At Making Science, we are evangelists of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). That’s why we decided to write this guide. It will be published in several parts over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for upcoming posts.

Types of testing

Last week, we showed an example of a simple A/B Test.

What is an A/B Test = A method of sending some percentage of website visitors (say, 50%) to the control version of the site, while the other percentage of visitors see comparing two different versions of something to see which one users prefer. 

The idea of ​​the split test or the AB test, is to apply all the changes at once (either on a new page or on the same page) and face both pages to see which one gets more interactions with the search button.

Many times, as experienced marketers, we simply assume we know what a website visitor wants to see. These A/B tests help us prove a hypothesis with data. 

In some cases, the testing strategy may call for a Multivariate Test.

What is a Multivariate Test = Multivariate or multi-variable testing refers to testing multiple variables or elements at the same time, usually 3 or more.

Example of a multivariate test:

For each element, we define the variants to be pitted against the current content (control).

A testing tool (for example, Dynamic Yield) will create all possible combinations of each element with their variants: 

And distribute the users among them to find the winning combination:

How to get started with Conversion Rate Optimization

Start by ensuring that you understand the basics of conversion rate optimization. Be sure that you have a conversion rate optimization tool and a strategy in place. And, always be testing! Testing allows you to learn (whether you’re using a simple A/B test or a Multivariate Test).

Talking to us at Making Science can also help you get started ;-). Begin improving your conversion rate today by visiting makingscience.com/contact!

Stay tuned for parts 4-6 in the coming weeks. Next week, we’ll be discussing different tools you can use to optimize your site.