If you’re running a SaaS product, you’ve probably heard about multivariate testing. Maybe you’ve even tried it—or you’re frustrated by A/B tests that never seem to move the needle. This guide is for you: product managers, marketers, or anyone who wants real, actionable steps to set up multivariate tests in Convert.com without all the vague theory and wishful thinking. Let’s keep it practical, honest, and focused on what actually works.
Why Multivariate Testing Matters (But Isn’t Magic)
Multivariate testing lets you test combinations of changes at once (think: headline and button color and pricing layout), so you can figure out which mix actually improves signups or upgrades. That’s the upside.
The downside? It’s easy to get lost in the weeds and test too many things at once. Most SaaS teams don’t have the traffic for wild, 16-variant experiments. Multivariate tests can get messy—fast.
Key takeaway: Use multivariate tests when you have a clear hypothesis and decent traffic. Don’t use them to throw spaghetti at the wall.
Step 1: Decide What to Test (and What to Skip)
Before you even log in to Convert.com, get clear on what matters:
- Pick high-impact areas. Pricing page, signup flow, onboarding screens—places where changes actually affect revenue or retention.
- Limit your variables. Testing 2-3 elements is plenty. More than that, and your results will be murky unless you’re running a monster SaaS with tons of traffic.
- Form a hypothesis. “We think a shorter signup form and a more direct headline will boost free trial signups.” Write it down.
Pro tip: Don’t bother multivariate testing tiny tweaks (like button shadows or font sizes) unless you already have evidence they’re a problem.
Step 2: Get Your Variations Ready
You’ll need to prep the actual changes you want to test. This is where most teams overcomplicate things.
- For each element, define 2-3 clear variations. Example:
- Headline: “Start Your Free Trial” vs. “Try for Free, Cancel Anytime”
- Button Color: Blue vs. Green
- Don’t test every possible combo. With 3 elements and 2 variations each, that’s already 8 combinations. More than that, and your data gets thin.
What to skip: Don’t bother with variations you don’t actually believe in. Testing “just because” burns time and traffic.
Step 3: Set Up Your Experiment in Convert.com
Now, log in and create your experiment. Here’s how to keep it sane:
- Create a new Multivariate Test.
- In your Convert.com dashboard, click “Create Experiment” and pick “Multivariate Test.” Don’t pick A/B Test—different beast.
- Define your test URL.
- Enter the exact page(s) you want to run the test on. For SaaS, this is usually your main signup or pricing page.
- Add your sections (a.k.a. “containers”).
- Each section is one part of the page you’ll change—one for headline, one for button, etc. Convert.com lets you select these visually.
- Add variations to each section.
- For each container, add your prepped variations: different headlines, button styles, etc.
- Preview combinations.
- Convert.com will spit out all possible combos. Double-check nothing looks broken. If you spot a weird combo (e.g., green button clashes with background), go back and rethink your variations.
Honest tip: The Convert.com visual editor is pretty good, but it’s not foolproof. Always preview on multiple devices and browsers. Don’t trust the WYSIWYG blindly.
Step 4: Set Goals (Don’t Skip This)
This is where a lot of tests go sideways. If you don’t set the right goals, your results will be useless.
- Pick one primary metric. For SaaS, it’s usually “Trial signups,” “Account upgrades,” or “Onboarding completion.” Don’t get distracted by click rates or “engagement.”
- Set up conversion tracking in Convert.com.
- Use their goal setup wizard to define your main event (e.g., signup confirmation page URL, or a JS event for in-app upgrades).
- Optional: Add secondary metrics. These are “nice to know” but don’t let them pull focus from your main goal.
Pro tip: If you have a complicated funnel (multi-step signup, for example), make sure your tracking covers the actual conversion, not just a button click.
Step 5: QA Before You Launch (Seriously—Do This)
Nothing kills trust in testing faster than a broken variant.
- Preview every variant on desktop and mobile. Don’t just look at screenshots; click around like a real user.
- Test with real data. If possible, run the test in “preview” mode with your own account or a staging version of your site.
- Check analytics integration. Make sure events fire correctly for each variant.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over pixel-perfect design in every variant. Focus on whether the core experience is intact and the test is tracking cleanly.
Step 6: Launch Your Test (and Don’t Touch It)
Ready? Roll it out to real users.
- Set your traffic split. Unless you have a good reason, let Convert.com split traffic evenly across all variants.
- Let it run. Don’t peek at results every hour. Let the test run until you hit statistical significance or you’ve collected a reasonable sample (usually at least a few hundred conversions per variant).
- Don’t change anything mid-test. Tweaking variants or goals after launch wrecks your data. If you spot a major issue, pause and start over.
Caution: Multivariate tests take longer than A/B tests to reach significance—more variants means more data needed. If you’re low on traffic, consider running a simpler test.
Step 7: Analyze Results (Don’t Overthink It)
Once your test has enough data, it’s time to see what worked. Here’s how to avoid misleading yourself:
- Stick to your primary goal. Did any variant combo actually move the metric that matters?
- Use Convert.com’s reports, but sanity-check them. Look for clear, consistent lifts—not just statistically significant blips.
- Don’t chase “winners” if the lift is tiny. If the best combo is only 1% better, it’s probably noise. Look for meaningful, real-world improvements.
- Document what you did. Write down what you changed, what worked, and what didn’t. It’ll save you (and your team) a ton of time later.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by “interesting” but irrelevant secondary metrics. If the main goal didn’t move, it’s back to the drawing board.
Step 8: Roll Out the Winner (Or Learn and Move On)
If you found a clear winner, great—ship it to 100% of users. If not, that’s still useful info.
- If there’s a big lift, implement the winning combo. Watch the metric in your main analytics tool for a few weeks to confirm the result holds.
- If nothing worked, don’t panic. Sometimes the lesson is “these changes didn’t matter.” That’s valuable. Figure out a new hypothesis and test again.
- Don’t run endless tests on low-impact stuff. Focus on tests that could actually move your SaaS metrics, not just “improve” things for the sake of activity.
Keep it Simple, Ship, and Iterate
Multivariate testing in Convert.com isn’t rocket science—but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Focus on testing things that actually matter, keep your variants limited, and don’t let perfect be the enemy of shipped. Most real-world SaaS wins come from a handful of obvious improvements, not endless micro-optimizations.
Test, learn, and move on. And if in doubt, just run a good old-fashioned A/B test—sometimes simpler really is better.