Google Website Optimizer Tool

The Google Website Optimizer Tool (GWO) is a free application offered by Google that allows website designers to test different combinations of web content or pages to see which converts more traffic. GWO is a great tool to have in your Conversion Rate Optimisation arsenal. Make the most of it today by creating a free account.

Google Website Optimizer

When you build a web page, it can be difficult to know which headlines are the most eye-catching, which images are more pleasing to the eye, and even which content looks best. Is it better to have bullet lists of the main points, short paragraphs with greater detail, or one huge section that explains everything. The best people to decide are your visitors and the Google Website Optimizer lets you do exactly that.

Google Website Optimizer Tool is free and helps to eliminate the guesswork from which combinations of site content (text and images) on your web page converts the most visitors into customers. GWO offers many features and is easy to set up. All you have to do is decide what you want to test, implement the changes and study the reports GWO provides.

What to Test?

After creating an account, the first thing to decide is what you want to test. If you want to compare one page against another then choose A/B Split Testing. On the other hand, if you want to try different variations of content on the same page, then choose the Multivariate Testing option. The next thing to decide is what is going to be your Conversion Page. This is the page your visitors see after they convert from the page you are testing. This could simply be the Thank You page displayed upon filling in the application form and pressing the enter button.

A/B Split Testing

This method is a good one to start with if your page traffic is less than 1000 page views per week. Simply design two versions of the same page and test them against each other.

Multivariate Testing

Use this method if traffic to your website is fairly high i.e. more than 1,000 page views per week. This method is good if you have several different combinations of page content and you want to see which variation looks the best to your visitors.

GWO Reports

Results from your tests start to appear immediately, but the more results you have, the better statistically the reports are going to be. Google´s rule of thumb is 100 conversions per variation, so for A/B Split Testing, 200 conversions are required for completion. Results obtained will include statistics like Variation 1 increased conversion rate by 10%, and Variation 2 decreased conversion rate by 15%. This instantly tells you which variation has performed the best. You can then implement this change and start testing something different. Result!

SEO Expert Tip

The Google Website Optimizer Tool is an excellent way to test different Landing Pages to see which converts more traffic.