates accurate.

### Can conversion data establish increased trust?

No. Use purchase conversion as the primary outcome and assess trust through comparable direct feedback. Behavioral change and reported trust are different results.

### Could a low follower count harm the page?

It may, especially when irrelevant to the offer. Monitor exits and outbound social visits, including whether visitors return and convert.