Google Website Optimizer experiment on Wordpress

How to?

Choose tool

• we are using Google Website Optimizer for this first experiment.
• we are using an A/B Experiment for starters because A/B experiments are the simpler version of testing with Website Optimizer and we have a low amount of traffic and want results fast. And A/B testing does allow for experimenting with advanced scenarios later, if we want that.

Create test and choose conversion pages

• create many different variations of a web page ~ We created two:
  • Want More Customers? ~ the original
  • Want Even More Customers? ~ the variation page, the header attractor slogan and the image are different
• choose conversion page ~ at the bottom of both pages we have a contact link. Conversion is whether people actually go to the contact us page. Later we can expand conversion to include actually contacting us.

Install and validate JavaScript tags

Download and install Wordpress plugin

Do not download from the plugin page of the author. The version is not current (at time of writing this post). Download from the Wordpress plugin page instead. Install using the usual three steps for installing a plugin in Wordpress.

Add code

In the following I am assuming you have a weboptimizer account and that you are logged in. Set up the experiment, by adding an experiment name and the url’s of the original, the alternative(s), and the conversion page. Make sure the WYSIWYG editor is disabled in your WordPress. (Aiaiai, this one cost me around 90 mins Open all involved pages on your Wordpress: the original, the alternative(s), and the conversion page. Add to original page two custom fields with values found on the page:

• Copy the first JavaScript script code in Google’s Step 1 area in a value field of “go_control_script”
• Copy the second JavaScript script code in Google’s Step 1 area in a value field of “go_tracking_script_test”

To each variation page enter the variation pages code from Google’s Step 2. Add a new field go_tracking_script_conversion in the conversion page and add Google’s Step 3 script code for conversion.

Validate your code

Run Experiment and Party

I will report results in a follow up blog, as soon as there are some significant results, enough for Yet Another Party!