Using a cheap or free testing tool? Now that Google Website Optimizer has morphed into Google Analytics (as Google Content Experiments), this is a great time for you to evaluate your choice of testing tool and get a better one. Even more important when you find out that Google Content Experiments is lacking some important testing features.

To help you decide which testing tool option is right for you, I have created a simple guide comparing the features of Google Content Experiments and the two leading lower cost tools, Visual Website Optimizer and Optimizely, and give some ratings.

	Google Content Experiments
Cost	Free.	Plans start at $49 per month (10,000 visitors).	Plans start at $17 per month (2,000 visitors).
Test design options	5/10 Basic wizard setup, no visual or code editor.	9/10 Advanced visual and code editor options.	9/10 Advanced visual and code editor options.
Ease to add test code	7/10 Simple, but several page tags needed.	9/10 Very simple – only single code line needed.	9/10 Very simple – only single code line needed.
Multivariate test options	0/10 None.	8/10 Many options available.	6/10 Available, but only for Gold level ($359/month).
Test targeting options	0/10 None.	8/10 Good targeting options, with ability to build custom ones.	7/10 Targeting options, but for limited pre-set ones.
Conversion goals & success metrics	9/10 Very good – can use Google Analytics goals as conversion goals.	8/10 Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.	8/10 Great – good selection of goals and metrics, including revenue.
Test reporting and segmenting	7/10 Average reporting, but ability to analyze Google Analytics segments.	8/10 Good reporting, no segmenting, but includes great click-maps & heatmaps for results.	7/10 Decent reporting, but no segmeting or other unique features.
Overall comments	Promising, but step back from Google Website Optimizer (new features coming soon).	Great tool & includes good usability tool to gain test ideas from your visitors & testing experts.	Good tool, and cheapest, but in need of extra features (apparently coming soon though).
Overall rating	5/10 Very lacking, needs key features.	8/10 Has the slight edge over Optimizely.	7/10 Cheaper option, but less features.

My Low-Cost Testing Tool Advice:
While it has great potential, I wouldn’t recommend using Google Content Experiments in its current state – it’s really lacking MVT and other key features. This is the perfect time to try using one of the two other low-cost tools which are very cost effective – and in my opinion, Visual Website Optimizer has the edge between the two (but expect more from Optimizely soon, given the new funding they just got). And don’t forget to read my user guide for testing tool success to make sure you get better test results!

Bottom Line for Google Website Optimizer Users:
It’s time to get a better testing tool! Even though it was a great idea by Google to integrate it into Google Analytics, it’s unfortunately taken one step foreward but two steps back. While it offers improved conversion goal reporting, you can’t even do MVT testing in it yet. So unless they greatly beef it up soon (which there is already talk of), I suggest you try using either of the other tools I compared. They don’t cost much more than a free tool (monthly plans starting at just $17 for Optimizely), especially when you consider how much ROI you get – increased conversion rates, and therefore increased website revenue too!

Now over to you the readers – what is your favorite lost cost testing tool, and why? Please comment below!