Top 9 Signs that your Multivariate Testing and Website Optimization Efforts are Doomed

4 Comments

May

08

2010

by MrOptimization in Basics

9. Jimmy the intern is "doing your optimization stuff"

Jimmy means well and he's cost-effective, but he doesn't know jack about designing optimization and targeting scenarios that will produce sustainable lifts. What's more, he doesn't care that he doesn't know because he's going off to bigger things soon.

He's also got better things to do with your speedy Internet connection—like spending most of his day Facebooking and IM-ing Sarah on the 6th floor.

So he monkeys around with Google Website Optimizer for a few months and nothing really happens.

Then the boss decides "this whole MVT thing doesn't work" and suddenly Jimmy's off to Facebook his way through some other short-term project. It'll be twice as hard to get a real digital optimization program going after Jimmy's left his mark.

8. Your fell for the MVT vendor services bait-and-switch

What do lawyers and MVT vendors have in common? They've both discovered the fountain of youth!

When you're doing your vendor evaluations, they send in Silky McSeasoned who lulls you into thinking your optimization program will be in capable, experienced hands.

But come startup day, your account is assigned to Timmy Tadpole who "grew up on the Internet and stuff."

It's just like the law firms where you pay $500 per hour for that grizzled veteran attorney. Then if you turn over one of their wood-paneled rocks, suddenly all the "Junior Associates" who actually do the work scatter like roaches.

Nowadays some MVT vendors have no choice but to pull this trick since just about everyone they had who's any good has taken their field-proven multivariate testing and targeting skills elsewhere.

And speaking of lawyers, if you're signing up for an MVT vendor's managed service, have your lawyer put a "named resources" clause into your contract with the vendor so you can be sure you're getting the people who know what they're doing. Assuming your MVT vendor has any of those left, of course.

7. "We can't test that, it's outside of brand!"

Do you think your customers really care about your brand standards?

Be honest. You can't fool MrOptimization!

Your digital customers are screaming for you to give them what they want, not what you or your agency think they want.

If those sacred brand elements were all they're cracked up to be, maybe your digital conversion rates and customer sat numbers wouldn't suck so much.

The whole purpose of your optimization program is to consistently improve the digital experiences you provide for your customers. Don't make that impossible out of loyalty to a brand book someone made up years ago.

You need to be prepared to test everything. Yes, even the off-limits colors. Shudder.

6. "Put the Multivariate Testing and Targeting stuff on hold. We have other priorities!"

Yes, people really say things like that.

One big e-comm company comes to mind. They "temporarily" moved people from the multivariate testing and targeting initiative so they could work on a stack of "higher priority" projects.

First they were obsessed with getting a new "guided navigation" feature live before the holidays.

Then they just had to have a neat new "social media" system.

Then there was that big server upgrade.

Then they needed a new all-knowing CRM system.

It's been over a year and they still haven't re-started their multivariate testing program.

And what of all those new goo gaws? Conversion rates are down nearly 20% and their biggest competitor is eating their lunch and dinner.

There's nothing more important than consistently delivering the highest quality digital experiences.

Always keep your digital optimization program at the top of your priority list.

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