Top 5 A/B Testing Tools that seamlessly integrate with GTM and Looker Data Studio

Google Optimize's sunset in September 2023 has left many businesses scrambling for alternative A/B testing solutions. While there are numerous options available, not all of them offer seamless integration with Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Looker, two essential tools for data collection and analysis.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a list of the best A/B testing tools that are compatible with GTM and Looker:

Adobe Target:

Adobe Target is a comprehensive A/B testing platform that offers a wide range of features, including:

• A/B testing and multivariate testing: Create and run A/B tests and multivariate tests to compare different versions of your web pages, emails, and mobile apps.
• Personalization: Personalize your website and mobile apps to deliver the right content to the right users at the right time.
• Reporting and analytics: Get insights into your experiment results with comprehensive reporting and analytics.

Adobe Target integrates seamlessly with GTM and Looker, making it easy to collect and analyze data from your experiments.

Optimizely:

Optimizely is a powerful A/B testing tool that offers advanced personalization and experimentation capabilities, including:

• Personalization engine: Use Optimizely's personalization engine to deliver the right content to each user based on their individual characteristics and behavior.
• Feature flagging: Use feature flags to control which features are available to different users.
• Multivariate experimentation: Create and run multivariate experiments to test multiple factors at the same time.

Optimizely integrates with GTM and Looker, providing a streamlined workflow for experiment setup and data analysis.

VWO: 

VWO is a user-friendly A/B testing tool that is easy to use and affordable, including:

• Visual editor: Use VWO's visual editor to create and edit experiments without any coding.
• Heatmaps and session recordings: Use heatmaps and session recordings to understand how users interact with your website.
• A/B recommendations: Get recommendations for which experiments to run based on your historical data.

VWO integrates smoothly with GTM for simplified experiment management, and its Looker integration enables comprehensive data analysis.

SiteSpect: 

SiteSpect is a versatile A/B testing tool that is a good choice for enterprise-level needs, including:

• Server-side A/B testing: Run A/B tests on the server-side to avoid performance impact on your website.
• Integration with any CMS or tag management system: SiteSpect can integrate with any CMS or tag management system, making it easy to use with your existing infrastructure.
• Scalability: SiteSpect can handle large volumes of traffic and data, making it a good choice for large organizations.

SiteSpect offers robust integration with GTM and Looker, allowing for seamless data collection and analysis across various platforms.

: AB Tasty is a feature-rich A/B testing tool that is a good choice for businesses that need visual experimentation and personalization, including:

AB Tasty

• Visual experimentation: Use AB Tasty's visual experimentation tools to create and edit experiments without any coding.
• AI-powered personalization: Use AB Tasty's AI-powered personalization engine to deliver the right content to each user based on their individual characteristics and behavior.
• Real-time reporting: Get real-time insights into your experiment results.

AB Tasty integrates seamlessly with GTM for streamlined experiment deployment, and its Looker integration provides actionable insights.

In addition to these top contenders, several other A/B testing tools offer varying degrees of compatibility with GTM and Looker. These include Kameleoon, Convert Experiences, and Statsig.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Needs

Ways to Integrate these tools with your GTM:

Adobe Target:

• Use the "Custom HTML" tag type in GTM.
• Paste the Adobe Target JavaScript code (at.js) into the tag configuration.
• Set triggers for the pages where you want Adobe Target experiments to run.

Optimizely:

• Use the "Custom HTML" tag type in GTM.
• Paste the Optimizely experiment code into the tag configuration.
• Set triggers for the pages where you want the Optimizely experiment to run.

VWO (Visual Website Optimizer):

• VWO may provide a GTM template or custom HTML code.
• Use the "Custom HTML" tag type.
• Paste the VWO experiment code into the tag configuration.
• Set triggers for the pages where you want VWO experiments to run.

SiteSpect:

• SiteSpect typically provides a JavaScript code snippet for integration.
• Use the "Custom HTML" tag type.
• Paste the SiteSpect code into the tag configuration.
• Set triggers for the pages where you want SiteSpect experiments to run.

AB Tasty:

• AB Tasty may provide a GTM template or custom JavaScript code.
• Use the "Custom HTML" tag type.
• Paste the AB Tasty code into the tag configuration.
• Set triggers for the pages where you want AB Tasty experiments to run.

Ways to Integrate these tools with your Looker Studio:

Optimizely:

• Open the Looker Studio data source gallery.
• Search for Optimizely
• You'll see some third party connectors such as Supermetrics.
• Select the connector of your choice and select your account or property.
• Once that's done, or if you've done it before, click the right-hand Authorize button

Others::

Export Data from A/B Testing Tools:

A/B testing tools allow you to export data in various formats, such as CSV or JSON. You can use the A/B testing tools API to retrieve the data you need.

Prepare Data for Google Data Studio:

Once you've exported the data from A/B testing tools, you may need to clean and format it appropriately for use in Google Data Studio. Ensure that the data is structured in a way that makes sense for the type of visualizations you want to create.

Store Data in Google Sheets or BigQuery:

You can upload your cleaned and formatted data to Google Sheets or Google BigQuery. Google Sheets is a more straightforward option for smaller datasets, while BigQuery is more suitable for larger datasets.

Connect Google Data Studio to Data Source:

1. Open Google Data Studio and create a new report.

2. Add a data source by connecting to either Google Sheets or Google BigQuery, depending on where you stored your A/B testing tools data.

Create Visualizations:

Once your data source is connected, you can start creating visualizations in Google Data Studio. Choose the appropriate chart types and configure them based on your A/B testing tools data.

Schedule Data Updates (if needed):

If your data changes regularly, you might want to set up automatic updates for your Google Sheets or BigQuery data source to keep your Google Data Studio report up to date.

When selecting an A/B testing tool, consider the following factors:

1. Ease of use: If you have limited technical expertise, opt for a user-friendly tool with intuitive interfaces and clear documentation.
2. Features: Identify the specific features you require, such as multivariate testing, personalization, and reporting capabilities.
3. Scalability: Ensure the tool can accommodate your current and future testing needs as your business grows.
4. Pricing: Evaluate the pricing structure and choose a tool that aligns with your budget.
5. Integration: Confirm the tool's compatibility with GTM and Looker, ensuring seamless data collection and analysis.

Conclusion

The sunset of Google Optimize has created an opportunity to explore alternative A/B testing solutions that offer enhanced capabilities and integrations. By carefully evaluating your needs and considering the factors mentioned above, you can select the right tool to power your optimization efforts and drive business growth.