subject: Internet Small Business, How Google Website Optimizer Can Double Your Income [print this page] The key to the higher internet small business conversion rate is a regular testing. The tests measure, how the visitors react, or do not, with the different elements of the website. These elements can be texts, positions, ads, images, links, subscription forms, for example. The formula is utmost simple. Google software follows, how the real site visitors behave during the visit.
1. Two Different Test Types.
First a webmaster has to decide, whether he wants to test the 2 whole websites against each other. This requires, that a webmaster has two home pages, for instance, and the test measures, which one works better.
Another test measures, how the different page elements work, like the text, positions, images, colours, links etc. This is called a multivariate test. The requirement is, that the tested page gets at least 1.000 views per week. This article tells about the multivariate test alternative. It follows Google Website Optimizer guidance.
2. Decide The Elements For The Multivariate Test.
The name of this internet small business website test means, that Google can measure several elements of the chosen page and to show, whether they work or not. Yes, you guessed right, the results mean even more tests with the improved elements until the whole page works as targeted.
3. Pick The Sections, Which You Want To Test.
The typical tested page is the home page. The potential tested sections can include the title, description, images, or the subscription form. Then you have to copy the Website Optimizer JavaScript tags and to add these to the source code of the tested page.
4. The Key, How Big You Want To Grow Your Conversion Rate?
The target setting is very important. It is recommended to test the highest traffic page first. When you have done several experiments, your testing skills will improve, which helps to achieve even better results. But you can train first with some small traffic page to get the touch.
5. Start Simply, Test Only A Few Things.
Google recommends to test first two titles and two images. When you add more elements to the test, you will need more traffic and time to get sufficient results. The element, which you track and which you want to convert better should be the most popular on the page.
If your internet small business site has a huge amount of content, the test becomes too complicated if you try to test all the details. Actually, you have an idea, how you want your visitor should behave on the site. Try to test how could you make the call to action to work better or whether there are too many call to actions.
Google Website Optimizer gives the tracking information, the test results, by following the real visitors during their visit. They cannot make recommendations, what to do. The analyze and the executions must be done by the webmaster.
