SiteSpect Debuts Testing Tool for How a Site Works, Not Just Looks

December 9, 2014

Testing a website for varying designs and layouts is a key way to figure out what is most enticing to visitors, but optimization vendor SiteSpect has decided that is no longer enough, and has debuted a tool to test how a site works as well.

Testing a website for varying designs and layouts is a key way to figure out what is most enticing to visitors, but optimization vendor SiteSpect has decided that is no longer enough, and has debuted a tool to test how a site works as well.

It Just has to Work

Form over function? Design over functionality? SiteSpect apparently thinks this decision should be moot, and it’s announced a tool called Origin Experiments to allow for optimizing website functions as well as features. Website testers will be able to test not only copy and image placement, but underlying infrastructure like algorithms, for example.

Internal search tools are great for helping customers find content, and those searches yield valuable insights into what people are looking for, but improving that search functionality is the key, SiteSpect feels. Things like misspelled words may not turn up any search results at all, and that means customers will simply leave the site and try the next one they find.

A good way to combat this would be to test out new ways for that search tool to suggest alternative search terms and recognize common misspellings. Origin Experiments is the kind of tool that can handle that kind of testing, as well as other important functions.

Pricing Experiments + Feature Segmentation

Any website that does multivariate testing or behavioral targeting will likely want to check out this offering on account of its ability to run experiments on critical site functions like pricing and personalization. Personalization based on a number of factors is what SiteSpect refers to as feature segmentation, and it can be by device, location or new vs existing customers, for example. Origin Experiments will allow for sites to test these features out before they go live to a wider audience, thus causing minimal amounts of site wide disruption.

Experiments can be run with Origin Experiments on things like new feature releases, complete site redesigns, checkout flow and even backend or database content functionality. Moving logged in users from a five step check out process to a three step process would be one way to test out checkout flow.

SiteSpect’s current customers have access to Origin Experiments right away, and there’s no added fee for it. New customers would have to get in contact with the company on pricing, however.

This article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of CMSWire. You can read the original version here.