Google Optimize- Little known features
Happy 2020 everyone!
So,lets get started on a new but familiar topic – Google Optimize!.
In a website,there is is google analytics and then there is google optimize. Google optimize represents a platform in which different A/B experiments are set up to improve UX. Meanwhile, google analytics represents another platform for the analysis of website data. Together, their integration is arguably a popular feature, with the ability to identify segments in Analytics and transfer these across to Optimize being extremely useful when coming up with your tests.
But, did you know that, you can view your results in Analytics as well as the Optimize interface? Try clicking “View Report in Analytics”, found at the bottom of the sidebar when viewing an experiment set-up in Optimize.
Viewing an experiment in Analytics gives you a lot more freedom when looking at various segments and metrics for your test. You can also find this feature by going to your Behavior report in Google Analytics, and you’ll get an option to view Experiments.
1. Previewing Device Types
A great feature that’s important for running good optimization tests is being able to preview your variations as they will show on different device types. This way you can make sure that your new design appears as you want it to on mobile and tablet. It’s common that your changes might not look as you’d like them to at first, so it’s really important to make sure you’re checking the different previews regularly.
Also, looking at which device is used to view your test page most often, and creating the variation with this device in mind. You can even make changes to a variation that only appear on certain devices, giving you more control over the experiment, which is always a good thing. If you can’t get a variation as you want it to, you might want to exclude that device segment from the test.
2. Content Personalisation
When you’re not running experiments, you can use Google Optimize to improve the user experience of your website in other ways, including personalisation. There are lots of targeting options available (you can even import audience segments from Google Analytics with Optimize 360), and instead of using these to target an experiment, you can create personalisation elements on your page. You might want to tailor a webpage depending on the traffic source, age, or behaviour etc. Perhaps you’d like to provide a special offer to loyal customers when they reach a page, or reminding customers of a product in their basket if they haven’t converted within a certain amount of time. There are a huge number of options here!
One of the newest features in creating targeting rules is integration with Google Ads (currently in Beta). You can select specific Campaigns, Ad Groups, and even Keywords to decide which version of a landing page a user reaches. For example, users who searched for you through specific brand terms might reach a different version of the landing page than users searching more generally. This allows you to better personalise the content for that user, without the need to create numerous destination pages.
There are more innovative ways to get the most from Google Optimize, and it will be covered in all these blogs.
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