FAQs
We have divided our FAQs into five sections. General FAQs are below and additional FAQs can be found on separate pages.
General FAQs
What is website optimization/web page testing?
What is multivariable optimization?
What is the difference between A/B testing and multivariable testing?
What kinds of pages can I optimize?
How much traffic do I need on my site in order to be able to use Optimost?
How does Optimost work with agencies?
What differentiates Optimost’s solution?
Does Optimost do content targeting and/or behavioral targeting?
I’m a medium-sized business. How will Optimost be able to help me?
How can I prove the ROI to my company?
Does website optimization interfere with my search engine optimization efforts?
Answers
What is website optimization/web page testing?
Website optimization is the continual process of improving the performance of a website as measured by a set of key metrics of conversion, which could be anything from sales to clickthrus to registrations, or any other metric of success. Typically, website optimization is accomplished through multivariable testing against either a website’s entire visitor population or against distinct audience segments, or personas.
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What is multivariable optimization?
Multivariable optimization, sometimes referred to as multivariate testing or multivariate optimization, is the process of being able to "optimize" an entire page, group of pages, or an entire site to present the best possible combination of content and presentation of that content to each visitor.
True multivariable optimization has the following characteristics:
- Holistic—Very robust; able to work on any page on a site and on any form of content; recognizes interrelationships among elements on a page and a site
- Efficient—Minimal traffic required to get statistically reliable data
- Iterative—Reducing the likelihood of getting "false positives"
- Consistent—Results can be validated by persona/segment; decisions are based on reliable representative samples
- Transparent—Clearly illustrates why something performs better than another; no "black box" algorithms
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What is the difference between A/B testing and multivariable testing?
In A/B testing, the tester presents two (or a handful) of options to a visitor and tracks performance of each creative presented. Multivariable testing is a technique that simultaneously tests multiple variables in a creative presentation. Therefore, A/B testing gives you the ability to test two (or a few) options, whereas multivariable testing allows you to test thousands or even millions of options. In addition, unless only a single element is being tested, A/B testing does not reveal why one particular version worked better than another, whereas multivariable testing tells the tester how every individual variable change contributes to overall results. Interestingly, the traffic required to conduct a multivariable test is usually the same required for a single A/B test! Although there are limited occasions when A/B testing is appropriate (such as if the marketer wants to test two completely distinct concepts of a page or a funnel), generally there is no upside to choosing A/B testing over multivariable testing in terms of time, efficiency, ease of implementation, or likelihood of superior results.
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What kinds of pages can I optimize?
Unlike other solutions, the Optimost platform does not limit the type of page one can optimize or the type of content that can be tested. Pages can be secure, dynamic, or have rich media present. Typical optimization experiments include landing pages, registration pages, shopping cart pages, credit card pages, pop-ups/pop-unders, banner ads, e-mails, as well as Flash and AJAX applications.
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How much traffic do I need on my site in order to be able to use Optimost?
In order to get statistically significant results, true multivariable optimization requires the experimenter to test "challenger" creatives and variables against a "control." Statistical significance is reached when there are a certain number of actions, or conversions, on the various pages being tested. The exact amount of traffic needed is dependent upon a number of variables, including the current conversion rate, the difference in lift among the creatives tested, the number of variables tested, and the "confidence" required by the tester. However, most marketers are surprised to learn that relatively little traffic is required for most tests—normally only hundreds of actions.
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How does Optimost work with agencies?
Internet marketing agencies are eager to ensure that their clients have access to the most powerful tools and services to help them succeed with all of their online initiatives. Accordingly, many agencies work with Optimost to deliver the world’s best optimization solution. Optimost works with agencies in two ways:
- Agencies purchase the Optimost Managed Solution on behalf of their clients, and then the Optimost team provides services directly to the agency or to a combination of the agency and end-client
- Agencies license the Optimost platform and act as a reseller of the solution to their clients. In this case, agencies get a separate login to Optimost’s Campaign Management Console (CMC) to manage each of their clients’ optimization programs. Optimost will train the agency on the use of the system as well as any of the other services normally provided directly by Optimost.
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What differentiates Optimost’s solution?
Optimost is recognized as the industry leader in its space. It has the most sophisticated and powerful technology, as well as the greatest depth of experience and breadth of services.The main differentiators include:
- The ability to do holistic, full multivariable optimization experiments
- A unique creative authoring tool, which allows the manipulation of any element on a page, including its layout
- Single JavaScript callout integration, which requires minimal IT involvement and provides the greatest flexibility in testing
- The ability to optimize extremely dynamic, business-rule driven sites
- The ability to optimize any form of content, including rich media such as AJAX, Flash, Video, and Audio
- Compatibility with any content management system or existing web platform
- The most robust reporting tools on the market, with standard and customizable reports for clear analysis of experiments
- The most robust delivery infrastructure, providing redundancy, reliability, and minimal latency
- A unique content targeting and tracking solution, which allows the tester to optimize content per audience persona
- Over five years of experience in testing and building Best Practices with hundreds of clients in multiple industries
- Partnerships with all of the major search engines and web analytics providers
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Does Optimost do content targeting and/or behavioral targeting?
Absolutely. Optimost was the first to launch an audience segmentation and content targeting platform. Optimost includes a powerful content and persona targeting and segmentation engine that allows you to classify your visitors according to specific characteristics and optimize content for each individual persona. Segmentation and targeting criteria can include any complex expression involving almost any available visitor context, including source of traffic, visitor demographics, cookie information, time/season, behavior, and location. Many characteristics are automatically tracked, and custom characteristics can be added by the client. Get more details on Persona Recognition and Targeting.
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I’m a medium-sized business. How will Optimost be able to help me?
Even though your site might not be as complex or have the tens of millions of visitors that our largest client sites have, Optimost can easily help you launch a strategic optimization program. Optimost’s Managed Solution provides clients the tools and expertise necessary to run advanced tests without placing undue burden on your staff or technical resources. Also, Optimost gives you the flexibility to run any form of experiment—from the most simple to the most complex—and our experienced team will help determine the best approach for your business.
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How can I prove the ROI to my company?
The great thing about website optimization is that it is so ROI-driven. In comparison to most solutions that merely supply the necessary "plumbing" for your online presence, Optimost provides a very measurable improvement in performance that translates directly into financial benefits for clients in both the short and long term. The only requirement is that you must have the ability to place a financial metric against a conversion event on your website. This could be something as obvious as online revenue, but very often includes actions such as leads, registrations, downloads, and page views. In addition, clients can optimize their website to maximize an "offline" conversion event (sales made by a customer service rep, etc.). See the Benefits of Optimization section to learn more.
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Does website optimization interfere with my search engine optimization efforts?
You’ve probably spent a lot of resources optimizing your landing pages for search engine rankings. This is a crucial component of your business because having the perfect landing page means nothing if nobody can find it! Optimost does not interfere with search engine rankings, a fact that has been verified by clients as well as the major search engines. When you make any future changes to a site, there may be a tradeoff between a site that is optimized for the search engines and a site that is optimized for humans. However, the process of doing website optimization via JavaScript integration will not affect your SEO efforts.
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