Ironing Out More Wrinkles Setting Up Google Optimizer Split Tests

The problem with the delay in conversion tracking I had was that I left the product password on the (off domain) download page - the one I disccovered earlier I couldn't use as a Google Optimizer converion page becasue it was on a different domain. My resolution to that problem was to tell the customer they needed to click "here" to get the password (and land on an on-domian conversion page) - which didn't work since they saw the password I left on the download page and went about their merry way without ever hitting my conversion page. I fixed that by deleting the "the password to open the .pdf is..." text from the download page.

More Things I've Learned & Updates:

OK - I've now tried to modify an experiment unsuccesfully, and then successfully...adding a significantly more amount of Test Section combinations. I learned a lot and have updated the Clarifying Terms post to better reflect the relationship between Google Website Optimizer Experiments, Test Pages, Test Sections, Variations, and Conversion Pages.

I've also discovered that you can't use the same Test Page script on all pages, originally thinking I could add it to a Dreamweaver Template in the header. I updated a previous post about that here.

My original Experiment, which simply added a graphic showing an "old price" (higher) crossed out and none such thing as variants above the actual price produced results of a .62% conversion with the crossed out higher price, 0% without (only about a day of testing).

Next I wanted to add some more Test Sections and Variations to this experiment, but ran into a fatal flaw I'll discuss in my next post...

Templates and G Optimizer Tracking Code

I use Dreamweaver for development and typically have a single "main" template for each site. G Optimizer requires you to put a script in the header of the page you will be testing for a given experiment, along with the tracking code on that page and your conversion page, as well as the start/stop code snippets to ID the sections of html to be tested, or 'swapped', on your test page.

I immediately ran into the problem of code having to be embedded in non-editable template regions of the page. What I did was place the tracking script in the header of the template, so all pages have that now. I've only experimented so far with testing sections within editable regions so the test section code hasn't been a problem....and then the tracking code can go anywhere in the body so that shouldn't be a problem with anyone.

UPDATE: You can't get away with posting the tracking code in the template for it is unique for each experiment. You'll need to put an 'editable attribute' section in the template head and add the script there for each test page.

I ran my first test of Google Optimizer on a pure test test page (that is , a page i made just for the test) but used an actual conversion page (the new thank you page I mentioned earlier with the DLGuard problem).

When I was satisfied I knew enough to be dangerous, I implemented on a real test page with a new experiment I planned on taking live (the sales page). I figured since the conversion page (thank you) was still the same, I would just leave the tracking code there and put tacking code, test snippets, and script on the new, actual, test page.

No can do. The "test that you didn't screw up your code" section of a G Optimizer experiment setup told me it didn't see tracking code on the conversion page...So then I wondered "what if I'm running multiple experiments with the same goal? No problem apparently, I've got two different tracking codes pasted into the same conversion page and although I don't have data posted to reports yet, it passed the smell test.

I havent tested multiple experiments to the same Test Page yet. After thinking about this, I dont think you should have to do that anyway. The way I see it, an experiment is page based. You experiment on a given page, with multiple sections tested within that page. One page is defined per experiment. I might test it out anyway.