How to Set Up a Google Optimize in WordPress

Are you looking for an article to install google optimize on your WordPress site?

Google Optimize is a free A/B testing tool that allows run experiments and discover what works best on your site. This allows you to compare two versions of a page and see which one is winning version.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to easily set up Google Optimize in WordPress.

What is Google Optimize

Google Optimize is a free tool that helps webmasters to improve the website and provide better visitor satisfaction by making changes to the website.

Using Google Optimize, you can test which version of your site works best for your visitors with just a few clicks.

Google Optimize offers a free version and a paid version that is 360 Optimize.

Google says,

Optimize allows you to test variants of web pages and see how they perform against an objective that you specify. Optimize monitors the results of your experiment and tells you which variant is the leader. To get started:

What are the Benefits of Google Optimize

With Google Optimize, you can quickly test new website design, layout and content. It shows you which site experiences engage and delight your customers and provide you the solutions you need.

Instead of relying on feedback to determine the best site design, you can run an experiment that tests alternative designs with real users.

Optimize uses Analytics data to identify which parts of your site need improvement. Also allows you to choose your testing goals according to your Google Analytics goals which you’ve previously set up.

Who Should Use Google Optimize

Google Optimize can use anyone who works in content and web development and wants to give better web experience to visitors.

Marketers can run experiments on landing pages to increase conversions, publishers can analyze how different site layouts affect user engagement, social media managers can experiment with different sharing strategies, and designers can test new website designs.

Type of Experiment That You Can Run With Google Optimize

With Google Optimize, you can run several types of experiments:

A/B tests

A/B tests or A/B/n test is a randomized experiment using two or more versions of the same page (A and B). A version is the original. Version B to n each contain at least one element that is modified from the original contains.

For example, a different coloured call-to-action button. In some experiments, variant B may be a completely new version of a web page.

Redirect Tests

A redirect test, (split URL test), is a type of A/B test that allows you to test individual pages against each other. In redirect tests, page versions are identified by URL or path instead of an element(s) on the page.

Redirect tests are beneficial if you want to compare two very different landing pages, or a complete redesign of a page.

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.

Google Optimize Prerequisites

Before getting started with Google Optimize, you will need the following:

Google Analytics installed on your website.
Chrome browser.
Optimize Chrome extension to create experiences in the Optimize visual editor (optional).

Now you have a better understanding of Google Optimize. Now let’s get started how to install Google Optimize…

Setup Google Optimize Account

First, go to the Google Optimize website and click on the Get Started button.

In the next page, it will ask you whether you want to receive Google’s email or not. Select the options you want and click the Next button at the bottom.

Now, you can choose your account settings. Use the recommended settings.

Select your country, so you can see the correct terms-of-service agreement for your country. Then you need to check the boxes and click on Done button.

Now Google will set up your Google Optimize account and redirect to your first container page. You need to connect your website.

I would advise you to connect Google Analytics to Google Optimize right here.

Link Google Optimize with Google Analytics

On the right-hand side, click on Link to Google Analytics and then click on Link property.

Next, choose your website and click on Link. If you do not see your website, then you need to set up Google Analytics.

After clicking on the link, you will see a pop-up. If you want to use the plugin (MonsterInsights) to add Google Optimize to your site, you can click Skip for now.

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It gives Google Optimize addon. Just actiavte and paste your Optimize Container ID (GTM-XXXXXXX).

Install Google Optimize to Your WordPress Site

You can manually add Google Optimize to your WordPress site. But you will have to manually modify your Google Analytics code. Here is Google’s official guide – Install Optimize using analytics.js

Your analytics.js tag will look like this:

<!-- Google Analytics -->
 
<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
 
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXXXXXXX-1', 'auto');
ga('require', 'GTM-XXXXXXX');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>
 
<!-- End Google Analytics -->

Note:

Replace UA-XXXXXXXXX-1 code with your Google Analytics property ID.
Replace GTM-XXXXXXX with your Optimize container ID.

Now place this code in the header of your site. For this, you can use the Insert Headers and Footers plugin.

If you are using a premium WordPress theme, there is an option to insert Google Analytics code into it.

Install the Anti-flicker Snippet

If you’re using this method, then you’ll need to also manually add the anti-flicker snippet code to your site. For more information about anti-flicker snippet, see this Help Centre article.

<style>.async-hide { opacity: 0 !important} </style>
<script>(function(a,s,y,n,c,h,i,d,e){s.className+=' '+y;h.start=1*new Date;
h.end=i=function(){s.className=s.className.replace(RegExp(' ?'+y),'')};
(a[n]=a[n]||[]).hide=h;setTimeout(function(){i();h.end=null},c);h.timeout=c;
})(window,document.documentElement,'async-hide','dataLayer',4000,
{'GTM-XXXXXX':true});</script>

Replace GTM-XXXXXX with your Optimize container ID.

You can place this code in the header of your site.

I hope this article helped you to install Google Optimize in WordPress. Find this article helpful? Don’t forget to share!

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