For testing purposes and the examples we give, were going to be using Googles Website Analyzer which is a part of Google Analytics. Why? Well, for one, because its free and so accessible to everybody ; and secondly, because its a darn good testing platform free or not.
Googles Website Optimizer is free, forceful, convenient. What more could you want? It enables you to perform A / B and multivariate testing.
Why is it free?
Because Google knows that if you improve your conversion rates, youare more likely to speculate in more advertising campaigns, users are happy because theyre happier with the sites that they find thru searches. Basically, everyone seems to be happy and Google makes extra cash.
Appears sensible when you put it that way, does not it?
There are more, paid services that you may use to further your testing, measuring, and enhancing practices. But this series is all about making the most out of what you can get for almost no money spent, by focusing on the buyer and conducting your communications strategy in a totally different way. Because of this, with reference to practical applications for testing thatwill be covered in this part of the series, well be concentrating on how best to use the free Google tools.
The most important thing to remember about the Google Website Optimizer is that it’s a tool. It only provides the metrics, it cant tell you what changes to make. You have to infer that for yourself. If you’d like the tests you run to be pointed and give you the feedback you need to boost your site, then you need to make sure you are going about it the right way, and making the best of the free tools that Google gives you.
Later on in the series, well be going thru precisely what you should be doing to get you started with testing. Where you take it from thereis up to you.
Before we delve into the nuts and bolts of really running a test, there are some things you need to remember for any test you run, whether its 1 or 1001 :
- Always start the test with a goal in mind. Know what you expect the result to be ( though you may be wrong very , very wrong ; thats what youare testing. ) In scientific tests, this is named the conjecture. Your goal is the basis and the reason for the whole test.
- Determine what you metric of success will be before you start the test. How much better is good enough to be considered a success? 5%? Ten percent 50%? Only you can decide that.
- Remember not to muddy the waters. If you are testing the colour of the checkout button, dont also change the shape or the font or where it appears on the site. You could get a fantastic result, but you wont know what variable was responsible for the change. Be especially aware of this when testing copy ; any other changes you make, even inadvertently, to the layout or the font or any other facet of the display will totally negate the authenticity of the test on the actual content.
- Remember that you always need a control. Even if youare dong multivariate testing, you continue to need to use the original version of the page to act as a control, something to compare the test results to.
- Use descriptive names for your tests. You may be able to keep control of the incontrovertible fact that Tests 1-10 were about buttons and Tests 11-15 were about headlines, but what about when you are at Test 345? If you give your tests clear, detailed names, itll be easier for you to find the info and results when you need to refer back to them to plan more tests.
- The tests mean nothing if you dont learn anything from them. Your test isnt really done ( or of any use to you ) unless youhave investigated the results and applied the learnings to your site. You then use that knowledge youhave gained as the foundation for the next test, because
- And eventually, youare never done testing. There won’t ever be a time when you are able to say Thats it, its perfect, Im done. Even if your website is perfect and performing at its maximum capacity at that moment, the web is a fluid, changing thing, and you need to make sure ( thru testing ) that you are keeping up with the changes and keeping you and your internet site relevant and maintain your presence onthe internet as a Trusted Expert.
( This post is a continuation of the series of turning into a Trusted Expert. You can read the previous posts at Become a Trusted Expert Online )
Visit Johncow.com today to find out more about how to Make Money Online or check out out Make Money Online Podcasts.