Seven Steps to Successful Split Tests Sorta Science-y Stuff
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
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 therefore 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 enhance your conversion rates, youare more likely to invest in more advertising campaigns, users are chuffed because theyre happier with the sites that they find through searches. Fundamentally, everyone is happy and Google makes more cash.
Appears sensible when you put it that way, doesnt it?
There are other, paid services that you can 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 very different way. For that reason, with regard to practical applications for testing thatwill be covered in this part of the series, well be concentrating on how best to utilize the free Google tools.
The main thing to bear in mind 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’ve got to infer that for yourself. If you’d like the tests you run to be suggestive and give you the feedback you want 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 in the series, well be going through exactly what you should be doing to get you moving with testing. Where you take it from thereis up to you.
Before we delve into the nuts and bolts of essentially running a test, there are a few things you need to recollect for any test you run, whether its 1 or 1001 :
- Always start the test with a goal in mind. Know what you would expect the result to be ( though you may be wrong very wrong ; thats what youare testing. ) In scientific tests, this is called the conjecture. Your goal is the basis and the cause of the entire test.
- Determine what you metric of success will be before you start the test. How much better is sufficiently good to be considered a success? 5%? 10% 50%? Only you can decide that.
- Remember not to muddy the waters. If you are testing the color of the checkout button, dont also change the shape or the font or where it would appear on the site. You might get a fantastic result, but you wont know what variable was responsible for the change. Be particularly conscious of this when testing copy ; any other changes you make, even accidentally, to the layout or the font or any other side of the display will totally cancel the authenticity of the test on the actual content.
- Remember that youmostly need a control. Even when 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, descriptive names, itll be simpler for you to find the information and results when you need to refer back to them to plan more tests.
- The tests mean nothing if you donot learn anything from them. Your test isnt really done ( or of any use to you ) unless youhave analyzed the results and applied the learnings to your site. You then use that information youhave gained as the base for the following test, because
- And finally, youare never done testing. There will never be a time when you are able to say Thats it, its perfect, Im done. Even if your site is perfect and performing at its utmost capacity at that moment, the Net is a fluid, changing thing, and you want to ensure ( through testing ) that you are keeping up with the changes and keeping you and your internet site applicable and maintain your presence online as a Trusted Expert.
( This post is a continuation of the series of turning into a Trusted Expert. You can read the prior posts at Become a Trusted Expert Online )
Visit Johncow.com today to find out more about the easiest way to Make Money Online or check out out Make Money Online Podcasts.
Leave a Reply
The Sleepy Surfer a.k.a. Raimi Alwi is a person who do not like the hype in the “make money online” industry. He shares his personal experience in his blog and gives a free report for anyone who are not interested in making money. Get the latest story about him at the www.theSleepySurfer.com
About Me
The Sleepy Surfer a.k.a. Raimi Alwi is a person who do not like the hype in the “make money online” industry. He shares his personal experience in his blog and gives a free report for anyone who are not interested in making money. Get the latest story about him at the www.theSleepySurfer.comSubscribe
