VOOZH about

URL: https://www.coursera.org/learn/advanced-optimization--experimental-design

⇱ Advanced Optimization & Experimental Design | Coursera


Advanced Optimization & Experimental Design

Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.

Advanced Optimization & Experimental Design

Included with

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Design and evaluate statistically sound A/B tests.

  • Build forecasting models for campaigns and budget planning.

  • Use GA4 insights to identify funnel and tracking issues.

  • Recommend data-driven optimization strategies across channels.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Recently updated!

June 2026

Assessments

24 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the AI Marketing Analytics Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 10 modules in this course

Move beyond reporting and learn how to optimize marketing performance using experimentation, forecasting, and advanced analytics workflows. In this course, you’ll design A/B tests, evaluate statistical significance, create forecasting models, and use GA4 insights to improve campaign execution and measurement quality.

You’ll learn how to structure meaningful A/B tests with clear hypotheses, success metrics, sample-size planning, and evaluation criteria. You’ll also create forecasting models that project future campaign performance and budget requirements using historical marketing data and trend analysis. In addition, you’ll analyze GA4 implementations to identify tracking gaps, troubleshoot instrumentation issues, and improve campaign attribution accuracy. Throughout the course, you’ll use optimization frameworks to recommend tactical and strategic marketing improvements across multiple channels. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to execute data-driven optimization strategies that combine experimentation, forecasting, and analytics into actionable marketing recommendations.

Learners will systematically plan, execute, and analyze A/B tests for email campaigns to make data-driven decisions that improve campaign performance.

What's included

3 videos1 reading3 assignments

3 videosTotal 9 minutes
  • The Business Value of Systematic Testing2 minutes
  • A/B Testing Strategy Fundamentals4 minutes
  • Developing an A/B Test Plan3 minutes
1 readingTotal 10 minutes
  • What to Test in Email Campaigns10 minutes
3 assignmentsTotal 35 minutes
  • Run Smart A/B Tests - Course Assessment15 minutes
  • Hands-On Activity: Create an A/B Testing Plan15 minutes
  • A/B Testing Fundamentals Assessment5 minutes

Historical performance trends rarely tell the full story without accounting for seasonality, promotions, and external events that influence campaign performance. This module focuses on refining forecasting models by identifying recurring seasonal patterns, applying seasonal adjustments, and incorporating promotional impacts into budget planning workflows. Learners examine how to distinguish meaningful trends from random fluctuations and improve forecast accuracy during high-variance periods such as holiday campaigns or promotional peaks. The module emphasizes practical decision-making and forecast refinement techniques used in real marketing planning environments. By the end of this module, you will be able to adjust forecasting models for seasonality and produce more reliable campaign budget projections.

What's included

3 videos2 readings2 assignments

3 videosTotal 11 minutes
  • Predict the Future, Protect the Budget2 minutes
  • Fundamentals of Marketing Forecasting5 minutes
  • Demo: Building a Forecast in Excel/Sheets4 minutes
2 readingsTotal 10 minutes
  • Choosing and Preparing Forecasting Inputs5 minutes
  • Exemplar for Hands-On Activity: Project Next Quarter's Spend5 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 25 minutes
  • Hands-On Activity: Project Next Quarter's Spend20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Forecasting Basics5 minutes

Forecasting is a critical marketing planning skill because campaign budgets and performance targets often need to be defined before complete data is available. This module introduces practical forecasting methods used to project ad spend, lead volume, and conversion outcomes from historical campaign data. Learners explore core forecasting concepts, including linear regression, moving averages, and data preparation, while comparing spreadsheet-based and AI-assisted forecasting workflows. The module emphasizes evaluating assumptions, interpreting outputs, and selecting the right forecasting approach for different planning scenarios. By the end of this module, you will be able to construct a forecast model and project next quarter's spend and conversion volumes.

What's included

3 readings3 assignments

3 readingsTotal 15 minutes
  • Accounting for Seasonality and Externalities5 minutes
  • Refining Models for Future Promotions5 minutes
  • Exemplar for Hands-On Activity: Adjust a Seasonal Budget5 minutes
3 assignmentsTotal 35 minutes
  • Quiz: Marketing Forecasting10 minutes
  • Hands-On Activity: Adjust a Seasonal Budget20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Seasonal Logic5 minutes

Learners will master the systematic process of using Google Analytics model comparison tools to analyze user behavior patterns and align marketing campaigns with specific market demand phases for optimal targeting and performance.

