vital marketing

When designing a web landing page, have you ever struggled over which headline is more compelling?  Which graphics are better aligned with your message?  What should the call to action be?

Google has an answer.  They are making Google Website Optimizer, a multivariate testing application, available free to their Adwords customers.  With this tool you can determine the absolute best combination of web page elements (headlines, graphics, fonts, text, etc.) that leads to conversion success.

What is Multivariate Testing?
Unlike the more common A/B split testing that compares the effectiveness of two completely different web pages, multivariate testing provides a way to quickly test many page designs.  By rotating all of the possible page elements and tracking visitor responses, the multivariate approach determines the most effective combination preferred by your audience.

With this tool you can test up to eight elements at a time. So as an example you might consider:

• Headline (2 different options)
• Sub Headline (3 different options)
• Image (3 different options)
• Call to action (2 different options).

Now if you had to design different pages for all of these combinations, you would have to build and track 36 different pages (2 x 3 x 3 x 2).  Of course this would be too difficult, so you wouldn’t do it.

That’s the power of the Google Website Optimizer – you only need a single page and Google will rotate your elements, track the results and ultimately suggest the most effective design.  To see it in action, view the Google Website Optimizer Overview Demo.

Does it work?  Just read a few of the Website Optimizer Customer Testimonials.

After using Website Optimizer, we have a very good idea of what works, and what doesn’t, and what we should do now. Not using it would be almost criminal.”
- Ilan Klein, Park Slope Softworks

Website Optimizer is another home run for Google. The instructions are clear and tagging the sites is simple and completely unobtrusive.”
- Bill Cronin, E-Commerce Manager for Vermont Teddy Bear

The ease of set up, the reporting…all typically “Googlian” in its simplicity and effectiveness.”
- Frank Malsbenden, Shoeline.com

Multivariate testing was once affordable to only the largest companies… but it’s now available to everyone.  So sign up for this free service and start optimizing your landing pages.