What are the best practices for using Google Optimize to A/B test your website's conversion rate?

1 Choose a clear and measurable goal

Before you start any A/B test, you need to define what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. A good goal should be specific, relevant, and aligned with your business objectives. For example, you might want to increase the number of newsletter subscribers, reduce the bounce rate, or boost the average order value. You also need to choose a metric that will track your goal, such as conversions, sessions, or revenue. Google Optimize allows you to select a goal from your existing Google Analytics goals or create a new one.

3 Create your variants

Now, you need to create the different versions of your page that you want to test. You can use the Google Optimize visual editor to make changes to your page elements, such as text, images, colors, or buttons. You can also use the code editor to add custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. For example, you might want to test a shorter form, a larger call-to-action, or a different testimonial. Google Optimize allows you to create up to 16 variants per experiment.

4 Set up your experiment

Once you have your goal, audience, and variants ready, you need to set up your experiment in Google Optimize. You need to give your experiment a name, choose a type (A/B test, multivariate test, or redirect test), and select a page to test. You also need to assign a weight to each variant, which determines how often it will be shown to your visitors. For example, you might want to split your traffic evenly between two variants (50/50) or favor one variant over another (70/30). Google Optimize allows you to adjust the weights manually or automatically based on performance.

5 Launch and monitor your experiment

Finally, you need to launch and monitor your experiment in Google Optimize. You need to check if your experiment is running properly and if there are any errors or issues. You also need to track the progress and results of your experiment using the Google Optimize reports and dashboard. You can see how each variant is performing in terms of your goal, how confident you can be in the outcome, and how long you should run the experiment. Google Optimize allows you to pause, resume, or stop your experiment at any time.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?