What's included

3 videos3 readings2 assignments

3 videosTotal 13 minutes
  • Why Market Demand Alignment Matters for Campaign ROI3 minutes
  • Understanding Google Analytics Model Comparison Framework5 minutes
  • Implementing GA Model Comparison Tools5 minutes
3 readingsTotal 23 minutes
  • Market Demand Phases and Analytics Segmentation8 minutes
  • How-to Guide: Strategic Campaign Alignment Analysis10 minutes
  • Setting Up Campaign Alignment Analysis in Google Analytics5 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 17 minutes
  • Model Comparison and Campaign Alignment Knowledge Check5 minutes
  • Create Market Demand Phase Analysis Report12 minutes

Learners will master comprehensive attribution frameworks to evaluate true campaign effectiveness across multiple channels, quantify cross-channel impact beyond simple last-click analysis, and develop data-driven budget reallocation strategies.

What's included

1 video2 readings4 assignments

1 videoTotal 7 minutes
  • GA Attribution Model Configuration and Analysis 7 minutes
2 readingsTotal 20 minutes
  • Multi-Touch Attribution Models and Cross-Channel Analysis10 minutes
  • How-to Guide: Strategic Campaign Alignment Analysis10 minutes
4 assignmentsTotal 65 minutes
  • Comprehensive Attribution Framework Development 17 minutes
  • Attribution Model Analysis Knowledge Check 3 minutes
  • Automated Marketing Insight Systems: Validation and Optimization Strategies15 minutes
  • Automated Marketing Insight Systems: Validation and Optimization Strategies30 minutes

Standard analytics reports often provide surface-level metrics but fail to explain how users actually move through a digital experience. In this module, you will use GA4 Explorations to uncover deeper behavioral insights through funnels, pathing analysis, and free-form reporting. You will learn how to analyze users, sessions, events, and traffic sources while identifying where conversion journeys break down. Through guided demonstrations and hands-on practice in the GA4 Demo Account, you will apply practical analysis workflows used by marketing teams to improve campaign and website performance. By the end of this module, you will be able to build GA4 explorations and identify actionable funnel and pathing insights from behavioral data.

What's included

3 videos2 readings2 assignments

3 videosTotal 14 minutes
  • The Power of GA4 Explorations3 minutes
  • Funnels, Paths, and Free-form Reports7 minutes
  • Building a Custom Conversion Funnel5 minutes
2 readingsTotal 10 minutes
  • Interpreting GA4 Exploration Outputs5 minutes
  • Exemplar for Hands-On Activity: Trace a High-Value Path5 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 25 minutes
  • Hands-On Activity: Trace a High-Value Path20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Exploration Logic5 minutes

Reliable analytics depends on accurate event tracking and consistent data instrumentation across the customer journey. In this module, you will audit GA4 event implementations, identify tagging gaps, and evaluate whether collected data supports meaningful reporting and attribution analysis. You will examine event structures, parameter naming conventions, Enhanced Measurement configurations, and real-time validation workflows using DebugView and browser inspection tools. The module emphasizes practical troubleshooting and communication skills needed to create actionable tagging recommendations for technical teams. By the end of this module, you will be able to analyze GA4 instrumentation issues, identify critical tracking gaps, and recommend improvements that strengthen reporting accuracy and marketing decision-making.

