If you're in charge of a B2B product site and want to figure out what really works on your product pages—without guessing—this one's for you. Multivariate testing sounds fancy, but it's just a way to see which combo of changes actually moves the needle. We'll walk through how to use Optimizely to run these tests, what to watch out for, and why you shouldn't believe everything the sales reps say.
Why Multivariate Tests (MVT) Matter for B2B Product Pages
A/B testing is solid, but it only tells you if one change beats another. Multivariate testing lets you test several changes at once—like button color, headline, and image—so you see which mix works best. This is gold for B2B, where buyers do more homework, and getting the right message or design can make or break a deal.
But here's the catch: MVT is resource-heavy. If you test too many things at once, you'll need a lot more visitors to get real answers. For niche B2B sites with lower traffic, you have to be picky.
When to use MVT:
- Your page gets at least several thousand unique visitors per variation, per month.
- You want to see how combinations of changes interact, not just single tweaks.
- You have a clear goal (e.g., demo requests, quote submissions).
If that doesn't sound like your site, stick to A/B tests for now. Otherwise, let's get into it.
Step 1: Get Your Ducks in a Row
Before you even log into Optimizely, make sure you've got the basics:
- Clear conversion goal: What do you want people to do? "Request a demo"? "Download a whitepaper"? Pick one.
- List your elements: Which parts of the page are you thinking of changing? (e.g., headline, CTA button, product image)
- Executive buy-in: Multivariate tests take longer and use more traffic. Make sure stakeholders are patient.
- Baseline data: Know your current conversion rate and traffic numbers. If you don't, pause and get those first.
Pro tip:
Don’t test tiny details unless you have huge traffic. Changing the shade of blue on your button isn't worth weeks of waiting if only 500 people see it a month.
Step 2: Plan Your Test — Keep It Simple
Here comes the temptation: testing everything at once. Resist it.
- Pick 2–3 elements to test. Any more, and the number of combinations explodes.
- Limit to 2–3 variations per element. Example:
- Headline: Original, Variation A
- Button Text: "Request a Demo," "Get a Quote"
- Image: Person, Product Screenshot
This setup already gives you 2 (headline) x 2 (button) x 2 (image) = 8 combos. See how fast it adds up?
Ignore:
- Testing elements nobody cares about (footer links, legal text)
- Changes you can’t implement if they win (too expensive, against brand)
What works:
- Headlines and CTAs usually move the needle
- Images can help, but only if they're meaningful (not just stock photos)
Step 3: Set Up Your Multivariate Test in Optimizely
Assuming you’ve picked your elements and variations, let’s get hands-on:
- Log in and select your project/site.
- Create a new Experiment.
- Choose “Multivariate Test” (not A/B).
- Add your test URL.
- This should be your B2B product page. Double-check you’re not testing a staging site.
- Define your Variables (Factors):
- For each element, create a “Variable” in Optimizely.
- Example:
- Variable 1: Headline
- Variable 2: Button Text
- Variable 3: Image
- Add Variations for each Variable:
- Enter the content for each version (e.g., two headlines, two button texts).
- Preview each combination.
- Optimizely will generate all possible combos. Check for broken layouts or weird overlaps.
- Set your Goal(s):
- This is usually a click or form submission. Don’t get fancy—pick the main conversion.
- QA before launch:
- Use Optimizely’s preview and QA tools. Test on different browsers and devices. Don’t trust “should be fine.”
- Launch.
Honest take:
Optimizely’s visual editor is decent, but sometimes struggles with complex page layouts or dynamic content (think: React-heavy sites). You might need help from a developer to set up “Custom JavaScript” changes for more advanced tests. Don’t fight the tool—if it can’t handle your page, ask your dev team to help.
Step 4: Traffic Allocation and Running the Test
Let’s talk about the two things nobody likes to admit:
- Multivariate tests need a lot of traffic—far more than A/B.
- Most B2B sites don’t have enough.
How it works:
Optimizely splits your traffic evenly across all combinations. If you have 8 combos and 8,000 monthly visitors, that’s 1,000 each—assuming perfect distribution.
Best practices: - Run the test for at least 2 full business cycles (don’t stop after a slow week). - Don’t peek at results and stop early. Statistical significance matters, even if the numbers look exciting. - Use an online calculator (or Optimizely’s built-in stats engine) to estimate how long you need.
What to ignore:
- Don’t bother with “multi-goal” tests unless you have expert level stats skills. More goals mean more noise.
Pro tip:
If you don’t have enough traffic, combine variations or reduce the number of elements. More isn’t always better.
Step 5: Read (and Trust) the Results
This is where the rubber meets the road.
- Check for statistical significance. Optimizely will flag winners, but don’t trust “trending” results.
- Look for interactions: Sometimes two changes together work way better (or worse) than alone. That’s the whole point of MVT.
- Beware false positives: If a weird combo wins but only had a handful of conversions, it’s probably noise.
- Document everything: Record what you tested, the combos, and the outcomes. Don’t trust your memory.
What works:
- Acting on clear, strong winners that are practical to roll out.
- Sharing results—good or bad—with your team. We all learn more from failures than wins.
What doesn’t:
- Chasing tiny uplifts. If a combo “wins” by 1% but your sample size is low, don’t burn resources making the change.
Step 6: Implement, Retest, and Move On
Congrats if you found a winner! Now:
- Roll out the winning combo to all users.
- Monitor your live metrics. Sometimes real-world results differ from test data.
- Plan your next test. Keep it focused—don’t try to test everything at once.
- Archive your results. Avoid the “we already tried that” memory hole.
Pro tip:
Don’t stack multivariate tests on top of each other. Let the dust settle, then run the next round. Overlapping tests = messy data.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too many variables, not enough traffic: MVT is powerful, but only if you feed it enough data.
- Testing things you can't actually implement: If legal, dev, or branding will block it, skip it.
- "Set it and forget it": Always monitor test performance. Bugs happen.
- Ignoring qualitative feedback: Numbers matter, but so does user feedback from sales or support.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Multivariate testing with Optimizely isn’t magic, but when used right, it can help you make smarter decisions on your B2B product pages. Start small, focus on what really matters, and don’t let the promise of “data-driven everything” trip you up. Most wins come from obvious changes, not fancy tests. Ship, learn, repeat. That’s how you actually get better.