I have recently started playing around with Google’s Website Optimizer and I now wonder if the traditional web consulting firms have a future in the industry. There was a time when website owners would hire a consultant or spend weeks in meetings trying to guess what changes to their site would give them the biggest impact for their users. Usually the most effective way to determine what would work would be to conduct extensive market research through surveys or focus groups, both of which take a great deal of time and resources.

Google’s Website Optimizer puts the power of the large consulting firms into the hands of the site owner. I was amazed at how easily it was to set up the tests and how profound the initial data was. I am now obsessed with checking the stats and can’t wait to start the next test. I will keep you posted on the results of the tests and keep you up to date on my impressions.

Now that this tool is in the hands of the site owner will there be less of a demand for web consulting firms? Or will fast adapting consultants use this tool to offer the same market research services but save money by implementing this cheaper and faster method.