Google "Website Optimizer" for Multivariate Testing

Google has launched another cool application (again in BETA) to help marketers increase their conversion rates. The main purpose of Google's Website Optimizer is to provide a method to quickly and easily do multivariate testing.

There's a great article on ClickZ that gives some great tips on what to think about when doing this kind of testing by Pete Lerma on ClickZ.

In short, Google's Website Optimizer automatically changes the core components of a landing page and tracks the results of those changes. Things like headlines, body copy, photos and calls to action all play into the mix similar to how the Adwords program rotates through multiple creatives to find the best ROI for the campaign.

Click here for a screenshot from the Google Website Optimizer online demo that shows the page section report. Very interesting.

While looking of this new tool, I couldn't help but be blown away by the possibilities. The Team at Congruent Media will be using this solution for our client's campaigns as well as our own.

That said, we're going to make sure to not overcomplicate the experiments. It's far too easy to get caught up in the data to the point that it actually slows other marketing initiatives. Start small and smart.