Google Website Optimizer Multivariate Test Tutorial for Ecommerce Product Page

In this post we demonstrate how to setup a Google Website Optimizer Multivariate test on an Ecommerce Product Page using the Motivity Ecommerce/CMS Platform.

The Motivity platform includes a Google Website Optimizer module that allows you to test your website content and ecommerce pages. In order to test pages you normally need to insert snippets of JavaScript code provided by Google into your pages which most content management and ecommerce systems currently don't support. But this CMS platform does this automatically on every page and on many of the standard content areas of your site. In addition, you can use the button in any of the WYSIWYG site editors to add the Google Website Optimizer tags in order to make additional sections of the page testable. Another great feature is that you can manage all of your A/B and Multivariate tests from a centralized location and see which pages are being tested in each of your tests.

Watch the Google Website Optimizer Multivariate Test setup using the Motivity platform:



Request more information by calling 1(888) 252-7866 or request a demo at www.MotivityWeb.com

Labels: demo, Ecommerce, google website optimizer, motivity, multivariate test, tutorial

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Google Website Optimizer Multivariate Test Tutorial for Ecommerce Category Page

In this post we demonstrate how to setup a Google Website Optimizer Multivariate test on an Ecommerce Category Page using the Motivity Ecommerce/CMS Platform.

The Motivity platform includes a Google Website Optimizer module that allows you to test your website content and ecommerce pages. In order to test pages you normally need to insert snippets of JavaScript code provided by Google into your pages which most content management and ecommerce systems currently don't support. But this CMS platform does this automatically on every page and on many of the standard content areas of your site. In addition, you can use the button in any of the WYSIWYG site editors to add the Google Website Optimizer tags in order to make additional sections of the page testable. Another great feature is that you can manage all of your A/B and Multivariate tests from a centralized location and see which pages are being tested in each of your tests.

Watch this Google Website Optimizer Multivariate Test setup of an Ecommerce Category Page using the Motivity platform:



Request more information by calling 1(888) 252-7866 or request a demo at www.MotivityWeb.com

Labels: demo, Ecommerce, google website optimizer, motivity, multivariate test, test, tutorial

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Google Website Optimizer Test: We Didn't Implement the Winner

Google Website Optimizer Multichannel Ecommerce Case Study

Why was this Website Optimizer test so important?
This test makes a great case study for the value of follow up tests, how strong conversion rates can still be improved substantially, and most importantly provides a critical lesson in why the Google Website Optimizer results cannot be taken at face value. You must truly understand a website's underlying business goals and sometimes make small compromises on the volume of leads in turn for higher quality leads.

Let's start from the beginning...
We identified several deviations from lead generation best practices on the AudioEditions.com 'Request a Catalog' page that we believe were adversely impacting the conversion rate. Thus we ran a test to see if taking out the left and right side columns (most importantly removing the call to action for "Request a Free Catalog" since the user is already on the page to do this), synced up the headline with the offer to reinforce the "Free" expectation, adding a larger cover image (to set clearer expectations of what they are requesting), and simplified the form fields down to the minimum info needed for the catalog request (especially since some of the fields were difficult to understand).

Our Experiment Hypothesis
You must always start any test out with a hypothesis. The hypothesis process is key in determining whether or not this is a test that should even be run. In this case study, our hypothesis was that we could gain at least a 25% increase in conversion with the new variation that will remove the apparent obstacles.

Website Optimizer Test #1

In our first test we ran a simple A/B test. Here is the original page (A)

URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog.cfm

Here is the revised page variation (B)

URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog-v1.cfm

Which version of this page won; A or B?

Here is the Google Website Optimizer Report Screen

Valid Concerns from the Client
While this first 'Request a Catalog' test demonstrated a 67.4% increase in conversion we received valid concerns from the client that the improvement was likely just related to the layout/content changes and not the elimination or modification of form fields.

Follow Up Website Optimizer Test #2

So we ran a follow up test to validate that the conversion increase was not just a result of the design, layout and headline changes but also substantially impacted by the form field changes. This way the client could properly gauge the business value of adding each critical form field and decide whether or not the conversion impact was worth it.