What's included

1 video2 readings3 assignments

1 videoTotal 4 minutes
  • Demo: Auditing with DebugView4 minutes
2 readingsTotal 12 minutes
  • Audit Checklist for GA4 Tagging7 minutes
  • Exemplar for Hands-On Activity: Create a Tagging Improvement Plan5 minutes
3 assignmentsTotal 35 minutes
  • Quiz: GA4 Insights10 minutes
  • Hands-On Activity: Create a Tagging Improvement Plan20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Instrumentation5 minutes

When growth plateaus, the instinct is to run more campaigns — but without a clear diagnostic of where the funnel is breaking down and what is actually worth testing, additional spend compounds the problem rather than solving it. This project module places learners in the role of Senior Performance Analyst at ScaleUp SaaS, tasked with building the data-backed case for Q4 investment before leadership commits the budget. The work spans four connected analytical disciplines: deriving a growth multiplier from historical data to establish what the business can expect if nothing changes, using GA4 path exploration to identify and prioritize the single highest-impact conversion bottleneck, designing a structured A/B test with a specific, behavior-grounded hypothesis to address it, and translating all three into a seasonally adjusted budget proposal and a set of concrete tracking fixes that will make the results measurable. Each section sharpens the next, so the final document reads as one coherent argument rather than four separate analyses. By the end of this module, you will be able to build a forecast from historical trend data, diagnose a conversion funnel bottleneck with supporting evidence, design a testable A/B experiment hypothesis, and produce a growth plan with resource and instrumentation recommendations a VP-level stakeholder can act on.

What's included

3 readings1 assignment

3 readingsTotal 12 minutes
  • Why This Project Matters3 minutes
  • Project Requirements4 minutes
  • How to Build a 12-Month Optimization Strategy5 minutes
1 assignmentTotal 60 minutes
  • Project: The 12-Month Optimization Strategy60 minutes

Technical skill without visible evidence is invisible to a hiring manager. This module focuses on closing the gap between what you have built and how the market sees it — translating program projects, SQL queries, and dashboards into a professional brand that passes both algorithmic and human review. Learners build an analytics-focused portfolio using the business impact formula, craft ATS-optimized resume language that connects technical methods to measurable outcomes, and apply AI-era framing that signals responsible, strategic tool use. The emphasis throughout is on the distinction between listing capabilities and demonstrating them: a dashboard with annotated findings, a hypothesis-first experiment write-up, and a power verb paired with a business outcome tell a fundamentally different story than a skills list. By the end of this module, you will be able to frame your analytical work as impact-first portfolio evidence, write resume bullets that pass ATS screening and hold a hiring manager's attention, and present a public-facing Data Studio dashboard that communicates analytical judgment within seconds of being opened.

What's included

4 videos1 reading2 assignments

4 videosTotal 16 minutes
  • A Day in the Life of a GTM Lead5 minutes
  • The Evolution of the Marketing Analyst Role3 minutes
  • Building a Technical Marketing Portfolio4 minutes
  • Demo: Polishing Your Data Studio Portfolio4 minutes
1 readingTotal 5 minutes
  • ATS-Optimized Resumes for Analysts5 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 25 minutes
  • Hands-on Activity: The Project Impact Summary20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Branding and Portfolios5 minutes

Getting to the final round of a marketing analytics interview requires three distinct capabilities — and most candidates prepare for only one or two of them. This module breaks down the full CB2 interview structure: the technical screen that tests whether you can work with data, the case study that tests whether you can think strategically under ambiguity, and the behavioral stage where technically strong candidates most often lose ground. Using a four-step framework for structuring case study responses and a realistic role-play with a Director of Analytics persona, learners practice diagnosing a rising CPA problem, connecting attribution logic to their findings, and responding credibly when the conversation turns to AI tools in their workflow — an increasingly common final-round question that most candidates are not prepared for. By the end of this module, you will be able to structure any marketing analytics case study using a repeatable diagnostic framework, explain complex analytical concepts to non-technical stakeholders using business-first framing, and demonstrate the kind of pressure-stable reasoning that distinguishes a CB2-level hire.

What's included

3 videos1 reading2 assignments

3 videosTotal 15 minutes
  • A Day In The Life of a Marketing Analyst4 minutes
  • Deconstructing the Technical Marketing Interview5 minutes
  • Demo: Explaining Attribution to a CMO5 minutes
1 readingTotal 5 minutes
  • Solving Marketing Analytics Case Studies5 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 15 minutes
  • Graded Quiz: Career Readiness10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Interview Strategy5 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Explore more from Marketing

Why people choose Coursera for their career

👁 Image

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
👁 Image

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
👁 Image

Larry W.

Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
👁 Image

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.