Google Website OptimizerA BEGINNER’S GUIDE

& Cameron Chapman& Cameron Chapman

If you want to make real progress in increasing the conversion rates on

your website, randomly trying di�erent headlines, images, and other ele-

ments on your pages and crossing your �ngers isn’t going to get you very

far. You need something that can give you real data about what’s working

and what’s not.

Even better is, it’s a free tool that can manage your conversion testing.

Leave it to Google to provide just such a tool: Website Optimizer.

What is Google Website Optimizer?Google Website Optimizer is a free tool for creating

experiments for conversion rate testing. You set up experiments

for various elements on your pages and then Google randomly

serves the di�erent versions of your pages to real visitors who

come to your website.

�ere are huge advantages to this method of testing over other

sites that test your pages with people who may or may not fall into

your target market. With Google Website Optimizer, you know

that the people who are participating in these tests are your target

market (or at least your target visitor).

A/B Testing vs. Multivariate TestingWebsite Optimizer allows for both A/B testing and multivariate testing. With an A/B test, you test two versions of the same page. �is is a great option if you want to test two completely di�erent designs or layouts.

Multivariate tests can test multiple elements on your pages simultaneously. �is is the way to go if you want to test multiple headlines, calls-to-action, images, or other elements (or all of the above). It saves time to take this route if you have a lot of elements to test, rather than doing them one-at-a-time in A/B tests.

What Should My Conversion Rate Be?So you’ve �gured out what kind of test to run, but I’m sure a you’re wondering what your conversion rate should be. Some of you probably have an idea already, as you know you need a certain conversion rate to take the next step in your business. For those who don’t have a clue, though, I o�er this simple rule:

If you’re already converting a lot higher than 20% of your visitors, you may not be able to double your conversion rate, though it’s still a good goal to have. And if you’re already converting over 50% of your visitors, then what are you doing reading this article?

Don’t forget that KISSmetrics has powerful tools for tracking your sales funnel and �guring out just where visitors are getting hung up.

Your conversion rate should be double your current conversion rate

or 10%, whichever is higher. So if you’re only converting 1% of your

current visitors, you should be converting 10%. If you’re already

converting 10%, you should be converting 20%.

What Do I TestNow that you’ve got your conversion rate goal in hand, it’s time to start �guring out what you should test. �e answer is both simple and complicated. �ere are a lot of possible things you can test:

I’m sure you could come up with more than that if you look at your pages. It’s going to be di�erent for each site, but deciding what to test is an integral part of running a successful test. If you’re still not sure or want more ideas, check out these two articles:

Top 50 Google Website Optimizer Tips on What to Test64 Tips for Getting Started with Google Website Optimizer

The size and position of your logo

The size,

position, and

color of your

headline

The overall color scheme of your page

Headlines

and call to

actions

The body copy (including both the copy itself and the size and font used)

The layout The call(s) to action

The length and field labels of any forms on the page

Images used and

how many to use

(this is especially

important for

product pages)

Related products

(how many to

show, where to

show them, how

to show them)

Shouldn’t I Just Start Somewhere? Anywhere?

You hear this all the time: just dive in and start testing! It doesn’t matter what you test, just start testing!

Sorry, but that’s wrong.

�at’s like getting hungry, walking into a grocery store and grabbing the �rst thing you see. Sure, it might be something you like, something that will give your body the energy it needs, or it might be those plastic corn cob holder things. And what are you going to do with those in December?

�ink through what you want to test in terms of where you can have an impact. Make sure you’re testing the right pages (most likely your landing page, homepage, or product page, at least initially). Make sure you’re testing the right elements on those pages (your footer likely has little impact on whether someone makes a purchase, so why spend time optimizing that �rst?). �e point here is to increase conversions. To do that you need to test things that actually have an impact on your

Deciding Where to Start

�e best way to �gure out what to start testing �rst is to look at your current conver-sion funnel. You likely have a homepage or landing page, some sort of product page, and a shopping cart page(s). So which page is bleeding visitors the worst? If 70% of people aren’t making it past your homepage, start there. If you’re losing half your visitors at the shopping cart, then test and optimize that �rst.

It only makes sense to optimize the worst areas �rst, as that’s where you stand to gain the most.

BrainstormOnce you know what pages to test, and possibly what elements, it’s time to brainstorm the possible variables. Come up with half a dozen alternate headlines or calls-to-action. �en pick the best ones and test those (or test all the ones you came up with). Look for di�erent images to use on the page and add those to the test.

Remember, Website Optimizer will handle the serving of all these things, so once your experiment is set up, you don’t need to manage dozens of di�erent page ver-sions. It’s easier to set them all up in one test than it is to run additional tests over the course of weeks or months.