Tip: Google Website Optimizer provides a link on your completed tests for easily running a follow up test as in this example. If we had stopped with the first test and implemented the improved page variation you can see below the important lessons that would have been missed.

Here is the follow up test using the original (A) against 3 (B) page variations

URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog.cfm

Here are the three (B) page variations

URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog-v1.cfm

URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog-v2.cfm


URL: http://www.audioeditions.com/audio-books-catalog-v3.cfm

Which version of the page won; A, B1, B2, or B3?

Again the original (B) page variation won. Here is the Google Website Optimizer Report Screen showing the dramatic differences that the form fields made:

Why didn't we implement the winner?

After discussing the follow up tests with the client it became clear that even though variation B1 had the most dramatic 41.7% improvement; the variation B3 with a 32.4% improvement was the best choice since it gave the client much more (customer data) value and the ability to digitally deliver marketing in the future (which is key). The final conversion rates were not that different and understanding the client's underlying business goals it was the best decision to make a small compromise in the volume of leads for the higher quality of leads.

Just because you have a good conversion rate doesn't mean it can't be better!

The initial form conversion rate was 22.1% and the final conversion rate was 32.5%. Many people may think that such high conversion rates aren't worth bothering with but clearly we demonstrated that there was still considerable room for improvement. High value pages on a site should always be the focus of your efforts and continuously analyzed for further testing and improvement.

Labels: Case Studies, Ecommerce, google website optimizer, multichannel

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Social Communities Build Brand and Business

I recently read a great article in EContent Magazine (November 2008, Volume 31, Number 9) called "Build Community to Build Brand and Business" by Joe Dysart. Below are the highlights of the article that validate our contention that transparent online reviews and social communities foster trust and affinity.

Online Reviews Influence Purchasing Decisions

While web marketers have long been tracking the growing online consumer reviews, a study from Opinion Research released August 2008 has found the influence of these reviews has reached a tipping point.

"The Art of Engaging the Customer: Proactive Steps to Delivering a Differentiated Customer Experience" found an eye-opening 83% of all respondents said online evaluations and reviews now influence their purchasing decisions. Moreover, another 32% said they had personally posted feedback or a review on the web after an experience with a product or service.

Be Transparent & Earn Respect

Smart companies have realized that embracing "transparency" by allowing positive and negative reviews on their site earns the most respect from savvy web users.

Community Users bring Experience, Enthusiasm, Content and their Friends

"...Millions of people have learned the value of being a part of an online community, and they'll bring experience, enthusiasm, content and their network to your online community," said Don Philabaum, CEO of Internet Strategies Group.

Not sure what kind of functionality makes for an online community?

Online community features allow your customers to join your community and create a profile or blog, share photos and files, post audio and video, send private messages, add friends, create and participate in conversations (forums), chat live, take surveys, and other similar services as found on sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Community fosters Brand Affinity

82% of community members said they were more likely to recommend a company since joining their community and 76% said they felt more positive about the company after joining its community.

Harness the Buzz!

Be it positive or negative, the internet is buzzing with conversations about products, services, content and companies in general. Harnessing the buzz and making it work for your organization is becoming one of today's essential business tools.

It's Okay to Hurry!

Here is an interesting email I received from Costco today that shows mainstream companies are jumping in at a rapid pace.

Labels: Ecommerce, econtentmag, joe dysart, online reviews, social communities build brand, social media marketing

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Secrets to Ecommerce Success

Ian Lurie from the conversation marketing blog posted a great list today with the basic features for ecommerce success.

Ian writes from a internet marketer's perspective. Which is great because too often business focus on just being able to sell products online. Doing that is like filling a brick & mortar store with products and locking the doors so no one can get in.

You need to invite them in and then persuade them to purchase!

That's what we do as a company with both developers and internet marketers on our team (sometimes that's even the same person!).

The one basic thing I would add to Ian's list is that an ecommerce system must integrate easily with Google Website Optimizer. Website optimizer allows businesses to make objective decisions based on real tests. We're using it. If you're not, give us a call. The tool is free and we can help you utilize it to improve your site.

