What is Multivariate Testing?

Ruben Buijs

Founder & Digital Consultant

Written on Aug 1, 2023

3 minutes

Lead generation

Multivariate testing is a powerful technique used in the field of lead generation to optimize website performance and improve conversion rates. It involves testing multiple combinations of variables simultaneously to determine the most effective combination that leads to desired outcomes, such as increased click-through rates, sign-ups, or purchases. By analyzing the impact of different elements on user behavior, multivariate testing helps marketers make data-driven decisions to enhance their lead generation efforts.

Examples

To better understand how multivariate testing works, let's consider a hypothetical example of an e-commerce website. The website owner wants to increase the number of purchases made by visitors. They decide to test various elements on their product page, such as the headline, product image, call-to-action button color, and pricing display. By creating different combinations of these elements, such as testing two different headlines with three different product images and four different button colors, the website owner can determine which combination performs best in terms of generating sales.

Importance

Multivariate testing is crucial for lead generation because it provides insights into which elements or combinations of elements on a website are most effective in driving conversions. Without testing, marketers would rely on assumptions and guesswork, which may lead to missed opportunities and wasted resources. Multivariate testing allows marketers to optimize their websites based on real data, ensuring that they are providing the best possible user experience and maximizing their lead generation efforts.

How to Use Multivariate Testing

  1. Identify the goal: Clearly define the specific outcome you want to achieve through multivariate testing. Whether it's increasing click-through rates, form submissions, or purchases, having a clear goal will help you focus your testing efforts.

  2. Determine the variables: Identify the different elements on your website that could influence user behavior and potentially impact your goal. These variables can include headlines, images, call-to-action buttons, layouts, colors, or even different sections of your page.

  3. Create combinations: Generate different combinations of variables to test. Ensure that your sample size is statistically significant to get reliable results. For example, if you are testing two headlines, three images, and two button colors, you would have 12 unique combinations to test.

  4. Implement the test: Use a multivariate testing tool or platform to implement the test on your website. Randomly present each combination to different users, ensuring that the test is unbiased.

  5. Gather and analyze data: Collect data on user behavior, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, or time spent on page, for each combination. Analyze the data to identify the combinations that perform best in achieving your desired outcome.

  6. Make data-driven decisions: Based on the results of the multivariate test, identify the winning combination(s) that drive the highest conversions. Implement these winning combinations on your website to optimize lead generation.

Useful Tips

  • Start with small-scale tests: When starting with multivariate testing, it's advisable to begin with a few variables and combinations to avoid overwhelming yourself. As you gain experience and confidence, you can gradually increase the complexity of your tests.

  • Test one variable at a time: While multivariate testing involves testing multiple variables simultaneously, it's essential to isolate the impact of each variable individually. This can be done through A/B testing, where you compare two variations of a single variable to determine its effectiveness.

  • Monitor the test duration: Ensure that you give your multivariate test enough time to gather sufficient data for analysis. Ending a test prematurely may lead to biased or inconclusive results. Consider factors like website traffic volume and the desired level of statistical significance when determining the test duration.

  • Continuously iterate and optimize: Multivariate testing is an ongoing process of improvement. Once you have implemented the winning combination(s), monitor their performance and be open to further testing and optimization. Regularly reassess and refine your lead generation strategies based on new insights gained from testing.

FAQ

Multivariate testing is a technique used to analyze and compare multiple variations of different elements on a webpage or email to determine the most effective combination for achieving desired goals.
Multivariate testing is important because it allows businesses to make data-driven decisions by understanding which combinations of elements and variations lead to higher conversion rates, improved user experience, and increased customer engagement.
In multivariate testing, various elements such as headlines, images, call-to-action buttons, forms, colors, layout, and other design elements can be tested simultaneously to evaluate their impact on user behavior and conversion rates.
While A/B testing compares only two variations of a single element, multivariate testing allows for testing multiple variations of different elements simultaneously. This provides more comprehensive insights into the combined impact of various elements on user behavior.
The benefits of multivariate testing include identifying the most effective combination of design elements, maximizing conversion rates, improving website or email performance, reducing bounce rates, optimizing user experience, and ultimately increasing overall business success.
To set up a multivariate test, you need to define the elements you want to test, create multiple variations of each element, use a testing platform or software to assign random combinations to different users, track and measure user behavior and conversion rates, and analyze the results to determine the winning combination.
The required sample size for multivariate testing depends on various factors such as the number of elements being tested, the anticipated effect size, the desired statistical power, and the level of confidence. Generally, larger sample sizes provide more accurate and reliable results.
The duration of a multivariate test depends on the amount of traffic or user interactions your website or email receives. It is recommended to run the test for a sufficient length of time to ensure statistical significance and obtain reliable results, usually ranging from a few days to a few weeks.
There are various tools and software available for multivariate testing, such as Google Optimize, Optimizely, VWO, Adobe Target, and more. These platforms provide user-friendly interfaces, statistical analysis, and result tracking capabilities to simplify the testing process.
After completing a multivariate test, it is important to analyze the results, identify the winning combination, and implement the changes on your website or email based on the insights gained. Continuous testing and optimization are recommended to further improve conversion rates and user experience.

Article by

Ruben Buijs

Ruben, the founder of Boei, leverages over a decade of consultancy experience at Ernst & Young to optimize lead generation. Boei specializes in converting website visitors into qualified leads. Outside of work, Ruben is passionate about crossfit and enjoys gaming occasionally.

Table of contents

  1. Examples
  2. Importance
  3. How to Use Multivariate Testing
  4. Useful Tips
  5. Related Terms

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