Experiment!: Website conversion rate optimization with A/B and multivariate testing

Experiment!: Website conversion rate optimization with A/B and multivariate testing

by Colin McFarland
Released August 2012
Publisher(s): New Riders
ISBN: None

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Book description

Testing is a surefire way to dramatically improve your website’s conversion rate and increase revenue. When you run experiments with changes to design or content, you’ll quickly discover which changes better motivate your users to take action. This book shows how to learn from your customers’ behavior and decisions, and how their responses reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your site. It will show you how to make websites that work harder and convert better.


Experiment! will inspire you to challenge assumptions and start experimenting right now. You will:

  • Learn how to approach experiments to improve conversion

  • Understand the various methods of testing including A/B and multivariate

  • Discover experiment ideas, and go beyond optimization to innovation

  • Recognize the UX and design implications of experimenting

  • Learn to analyze data and deliver results

    • Experimenting changes the way you think about design and the way you work. It helps prevent the loudest voice from deciding direction; instead, through an experiment, you’ll ask the most important voices--your customers--“What do you think?”

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication Page
    4. Table of Contents
    5. Part I. Getting Started
      1. 1. On Experimenting
        1. Experiments
        2. Conversion techniques
        3. Create a plan for testing
        4. Experiments fail
      2. 2. On Approach
        1. Experiment today for the majority
        2. Control your experiments
        3. Experiment everything
        4. Keep experimenting
        5. Bravery and responsibility
      3. 3. On Method
        1. A/B and Multivariate Testing
        2. Gathering the data
        3. Unconventional methods
        4. Tool comparison and install
    6. Part II. Interlude
      1. 4. On UX
        1. Design considerations
        2. Best practices
        3. Usability testing
      2. 5. On Design
        1. Design for design’s sake
        2. Emotions and expectations
        3. Competitor bias
        4. Design by committee
        5. Supporting design decisions
      3. 6. On Ideas
        1. Data-driven ideas
        2. Innovative ideas
        3. Design-inspired ideas
        4. Shared ideas
    7. Part III. Moving Forward
      1. 7. On Analysis
        1. Trusting your findings
        2. Segmentation
        3. Data cleanliness
        4. Timing
      2. 8. On Results
        1. Create a clear message
        2. Expect challenges
        3. Unexpected results
        4. Sharing results
        5. Reacting to results
      3. 9. Conclusion
        1. Getting started
        2. Interlude
        3. Moving forward
      4. 10. Recommended Reading
        1. Publications and talks
        2. Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer
        3. Do It Wrong Quickly: How the Web Changes the Old Marketing Rules
        4. Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
        5. Scientific Advertising
        6. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
        7. Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click?
        8. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
        9. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
        10. How We Decide
        11. The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few
        12. Analog In, Digital Out: Brendan Dawes on Interaction Design
        13. The Myths of Innovation
        14. Web Analytics: An Hour a Day
        15. Google Analytics
        16. How to Lie with Statistics
        17. The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures
    8. Acknowledgments
    9. Index
    10. Add Page

    Product information

    • Title: Experiment!: Website conversion rate optimization with A/B and multivariate testing
    • Author(s): Colin McFarland
    • Release date: August 2012
    • Publisher(s): New Riders
    • ISBN: None