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Using Convert.com for AB testing – an alternative to Google Optimise

Article originally published in March 2023 by Stuart Brameld. Most recent update in April 2023.

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Since the shutdown of Google Optimise, many of our clients have been searching for a low cost Google Optimise alternative, particularly after the sunset announcement was revised making it clear that A/B testing functionality would not be added to GA4. Rather than building native functionality in Google Analytics, Google’s focus is now on integrating third-party A/B testing solutions.

We work with mid-size and enterprise B2B clients, companies that don’t have deal with e-commerce like transaction volumes but nevertheless need a reliable A/B testing tool to run experiments and accelerate growth.

The two most popular Google Optimise alternatives that have emerged since the Optimize sunset announcement are Visual Website Optimizer (VWO) and Convert, in this article we look at Convert.com in particular.

Introducing Convert.com

Unlike VWO, choosing which Convert product is right for you is simple, as there is only one. The core Convert A/B testing tool includes all functionality, and pricing is clear and transparent. Here are some of the core features and functionality:

  • A/B testing
  • Split testing
  • Multivariate testing
  • Multipage experiments
  • Visual editor
  • Code editor
  • Advanced audience targeting and segments
  • Collision prevention
  • Privacy compliance
  • 3rd party integrations
  • 10-step onboarding plan
  • Zero flickering

The lowest Convert.com plan is $99/mo for up to 50,000 tested users per month, this lower cost plan was made available largely as a result of the Google Optimise sunset announcement. For more information see their pricing page.

AB testing functionality review

The core features in VWO, Convert and others are very similar, and for any team that is newer to growth marketing, agile marketing or experimentation either will be more than sufficient to get started.

Here are some questions to consider:

  1. How many tested visitors do you need? Over 100k with VWO shoots up in price massively, at 50k and below both are very similar
  2. What test types does the product offer? AB tests, Split tests (split-url tests), multi-variant tests (MVT), multi-page tests
  3. How many tests can you run? Are there limits?
  4. How do you edit tests? Most products come with both a visual editor and a code editor
  5. How do you get support? Typically a mix of live chat, email and phone support, depending on your plan level
  6. Is there zero flicker? Unlike Google Optimise, all commercial offerings should provide zero-flicker as standard
  7. What statistical model is used in reporting? Bayesian, Frequentist or both.

Convert.com ab testing functionality

We have reviewed Convert.com functionality in-depth below and provided a comparison table with VWO Testing (it’s most common competitor) for easy reference. Despite the similarities there are also a number of differences between the two products, outlined below.

FeatureConvert.com (Community Plan)VWO Testing (Starter Plan)
Launched20082010
Based inCalifornia, USNew Delhi, India
Statistics modelFrequentist and BayesianBayesian-powered + A/B test duration estimator tool
Concurrent testsUnlimited TestsUnlimited Campaigns
Test typesAB, Split URL and Multi-page testing (Multivariant only in higher plans)AB and Split URL testing (Multivariant only in higher plans)
Targeting optionsLanguage, cookie, traffic source, time of day, geo/demo, custom and advanced options (no IP targeting on any plan)URL & Device only (OS, User type, traffic source, geo, cookie, UTM and IP on on higher plans)
GoalsUp to 5Up to 5
SegmentationPost-test segmentation for reporting + personalise segments for experiencesNo segmenting functionality in the starter plan
Pricing$99/mo for 50k tested users per monthFree for up to 50k users
EditorVisual editor and code editorVisual editor and code editor
IntegrationsOver 90 including Google Tag Manager, HubSpot, Google Data Studio, HotJar, Clarity, Salesforce, WordPress, Zuko and moreGoogle Analytics, and Google Ads
SupportEmail and forumEmail support
GDPR complianceNo 3rd party cookies, 1st party only. PCI-DSS, SOC 2. EU servers.GDPR, HIPPA, CCPA, ISO 27001:2013, ISO 27001:2019, PCI DSS Compliant

Convert form analytics & CRO

For many B2B businesses one of the areas we find gets the most wins early on is conversion testing on website forms. The advantage of testing forms, particularly those that drive leads and MQLs, is the impact that conversion uplifts can have on revenue.

The table below models the impact of typical 20% conversion rate improvement for a company with 50,000 visitors a month and an average contract value of £20,000.

