Visual Website Optimizer: Run A/B Tests On Your Site

http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/02/visual-website-optimizer-another-way-to-run-ab-tests-on-your-site/

by cwan • 16 years ago

63 46 16 years ago

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

Guys, I am happy that TC finally wrote about my startup! Relevant thread where all this started: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1520001

After following up for more than 50 days with NUMEROUS emails, looks like they have finally submitted to my persistence ;)

Any way, this is good. I am happy that they wrote about Visual Website Optimizer and hope this brings exposure.

EDIT: They've corrected the typos in the post.

thegyppo• 16 years ago

Fairly uninspiring Post Title, but enjoy the ride :)

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

I wish the post was bit more comprehensive than this.

EDIT: Rephrased so that it doesn't look like I'm angry or ranting. I am very happy to get coverage on TC and learnt a lot in the process!

EDIT: Looks like they changed the typos in the post!

nopassrecover4• 16 years ago

The new site looks fantastic! Have you changed the actual app's design too? (can't find an overview screenshot anymore, last time I checked you were using a ThemeForest template but the feature-based screenshots look improved since then).

I don't know how "sexy" the name is but like I said the site looks great and I found you on Google pretty easily (it suggested for me) so SEO is going well too.

Great execution to date and good luck!

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

No, actual app redesign is in the works. Most of my customers don't care whether I use a ThemeForest template. As long as they get the job done, they are happy.

Though, yes, been talking to lots of designers to redesign the app and the site. We should have a fresh brand identity in a few months.

Yeah, we can't take the risk by changing the name now!

subbu2• 16 years ago

Your persistence has finally paid off. Congratulations and good luck.

maxklein• 16 years ago

I'm glad for you! Persistence does pay off indeed - now start sending emails to CNN, let's see you slowly break down all the media fortresses.

Also, get a favicon.

mahmud3• 16 years ago

I love that second paragraph, btw.

"Napoleon, good job on those conquests, but dude, get a favicon!" :-P

garply• 16 years ago

Interesting that one of the reasons jkincaid didn't like your site was due to the name. I find Visual Website Optimizer a much better name than Optimizely.

akshayubhat• 16 years ago

Congrats dude!

harisenbon• 16 years ago

Congrats paras! You have a great product, and you deserve the attention you're getting.

Btw, love the articles that you write on smashing.

lkozma• 16 years ago

meta-question: why does Paras' reply to this appear as link[dead] ?

credo• 16 years ago

Congratulations Paras, I'm glad you succeeded in getting the coverage you wanted.

That said, I'm a bit puzzled at why this coverage was important enough for you to work on it for "more than 50 days with NUMEROUS emails"

It seems like you've already accomplished a great deal by signing up companies like Microsoft and Rackspace as customers. To me, those are far more important than getting coverage in TechCrunch. While press-coverage/PR is always great, I'm curious to know what you expect the impact of the TC post to be.

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

Well, yes, that's the hypothesis. I expect TC to generate awareness about VWO and even a few direct sales. The followups were nothing more than gentle reminders of checking out VWO, so there wasn't a significant investment of time involved in that. But I was persistent in sending multiple reminders, if and when needed.

niyazpk3• 16 years ago

Congrats Paras. You have worked hard on this and now you are reaping the rewards. Happy for you buddy. Keep up the good work.

luckystrike• 16 years ago

  Website:	visualwebsiteoptimizer.com
  Location:	London, United Kingdom

Paras, you shifted your base from Delhi? :-)

On a serious note, I know you really wanted VWO to be covered on TC. If you find time, please do write a blog post afterwards on what impact this coverage had for your business. (Traffic driven to your site from TC, inquiries, new signups etc )

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

No, I am still in Delhi. I am getting associated with a partner who is based out of London. Yes, definitely. I will soon blog my experience about getting TC coverage and it effects it had.

aymeric• 16 years ago

Congratulations, I am very happy for you, your product is truly great and deserves the coverage.

ThomPete• 16 years ago

Congrats.

A small nitpick...

The A Weber Communications logo is looking jagged, you might want to re-render it or re-size it depending on how you did it.

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

Yup, tried doing that but still it comes out to be Jagged. Used Photoshop resizing option with default method of resizing. Do you have any recommendation on how to re-render it without making it look jagged?

niyazpk3• 16 years ago

Use the 'Bicubic-sharper' option to reduce size. Here: http://i.imgur.com/xkHH9.png

robryan• 16 years ago

Considering the effort that went into getting them to do a post it didn't seem like much more than a rehash of whatever Paras has been sending them. More and more recently it seems that much of the value ycombinator gives a company is in the initial attention that they will always receive upon launch making it that much harder for smaller people wanting to bootstrap without VC money and without great industry contacts.

maheshs• 16 years ago

Congratulations Paras!!! Its great to see Indian start-up featured in TC.

confuzatron2• 16 years ago

Any idea why TC have a 'twttr' style logo at the moment?

http://techcrunch.com/2006/07/15/is-twttr-interesting/

confuzatron2• 16 years ago

Ahah. http://techcrunch.com/50-days-of-logos/

mahmud3• 16 years ago

Oh, finally. Paras Chopra gets the respect he deserves.

I don't know of any startup founder who works as hard as him.

Mubarak ho Paras gee, but, yar, this is long over due.

paraschopra13• 16 years ago

Shukriya :)

joshbuckley• 16 years ago

Congratulations paras! Great to see how persistence pays off in the long run.

benologist• 16 years ago

What an awful writeup for such an accomplished startup.

Visual Website Optimizer: Run A/B Tests On Your Site

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