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Run a split test

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NOTE: This article covers running a split test in our split testing tool, available with Pro and Advanced subscriptions. More info on creating a split test here.
 

About split test URLs

Your test will have its own URL based on the control page. 

Anyone you direct to that URL will randomly arrive at either your control page or a variation, based on the traffic distribution you set. Once a visitor sees a specific variation, they’ll get the same one on subsequent visits—provided they don’t disable cookies or switch browsers.

Changing the control’s URL

If you edit your control page’s URL, the original URL will direct to a 404 page. Your split test won’t stop, but you’ll need to keep the following in mind:

  • traffic to your control page’s previous URL will not be directed to its new URL
  • the URL displayed on your test’s analytics page will not update to show the new URL
  • to direct traffic to your split test, you’ll need to use the new URL of your control page

To change the URL of your split test: Edit the name and URL of your landing page

Run a test on your domain

There are a few ways to publish split tests to your site, depending on how it’s set up. In general, you’ll need to direct visitors to your control page wherever it’s published.

For instance, if you publish your control page to a domain connected to your Leadpages account, that URL will become your split test’s destination.

Version 2.1.6 and later of our WordPress plugin supports publishing split tests as well. Your split tests will appear in the pages drop-down (among your other landing pages) when you create a new page from the plugin.

NOTE: If you've previously published a page to the URL you'd like to use for your split test within the Leadpages WordPress plugin, make sure to edit that page via the plugin, select the split test from the drop-down of pages, and click Publish again.

Track your test’s performance

Once your test is running, you can view its details on the analytics page. Here’s how:

  1. Go to the Landing Pages tab in your account, then browse or search for your test.
  2. Click the Analytics icon analytics for your test to view its performance.

After you receive some traffic and opt-ins, you can review your test’s performance on its analytics page, as described above.

On the main analytics screen, you can find out how many days your test has run, what its primary URL is, and review basic analytics data.

We provide a summary of each test, which covers the following:

  • total visits to your test
  • unique visits
  • total conversions
  • conversion rate (for your test as a whole)

Scroll down to check out stats for each variation in your test. There, you can determine which variation is performing better based on conversion rate (and verify the distribution of traffic to your pages).

NOTE: Conversion rate gets calculated based on total opt-ins and unique visits.

Eventually, you may want to end your test and stick with one of its variations. To learn about different options for ending your test, check out Ending a Split Test.

Frequently asked questions 

Can I turn a page used in a split test back into a regular page?

You cannot remove a page from a split test. However, if you completely delete your split test (rather than end it normally), each variation will become a normal page again in your page listing. Declaring a winner in your test will not turn variations back into normal pages—instead, all variations will direct to the winner. To learn more, check out: Ending a Split Test

TIP: If you would like to keep the split test analytics data and avoid having to delete the split test entirely, we recommend duplicating the pages you are using before creating the split test.

How can I visit a specific variation?

You can visit each variation in your test by disabling cookies in your browser (or using a private browsing mode that disables cookies). Keep in mind, since traffic distribution is semi-random, you may need to visit your test’s URL several times to get each variation.

Can I edit variations in a running test?

You can make changes to any variation by editing it like a normal page in your account from the analytics section of your split test. That said, making changes while your test is running can skew results!

Can I change the distribution of traffic to the variations in my Split Test?

No, you cannot change the traffic distribution of traffic once a split test is running.

How do I know when I have a winning variation? 

Leadpages won’t declare a winner for you, but you can find tips and suggestions for ending a test here.

 

Need more help?

You can always get in touch with our support team—just click Support in your Leadpages navigation menu, or submit a ticket ↗

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