Experiment types of Google Optimizers

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An overview of the experiment types that Optimize supports.
Optimize offers a diverse range of experiment types designed to suit the needs of your business. This article explains how A/B, redirect, and multivariate (MVT) tests work and offers some examples of how to use them.

A/B tests

An A/B test, sometimes called an A/B/n test, is a randomized experiment using two or more variants of the same web page (A and B). Variant A is the original. Variants B through n each contain one or more elements that are modified from the original. For example, a different colored call-to-action button. In some experiments, variant B may be a completely different version of a web page.
Each variant is served at similar times so that its performance can be observed and measured independent of other external factors. You can also limit your experiment to a specific audience using the targeting feature. Optimize captures the performance data for each variant against an objective and identifies the leader.

Example

An A/B test of two variants of a product page (A and B). Variant A has a blue photo, while variant B has a red photo.
Learn more about how to create an A/B test.

Redirect tests

A redirect test, (a.k.a. split URL test), is a type of A/B test that allows you to test separate web pages against each other. In redirect tests variants are identified by URL or path instead of an element(s) on the page. Redirect tests are useful when you want to test two very different landing pages, or a complete redesign of a page.
Redirect test diagram

Example

Test two different landing pages, with different URLs:
  • Original – www.example.com/landing1
  • Variant – www.example.com/landing2
Test a redesigned page hosted on a subdomain:
  • Original – www.example.com
  • Variant – new.example.com
Learn more about how to create a redirect test.

Multivariate tests (MVT)

A multivariate test (MVT) tests variants of two or more elements simultaneously to see which combination creates the best outcome. Instead of showing which page variant is most effective (as in an A/B test), MVT identifies the most effective variant of each element as well as analyzing the interactions between those elements. MVT tests are useful for optimizing multiple aspects of a landing page, for example.
Multivariate test (MVT) diagram.

Example

You can test two headlines (original "H1" and variant "H2") and three hero images (original "A" and variants "B" and "C") simultaneously, which would produce:
  • 2 sections (the headline and the images), with
  • 3 and 2 variants (respectively), for a total of
  • 6 combinations (the number of variants multiplied by each other, or 3 x 2)

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