The purpose of website layout and copy-write is to maximize response.
You want it read, you want it remembered, you want it clicked. But, what works best?
A great way to test and optimize your website is with A/B testing. This means you have two different versions of the same webpage deployed, and you track the response of each page version to determine which works best for your audience.
Throw theory out the window, and use some cold-hard numbers to figure out what works best.
Here are two different online tools to optimize your website with A/B testing:
Charm
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Charm has left the web. If you happen to see it again, let us know!]
Charm looks great, and is functional, too.
You can manage all of your webpage variations through Charm, and when a visitor reloads a page, they will always see the same version. From header to footer, any element can be changed for your A/B test.
Charm will tell you which version did best, and gives you charts and graphs to show you all of the details and statistics.
Answer these web traffic questions:
- Who just linked to our site?
- Where did most our traffic come from?
- What were people searching for on Google?
- How many people go from the homepage on to the content?
- Did anyone steal our site design recently?
- How many people have come to our site since we launched?
- Have more people come to the site this week than last?
Charm is also easy to integrate. Simply add one line of code to your site, and you’re up and running! Just make sure you’ve got jQuery.
Here is Charm’s pricing:
Now for the bad news.
Currently, Charm (http://getcharmed.com/) is by invitation only. So, if you have an invite, let us know!
In the meantime, you can start A/B testing with Google:
Google Website Optimizer
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Google’s Website Optimizer isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done!
It looks like there are more steps to setting it up and getting it running, but it’s an excellent free alternative and there’s no invitation needed. They even have a great Beginner’s Guide, too!
Have any of you done A/B testing before? Tell us about it!
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