best beta-testing method?

**scatterbrain** · Feb 6th, 2013, 05:47 AM

i have heard of people using unbounce or wordpress squeeze pages for testing ideas/websites. a friend of mine only used the google keyword tool for testing his idea and started his biz based on the 800 global monthly searches for the keyword in the title of his domain name. while his biz is successful and taking off after a couple years of hard work, i know his method was a little dicey, considering 800 monthly searches are next to nothing. anybody recommend something similar or a better way of testing an idea?

**WillMitchell** · Feb 10th, 2013, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by scatterbrain

i have heard of people using unbounce or wordpress squeeze pages for testing ideas/websites. a friend of mine only used the google keyword tool for testing his idea and started his biz based on the 800 global monthly searches for the keyword in the title of his domain name. while his biz is successful and taking off after a couple years of hard work, i know his method was a little dicey, considering 800 monthly searches are next to nothing. anybody recommend something similar or a better way of testing an idea?

Great question - you're thinking the right way here.

I wrote a post on how I do this not too long ago. This is how we picked the name for StartupBros.

3 Steps to Validate Your Business Idea For FREE…almost

Also have another post coming out in a couple days on how we tested our way to the perfect logo...the tests are almost done!

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any questions.
Will

**scatterbrain** · Feb 13th, 2013, 06:47 AM

yes, i read your post. very informative. other than unbounce, would you recommend installing a landing page, squeeze page, or coming soon plugin on a blank wordpress template with google analytics? trying to go low budget at this point..

**WillMitchell** · Feb 14th, 2013, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by scatterbrain

yes, i read your post. very informative. other than unbounce, would you recommend installing a landing page, squeeze page, or coming soon plugin on a blank wordpress template with google analytics? trying to go low budget at this point..

I'm actually working on an updated version of that method that will go a bit deeper into that specifically, but my advice for that would be to get a free trial from Visual Website Optimizer (aff link) and set up a simple Multi-Variate test on a squeeze page or coming soon page.

Whether you want a coming soon/squeeze page is up to you really, they are all sort of doing the same thing. I usually put up a squeeze page and then test by replacing whatever element I am testing with variants through Visual Website Optimizer.

The method in the post above is going to be around the same cost for you anyways though, the only difference is if you have your own Wordpress install then you are paying more for the hosting. Unbounce and VWO both offer 30 day trials, I would take them up on those for this.

Also, be sure to grab a $100 Adwords Coupon from me if you haven't already (form is in the linked blog post above). You're going to need that to get enough targeted data.

Hope this helps,
Will