More than a year and a half ago, my co-worker Shawn Purtell and I were on a red-eye flight to Raleigh. We had just spent two days at the Googleplex immersed Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer and our minds were reeling. While I tried unsuccessfully to get some much-needed sleep, Shawn kept going on about combining the multivariate experiment data from Google Website Optimizer with the more detailed metrics in Google Analytics.

I'm pretty sure that I slept most of the weekend (I don't take jet lag very well), but Shawn went straight to work on figuring out the GWO JavaScript and getting to the bottom of the combination algorithm. He returned to the office on Monday with the whole thing pretty much figured out. After a few days of testing, Shawn shared his method for inserting Google Website Optimizer combination data into Google Analytics reports:

Google Website Optimizer uses a single metric, conversion rate, to determine which combination of variations is king. But what about other metrics that may be just as valuable, like Page Value, Avg. Time, Conversion Rates for multiple goals, Bounce Rate, Exit %, and Full Navigation Analysis? What if you want to segment your traffic or filter out internal hits? Well, now you can find out just about everything you want to know about combinations by using Google Analytics.

He raises a great point. Google Website Optimizer is all about conversion rate, but in many cases, that's not the best metric for the job. Since posting his script back in April of 2007, we've had thousands of downloads. It's clear that others agree with Shawn. So does Google, it appears, because they've just made it a lot easier to integrate Google Website Optimizer and Google Analytics.

Read on for more about official updates to the marriage between Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer.

Continue reading "Website Optimizer Wednesdays - Google Website Optimizer and Google Analytics Renew Their Vows" »

Just a brief reminder that there is still time to register for the FIRST EVER Google Website Optimizer Seminar for Success, where we share our Website Optimizer knowledge with you in person!

Coming to Washington, DC.

When: Thursday, December 4th

Where: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
5000 Seminary Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22311
1-703-845-1010

Cost: $249

Agenda: The seminar will be a full day from 9am to 5pm with a one hour break at 12pm for lunch. Morning and afternoon refreshment provided.

Topics Covered:

Landing Page Principals
* Testing Basics
* Selecting a Test Page
* Developing Your Value Proposition
* Minimizing Friction and Combating Anxiety
* Design and Layout Principals

A/B and Basic Testing
* Introduction to Google Website Optimizer
* Types of Testing
* A/B Testing Strategies
* Setting up an A/B Test (Live Demo)

Multivariate and Advanced Testing
* Multivariate Experiments
* Setting up a Multivariate Experiment (Live Demo)
* How to Read Results
* Advanced Testing with Google Website Optimizer
* Advanced Tools and Techniques

Audience Question & Answer ALL DAY LONG and much more!

--Deadline--
Register By Thursday, November 27th, 2008 to qualify for the $50 AdWords Credit. (Only 8 days away!)

Sign up quickly as seats are limited due to space and supplies, so click over to register today for the Google Website Optimizer Seminar for Success!

Continue reading "Website Optimizer Wednesdays - Choosing the Right Page to Test" »

On Wednesday, November 19th at 1pm ET ROI Revolution is hosting a "Website Optimizer Wednesday Webinar" with Tom Leung, Google's Senior Business Product Manager for Google's Website Optimizer.

Special Google Guest: Tom Leung
Don't miss out on this special opportunity to hear Google's Tom Leung live as he demos the Google Website Optimizer tool!

• Event: Website Optimizer Wednesday Webcast
• Date: Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
• Time: 1pm ET (12pm CT / 11am MT / 10am PT)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/521927750

See Tom Leung Set Up An A/B Split Test LIVE
During this one-time-only webinar, Tom Leung is going to set up an A/B split test LIVE! If you've ever wanted to simply have somebody show you how to get started, now's your chance.

Not Only Will You Get To See An A/B Split Test Set Up LIVE, You'll Also Learn...

• You'll learn the difference between an A/B split test and a multivariate test, and when to use each one


• Learn how to quickly and easily pull highly valuable and practical info from Google Website Optimizer reports


• Tom Leung will go over several case studies to how Google has used Google Website Optimizer to improve their own webpages - one test resulted in a 30% increase in conversions!


• Tom's Top 5 Tips he's learned about Google Website Optimizer and wants to pass along to you!

Register Early - Only 1,000 Seats Available
Be sure to register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/521927750 so you can save your spot for this one-time-only event!

Last weekend I was at Barnes & Noble looking for a book on editing RAW format photographs in Adobe Photoshop CS3. The very first book that caught my eye was titled "Photoshop CS3 RAW: Get the Most Out of the Raw Format with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge." I excitedly picked up the book and began paging through it, only to be disappointed to find that the focus of the book was weighted more towards Camera Raw and Bridge and had very little to offer in terms of Photoshop.

This same situation is far too often paralleled in the world of paid search traffic. For almost any keyword imaginable there exists any number of seemingly relevant ads that reflect the logic behind the search term, but often only a select follow up on the ad with a relevant landing page. Not many users will stick around on a page without immediate relevance, especially when armed with increasingly easy to use back buttons and hundreds of other advertisers to choose from.

Continue reading "Website Optimizer Wednesdays - Landing Page Relevance" »