Baseline “Status quo”20% CVR Improvement
Homepage Visitors50,00050,000
Conversion rate5%6%
Leads2,5003,000
Conversion rate10%10%
Opportunities250300
Conversion rate20%20%
Customers5060
Average contract value£20,000£20,000
New Revenue£1,000,000£1,200,000

In this scenario, the impact of a typical 20% website conversion rate improvement (from 5% to 6%) results in a revenue increase of £200,000, from £1m to £1.2m.

Now let’s assume exactly the same baseline but assume we are able to double conversion rate from a “good” 5% to an industry leading 10%.

Baseline “Status quo”20% CVR Improvement
Homepage Visitors50,00050,000
Conversion rate5%10%
Leads2,5005,000
Conversion rate10%10%
Opportunities250500
Conversion rate20%20%
Customers50100
Average contract value£20,000£20,000
New Revenue£1,000,000£2,000,000

In this scenario revenue increases 2x, equating to £1m increase in revenue for the business (from £1m to £2m per month).

Lastly, let’s assume we achieve the web conversion improvement above but are also able to improve the conversion rate of our other funnel stages (Lead -> Opportunity and Opportunity -> Customer) by 20%.

Baseline “Status quo”20% CVR Improvement
Homepage Visitors50,00050,000
Conversion rate5%10%
Leads2,5005,000
Conversion rate10%12%
Opportunities250600
Conversion rate20%24%
Customers50144
Average contract value£20,000£20,000
New Revenue£1,000,000£2,880,000

In this scenario revenue nearly triples, from £1m to £2.88m.

Note that in all 3 examples the number of visitors (50,000) and average contract value (£20,000) have remained exactly the same.

Form CRO using Convert.com

Conversion rate optimisation enables teams to answer questions like:

  1. How many users filled out and submitted the form?
  2. How many users began filling out the form but abandoned it midway?
  3. Which field were most of the users hesitant to fill? 
  4. How much time did users take to fill out the form?
  5. Does one form version invite users to actually start the form in greater numbers than the other?
  6. Which variant converts best once the user has started the form?

To answer questions like this conversion rate optimisation for forms typically includes the following:

  1. A conversion funnel report explaining the number of people that landed on the form, how many interacted, and how many converted
  2. Individual field data providing information such as interaction time, hesitation, refills, ignores and drop-offs at a field level
  3. AB testing form content and measuring the impact on a goal or goals

Unlike VWO, Convert.com has no dedicated form analytics product, hence for Convert customers we recommend the following to fulfill the above requirements:

RequirementProduct
Conversion funnel reportGA4 Funnels or Zuko
Form field dataGoogle Tag Manager or Zuko (if required)
Form testingConvert.com

With standard HTML forms Convert can monitor the URL your form or forms post to, and use this as a goal action. If you wish to track forms that do not have an “action” attribute (like Ajax forms) and therefore cannot be tracked with the standard form submission goal template, they also have a Javascript Triggered Goal.

With Convert.com you can create Javascript goals to differentiate between users who interacted with the form and those who didn’t. You can also identify the last field with which they interacted.

In some cases, a  form that you want to track does not have an “action” attribute, and therefore cannot be tracked with the standard form submission goal template. For those cases, an alternative is to create a Javascript Triggered Goal.

Tracking form submissions with Javascript

With Convert.com you can also use the code editor to monitor for when specific elements are shown on the page, even if the page isn’t reloaded, and use those in goals. More on that here.

Statistical Significance in Convert

Convert has a free calculator to help determine which tests will run and whether you have enough traffic to support them. Use the calculator for free at https://www.convert.com/calculator/.

Final thoughts

Convert is an excellent entry AB testing solution and a perfect replacement for Google Optimise. The bigger advantages of VWO at the entry level are:

  1. Much more advanced targeting and segmentation (over 40+ filters) including language, cookie, traffic source, time of day, geo/demo, custom and advanced options
  2. Convert.com reporting is excellent
  3. Unlimited experiences, projects, tests, variations and sub-domains (within your plans traffic volume)
  4. A more gentle and incremental price increase as you move up the pricing tiers
  5. Import goals from Google Analytics or use drag and drop filters in the advanced goal builder to specify conditions of the action to track

As always, we recommend any AB testing is informed by good conversion research. Growth marketers should aim to understand users needs, issues, doubts and fears and use these to generate high quality growth ideas that have a higher likelihood of success.

As always, remember that with typical B2B traffic volumes you will likely need to make big, bold changes in order get statistical significance on tests.

Thinking of starting a Convert trial? Use this affiliate link for a 30-day trial rather than the standard 15 days.

Got questions? Ping me on LinkedIn or on Twitter.

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