Labels: Ecommerce, online marketing, Web Strategy

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Google Custom 404 Widget Helps Provide Better User Experience

Google's recently introduced custom 404 error pages make your site more user-friendly. How often have you either clicked a link to a page that no longer existed or typed in an incorrect URL? The result is typically either a bland 404 page not found error (see example at right) or a static page that offers nothing more than a message stating the page was not found. Google's custom 404 widget takes the 404 page one step further by giving the user more relevant options so that they don't abandon your site.

The same day that Google released this new 404 widget to the public, we added it to our Motivity Web Site Marketing Platform to extend the existing ability to customize 404 error messages. Web site managers using Motivity already had the ability to replace the non-friendly server message (shown above) with a custom branded page and now they also have the option to enable or disable this Google 404 widget. Using this custom 404 functionality, the website visitor is greeted with a more user-friendly, branded page that offers them other things to try instead of an arcane server error message that makes it appear the site may be offline.

More specifically, the Google 404 widget offers the user a search box that they can use to find the content they are looking for; with default keywords filled in from the incorrect URL. As Google expands coverage, the 404 widget will allow the site to offer up even more valuable information such as corrections and suggestions based upon the sitemap of the website.

To see an example of this in action, visit the following broken URL: http://www.blastam.com/sacramento-web-designs.aspx

Want to learn more about the Motivity Web Site Marketing Platform?
Visit http://www.motivityweb.com/

Labels: cms, Ecommerce, google custom 404 widget, motivity, user experience, Web Usability

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Site Optimization Tip of the Day - www.roadrunnersports.com

Today's tip of the day comes from Road Runner Sports and involves part 1 in a discussion on error messages.

See our other videos on our YouTube Channel.

Labels: Ecommerce, Optimize Conversion, Site Optimization, Tip of the Day

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3 months = $450,000

How to evaluate what you lose by doing nothing!

One of the items we've been discussing with new clients a lot lately is estimating their "lost opportunity" with their current sites. If you are considering redesigning your site one of the important factors in your decision making should be what the cost to your company is if you decide to do nothing. We call this factor your "lost opportunity."

It's not difficult to calculate or understand what "lost opportunity" is, it's just that most people don't consider it when making a decision.

For example, let's assume you own an ecommerce website with the following characteristics:

• You get 10,000 unique visitors per month.


• You make 1000 sales per month.


• The average revenue from a sale is $200.

You go to your friendly web development company and they tell you that they can increase your conversion rate (sales/visitors) from the current 10% to 15%. You decide you're going to do it, but you'd like to wait 3 months. What those 3 months cost you? Assuming traffic and average revenue stay the same: $450,000!

If you wait a year, $1.8 million!

Your numbers may be higher, lower, or similar, but the important thing to do is ask yourself two questions:

Am I getting all I can out of my website?
And what am I losing by putting off improvements to my site?

Give us a call and we'll help you answer those questions.

Labels: Ecommerce, online marketing, Site Optimization

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ECommerce: What factors turn on/off Prospective Shoppers?

We'll share research with you on how important the smallest details are to your prospective shoppers. Asking for too much info or even a typo in a key area can cause mistrust and turn them away. We will provide you with knowledge and tools that you can use to improve your website based on our 10 years of website design and marketing experience.

Feb 19 10:00-11:00am
Borders Books & Music
4750 Natomas Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95835

For a complete Borders event schedule visit:
http://www.bordersstores.com/stores/store_pg.jsp?storeID=618

To get Borders store hours, maps, phone numbers, and directions visit: http://www.bordersstores.com/locator/locator.jsp

Contact Blast Advanced Media at 916-724-6701 or email us at melvin@blastam.com with any questions about these upcoming classes.

Labels: Ecommerce, News, Web Strategy

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Blast Builds Ecommerce Solution for Brocade

One of our newest projects is with the leading, international provider of networked storage solutions, Brocade.

We are building an easy-to-use and feature-rich ecommerce solution which will continue to strengthen the user experience. ShopBrocade.com's transformation is expected to hit the Internet in late December 2007.

Labels: Ecommerce, News

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