One thing to keep in mind is that very similar test variables tend to provide inconclusive results. You’re better o� trying out radically di�erent variables instead of variables where only a word or two is changed.

How to Set Up Your TestsAs already mentioned, Website Optimizer has two di�erent testing methods: multivariate testing and A/B testing. �ey have technical guides for setting up each kind of test, and either you’ll need some basic knowledge of HTML (and access to your site’s code) or you’ll have to get help from someone who does. You can �nd the A/B testing technical details here, and the multivariate ones here.

But setting aside the technical details, how do you run a test with Website Optimizer?

�e �rst step is to decide what you’re going to test and the alternatives you’re going to use. You should have already completed these steps based on the information above. Select your test page and your conversion page (what the �nal destination should be, such as a receipt page or a con�rmation page).

Next you’ll want to set up the content to test. Remember that trying radically di�erent variables is likely going to give you more conclusive results than slight variations. So your original call-to-action might be something like, “How can we improve?” and your new one might be “Tell us your ideas”. E�ectively, you’re saying the same thing, but in two completely di�erent ways.

Website Optimizer gives you the option to limit the test group to a certain percentage of your website’s visitors. �is isn’t recommended, though, as it not only takes longer for the test to run and can give you less meaningful results. �is is especially true for pages with lower tra�c numbers.

When your test is set up in Website Optimizer, you’ll have to insert the code it gives you into your test pages before the tests can run. After that, all you have to do is wait for the results!

10 Tips for Making the Most of Website Optimizer

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Small gains can equal big winsDon’t just focus on completed sales or sign-ups. Focus on getting visitors from one page of your conversion funnel to the next. Making small gains at each step along the way can result in big gains in the end.

Improve your usabilityDon’t overlook site wide tests, too. Try testing things like your header, navigation, or search feature to see if they make noticeable gains to your conversion rates. Improving overall usability almost always has a positive effect on visitor satisfaction.

Segment, target and personalizeConsider segmenting your visitors to serve different tests for different kinds of users. You can do this based on things like the traffic source, the country or location the user is coming from, and more.

Don't debate, just test itCan’t decide between two different headline options? Is your company split over which image to use? End arguments with coworkers and others by testing out different ideas in the real world.

Get inspired by your competitorsTry what your competitors are doing. If your competition is trying out a new website design or sales style, why not try something similar and see if it actually works better?

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Run simultaneous testsIt saves time, which in turn means you can get your optimized page up and running for all your visitors much faster.

Test big changesWe’ve already talked about testing radically different versions of elements on your page. But why not test radically different page all together? You might be pleasantly surprised with radically improved conversion rates!

Don’t run your test for too longWebsite Optimizer will let you run tests for as long as you want. But there’s really no point in running a test for longer than a couple of weeks, at most. All you’re doing with longer tests is opening up your results to normal fluctuations.

Start with your goalsMake sure you have your goals clarified before you start. This goes beyond just your conversion rate. What are your company’s long-term marketing and positioning goals? Make sure your tests are reinforcing those things, and not deviating from them.

Test regularlyTastes change. New products emerge. Make it a point to test new ideas and improvements on a regular basis. And especially test out new ideas if you see a sudden drop (or even a steady decline) in your conversion rates.

PEOPLE PAY YOU, NOT PAGEVIEWS.Unlike other analytics packages, KISSmetrics measures people, not pageviews. We don’t rely on

cookies alone, we consolidate all of a customer’s behaviors whether they’re browsing on their home

laptop, their work desktop, or even their mobile device.

Unlike other analytics packages, KISSmetrics measures people, not pageviews. We don’t rely on

cookies alone, we consolidate all of a customer’s behaviors whether they’re browsing on their home

laptop, their work desktop, or even their mobile device.

KISSmetrics gets you answers to questions that will help you make better decisions:KISSmetrics gets you answers to questions that will help you make better decisions:

Learn more at

Are your visitors progressing towards revenue-generating activity?

Are your visitors progressing towards revenue-generating activity?

Where are your highest-converting, highest-revenue customers coming from?

Where are your highest-converting, highest-revenue customers coming from?

Are your visitors able to use and benefit from your offering?

Are your visitors able to use and benefit from your offering?

Where should you focus your development attention next?

Where should you focus your development attention next?

We’ve helped a variety of businesses optimize their funnel and increase revenues - from those who

are just starting out to those who are bringing in millions in revenue each month.

We’ve helped a variety of businesses optimize their funnel and increase revenues - from those who

are just starting out to those who are bringing in millions in revenue each month.