Food companies have elaborate taste-test labs. They can get instant feedback from a taster whether they like a product or not, and the taster will stick around providing feedback until the recipe is just right.
But if you're purchasing Google AdWords, how do know if the visitors driven to your Web site will like what they see -- and stay around to actually purchase products? High-end Web analytics packages let you test alternate page designs and report which variations users respond to best. Google Website Optimizer does the same for anyone with an AdWords account at no additional fee -- yet with Google's hallmark simplicity and excellent results.
The biggest problem with evaluating a Web design's effectiveness is the number of elements on a page, and thus the number of variations you must create and track. Website Optimizer both automates this step and provides definitive reports.
Technically, Google uses a multivariate testing model rather than the more common (and less accurate) A/B testing where you merely compare two different finished pages.
Put simply, you decide which parts of a Web page you want to change -- a headline, image, body copy, or call to action. Within Website Optimizer (which is accessed from your AdWords administration area), you note these areas and the system creates JavaScript which a Webmaster inserts within the page. Lastly, you indicate alternate content for each section.
When the experiment runs, Google automatically serves variations of the page and collects data about the effectiveness of every combination. With A/B testing, you could never do this.
Website Optimizer offers two very readable graphical reports. The first shows which overall combinations work best to convert visitors into customers. The second analysis breaks this down further and shows which specific page section within each variation had the biggest positive or negative effect on behavior.
From what I've seen, marketers in any organization with AdWords spending should look forward to Google Website Optimizer.
Google Website Optimizer
Availability: Currently accepting beta testers.
Pricing: Included with AdWords accounts, which start at $30 per month.
Verdict: Minimal time effort will yield a better return on your AdWords investments by scientifically showing which Web page designs entice visitors to take action.
Posted by Mike Heck on October 23, 2006 10:06 AM
