Checking out Google’s Website Optimizer, a few things caught my eye. First of all, the help section is VERY helpful. Not only does it address possible questions about how to, why to, and when to… but it makes use of conversational mediums to receive feedback. For example, be considered for a free demo of Google AdWords
I thought that this "multi-variate" testing layout which AdWords is based on is very similar to how television researchers discover which elements of their shows appeal to their target audience. For example, the creators of Sesame Street spent a lot of time optimizing the television show for viewing by young children. They discovered, through testing combinations of elements within and without their show, that children responded positively to the puppet characters interacting with humans on the show.
"Results showed that test watchers were entranced when the ad-like segments aired, especially those with the jovial puppets, but were remarkably less interested in the street scenes. Psychologists warned CTW against a mixture of fantasy and reality elements, but producers soon decided to mix the elements."-wikipedia on Sesame Street
Sesame Street is an innovator of television watching, by providing a new path of education-entertainment mashed segments. Much like the eCommerce websites of today which are taking the world by storm. With more and more people converting to online shopping as opposed to in-person shopping, greater focus must be presented on the layout and substance of eCommerce sites. Google AdWords takes this concept to a wonderful level by providing a simple and affordable tool designed to optimize websites.
Check out FutureNow’s post by Anthony Garcia on "64 Tips to getting started with Google Website Optimizer"
The help section for Optimizer is pretty good, but it lacks any advanced stuff.
I recently wrote a blog entry with some advanced tips and techniques for optimizer:
http://www.prusak.com/archives/2007-03-29/get-the-most-out-of-google-website-optimizer-tips-tricks/
Kris,
Glad you liked Anthony’s post… I like the Sesame Street analogy. Pretty keen of you to point out one of my favorite examples of keyword research and psychographics.
You might also be interested in some of the free Google Website Optimizer resources we have on our site, including a quick start guide, webinar, and an interview with Google’s Tom Leung
This is great news for small and medium sized businesses, and anyone else who’s been avoiding testing because they think it’s too costly. What’s REALLY costly is leaving all that money on the table!
People should take a lesson from The Count and make their Conversion Rates go up like “One, ah-ah-ahh… Two, ah-ah-ahh, Three, ah-ah-ahh.” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I was programmed at an early age
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