Google Website Optimizer with Behavioral Segmentation

The latest proven trend in website optimization are A/B and Multivariate testing. By using science (and user response) to identify the best versions of your site content and design, you will improve ROI. Some benefits of using testing are:

• Increase website conversion rates
• Decrease visitor bounce rates
• Increase time spent on your site
• Increase visitor satisfaction
• Eliminate guesswork from site design

Google's Website Optimizer (GWO) is a free A/B and Multivariate testing tool. To learn more on how to use this tool - we recommend reading Bryan Eisenberg’s non-technical technical guide The 10 Minute Guide to Testing with Google Website Optimizer (PDF).

So now that you are testing your website - you now realize that not all customers should be tested equally. Users who reached your site through an organic branded keyword search are different from users that clicked on a banner. Why not create different tests for different target markets? Use BTBuckets to create tests to specific user segments.

How to use BTBuckets with GWO

We created an implementation example of an A/B test using GWO. Below are the implementation steps:

1. Prepare your web pages for the the experiment Prepare the HTML pages for your A/B test.
2. Create your experiment in Website Optimizer Login to GWO, prepare the experiment and implement all tags (you must validate the experiment with the original Google tags)
3. Create segments Create your bucket(s) you want to target the optimization test in BTBuckets
4. Install BTBuckets Implement the BTBuckets on these pages (and we recommend using the BTBuckets code on all of your site to successfully create the buckets)
5. Update experiment HTML GWO tags Update your Website Optimizer tags on your site based on the following changes

Google Website Optimizer has three different types of pages for tag implementation.

• Original Page
• Variation Page(s)
• Conversion Page

See below the necessary tag changes for each of these page types.

Original Page

The original page has two tags that must be updated. The first tag is the control script, on the top of the page. You must do these four changes to this script:

1. Remove the last part of the script:<script>utmx("url",'A/B');</script>
2. Add the BTBuckets code right after the Website Optimizer code
3. Include the Google Optimizer variables removed in the first step
4. Substitute BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME for the friendly name of your bucket

BEFORE:

<script>
function utmx_section(){}function utmx(){}
(function(){var k='0796200644',d=document,l=d.location,c=d.cookie;function f(n){
if(c){var i=c.indexOf(n+'=');if(i>-1){var j=c.indexOf(';',i);return c.substring(i+n.
length+1,j<0?c.length:j)}}}var x=f('__utmx'),xx=f('__utmxx'),h=l.hash;
d.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(l.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+'.google-analytics.com'
+'/siteopt.js?v=1&utmxkey='+k+'&utmx='+(x?x:'')+'&utmxx='+(xx?xx:'')+'&utmxtime='
+new Date().valueOf()+(h?'&utmxhash='+escape(h.substr(1)):'')+
'" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></sc'+'ript>')})();
</script><script>utmx("url",'A/B');</script>

AFTER:

<script>
function utmx_section(){}function utmx(){}
(function(){var k='0796200644',d=document,l=d.location,c=d.cookie;function f(n){
if(c){var i=c.indexOf(n+'=');if(i>-1){var j=c.indexOf(';',i);return c.substring(i+n.
length+1,j<0?c.length:j)}}}var x=f('__utmx'),xx=f('__utmxx'),h=l.hash;
d.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(l.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+'.google-analytics.com'
+'/siteopt.js?v=1&utmxkey='+k+'&utmx='+(x?x:'')+'&utmxx='+(xx?xx:'')+'&utmxtime='
+new Date().valueOf()+(h?'&utmxhash='+escape(h.substr(1)):'')+
'" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></sc'+'ript>')})();
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[[
$BTB={s:YOUR_BTBUCKETS_ID};
$BTB.jsh="http://static.btbuckets.com/bt.js";
//]]>
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='"+$BTB.jsh.replace(/(http:|https:)/i,document.location.protocol)+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
if (typeof $BTB.clusters['BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME'] != 'undefined')
{
utmx("url",'A/B');
}
</script>


The second tag is the tracking script, on the bottom of the page. You must do two simple changes to this script (make sure the BTBuckets tag is present before this tag):

1. Add the BTBucket validation code with your bucket's friendly name
2. Substitute BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME for the friendly name of your bucket

BEFORE:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')
</script>
<script>
try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/test");
} catch (err) { }
</script>


AFTER:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')
</script>
<script>
if (typeof $BTB.clusters['BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME'] != 'undefined')
{
try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/test");
} catch (err) { }
}
</script>


Variation Page(s)

On the variation page(s) you must do two simple changes to this script (make sure the BTBuckets tag is present before this tag):

1. Add the BTBucket validation code with your bucket's friendly name
2. Substitute BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME for the friendly name of your bucket

BEFORE:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')
</script>
<script>
try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/test");
} catch (err) { }
</script>


AFTER:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')

</script>
<script>
if (typeof $BTB.clusters['BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME'] != 'undefined')
{
try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/test");
} catch (err) { }
}
</script>


Converison Page

The conversion page must also be edited in the same two ways the variation page(s) were updated (make sure the BTBuckets tag is present before this tag):

1. Add the BTBucket validation code with your bucket's friendly name
2. Substitute BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME for the friendly name of your bucket

BEFORE:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')
</script>
<script>

try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/goal");
} catch (err) { }
</script>


AFTER:

<script>
if(typeof(urchinTracker)!='function')document.write('<sc'+'ript src="'+
'http'+(document.location.protocol=='https:'?'s://ssl':'://www')+
'.google-analytics.com/urchin.js'+'"></sc'+'ript>')
</script>

<script>
if (typeof $BTB.clusters['BTBUCKET_FRIENDLY_NAME'] != 'undefined')
{
try {
_uacct = 'UA-7134648-1';
urchinTracker("/0796200644/goal");
} catch (err) { }
}
</script>


See a live example in action

We created a simple implementation to segment users who viewed a certain content three times for a GWO test. Remember that any segmentation type can be used. See the example:

http://www.behavioraltargetingbuckets.com/examples/google-websiteop...

Feedback

Please let us know how you are using BTBuckets with Google Website Optimizer!