※ Google Optimize ended service on September 30, 2023. If you'd like to run A/B tests on Shopify, please refer to the blog article below.
In this article, we'll explain the basic information about Google Optimize and how to introduce it to Shopify.
Setting up Google Optimize requires Google Tag Manager (hereafter, Tag Manager), so if you haven't set up Tag Manager yet, please refer to the article below.
What is Google Optimize?
It's a free web testing tool provided by Google.
Beyond A/B testing, it also supports multivariate testing, redirect testing, server-side testing, and more, and test setup can be done intuitively via a visual editor for editing designs and text. It also has a personalization feature that lets you serve different content to different users.
We recommend introducing it if you want to run A/B tests to improve your Shopify site's CVR.
If you want to run many tests simultaneously, you'll need to subscribe to the paid Optimize 360.
※ Google Optimize ended service on September 30, 2023.
Main features of Google Optimize
A/B testing
You can test the same page with multiple patterns and identify which pattern is most effective for your goal.
Recommended when you want to test simple changes such as colors or text.
Multivariate testing
A more advanced test than A/B testing, this lets you test multiple elements on a page and identify which combination best achieves your goal.
Recommended when your site already has a certain amount of traffic and you have many elements you want to test.
Redirect testing
By using the same URL and redirecting a portion of traffic to a different page, you can run an A/B test using separate pages. This lets you identify which page is most effective for your goal.
Recommended when you want to test by changing an entire page.
Personalization
You can serve personalized pages and elements to each user, displaying designs and content tailored to them.
Visual editor
This feature lets you intuitively create new test patterns without rewriting your Shopify site's source code.
Filter feature
This feature lets you narrow down the target pages or users when running tests such as A/B tests or multivariate tests.
Reporting feature
This feature lets you check the actual test results.
By setting a goal, you can check each pattern's performance against that goal, and also check whether the test results show a statistically significant difference.
Reasons to choose Google Optimize (benefits)
- Free to use
- Can be operated without coding knowledge
- No traffic limit per site
When to introduce Google Optimize
It's fine to introduce it from the very start, but web testing requires a certain sample size before you can determine whether there's a statistically significant difference in the results, so it's not too late to consider introducing it once you can expect a certain amount of traffic — for example, after implementing SEO measures or once you've secured an advertising budget.
The article below explains SEO measures in detail, so please check it out.
How to introduce Google Optimize
The setup process consists of the following 4 steps
- ① Create and copy your Google Optimize ID
- ② Create a Google Optimize tag in Google Tag Manager
- ③ Test the tag
- ④ Publish
We'll explain each one in detail
① Create and copy your Google Optimize ID
Here, we'll explain how to create a container in Google Optimize and copy its ID.
(1) Create an account
Go to Google Optimize and click "Create Account"
Next, enter the "account name" and other required fields, then click "Next"
(2) Create a container
Once you reach the Add Container page, enter the "container name" and click "Create"
(3) Copy your Optimize ID
Once the container is created, you'll automatically be taken to the "Experience" page, so click "Settings" in the top right
Copy the "OPT-XXXXX" ID shown in the container details under container settings
② Create a Google Optimize tag in Google Tag Manager
Here, we'll explain how to use the ID from ① in Google Tag Manager to create a new Google Optimize tag.
(1) Go to Google Tag Manager and click "Add a new tag"
(2) Set the following values for the newly created tag, then save
- Tag type → "Google Optimize"
- Optimize container ID → "the ID (OPT-XXXXX) you copied in step ①"
- Trigger → "All Pages"
③ Test the tag
Here, we'll explain how to test whether the Google Optimize tag fires correctly.
(1) Go to your Tag Manager workspace and click "Preview"
(2) Enter the URL of the Shopify page you want to test, then click "Connect"
(3) If the Google Optimize tag you created in ② appears under Tags Fired, it has fired correctly.
④ Publish
Here, we'll explain how to actually publish it to your Shopify site.
(1) Go to your Tag Manager workspace and click "Publish"
(2) Fill in the "version name" and "version description", then click "Publish"
That completes the setup of Google Optimize.
We'll also put together a blog article on Google Optimize's detailed usage and how to make the most of it at a later date, so please look forward to its publication.
Frequently asked questions
What services can Google Optimize integrate with?
It can integrate with Google services such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google BigQuery, and Firebase.
