A redirect test (or split test) enables you to test the performance of a new page, created and hosted outside of AB Tasty. This page is used as a variation within an A/B test campaign.
This type of test is useful when modifications involve a significant amount of work (e.g.: a brand-new design).
In this case, 2 URLs are involved:
- The source URL, that is to say the one corresponding to the original version. This is the URL from which you want your visitors to be redirected.
- The destination URL, that is to say the new page used as a variation. This is the page the visitors will be redirected to when they land on the source URL.
As in a classic A/B test, after analyzing the results of your test, you will see if the destination URL has performed better than your original version depending on the goal you wanted to reach (e.g., increasing the number of clicks, the number of pages viewed, decreasing the bounce rate).
A Split Test is a type of A/B test. To create a Split Test, you must create an A/B test (go to Web Experimentation, click the Create button and select A/B Test) and activate the Redirection option from the visual editor.
👉 To learn about the different ways to create a campaign, please refer to How to create a campaign.
Configuration
Step 1: Main information
The Main Information page is the first step toward your new Split campaign.
We recommend establishing a hypothesis of your test according to the following model: If I apply [this change on my webpage] to [this audience], then [it will impact] and enables to enhance [this goal]. And to add it in the hypothesis field.
In the URL field, enter the URL you want to load in the editor. This URL corresponds to the source URL. It’s important if you want to set up trackings on this page, such as action trackings.
👉 For more information on how to configure this step, refer to How to set-up Main Information step.
Step 2: Editor
To run a Split test, you don’t need to create any specific content. The objective of this setup is to use the classic A/B test campaign workflow to activate a redirection of traffic from the former page (the original) to the new one(s) (the variations).
Variation 1 corresponds to the redirect page. To create the redirection, click on Variation 1 in the header navigation and select the redirect option. You can then paste the URL of the page you want to redirect to in the popin.
We recommend ticking the following boxes:
- Check the accessibility of the page - This option automatically pauses the test when the redirected URL is no longer online (with an email alert to the admins of the account). Once your landing page is available again, another email will be sent and you will be able to play the test again.
- Keep AT Internet referrer in URL - If you use AT internet, this will ensure that you keep the original URL.
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Enable redirection - This option allows AB Tasty to perform the redirection. You must select it.
If you want to redirect to several pages, you can select the Regular expression option and enter the regular expression in the URL field.
In a redirected variation, you cannot add Variation JavaScript or make changes. Turning an existing variation (with changes) into a redirection variation deletes all the changes. Only action trackings can be added as they are not specific to a single variation but to the whole campaign.
👉 To learn more about the redirection option of the visual editor, please read the How to use the redirection option
Step 3: Goals
As primary and/or secondary goals, you can choose action trackings which are common to the original variation and to the new page. For example: if your Split Test consists of testing a new landing page layout, your primary goal should be the bounce rate, along with optional secondary goals.
As the URL of the original version of your page is different from its variations, the code will probably be different. If you want to track clicks on the main CTA of both pages, follow these steps:
- First, add action tracking to the original page. You can access the original page in the editor – it’s displayed by default in the Original tab in the top banner of the visual editor. As with every tracker, AB Tasty will try to detect the presence of the tracked element in both the original and the variation pages, even if this element is present on only one of the two.
- Next, do the same for the variation you want to test. If you return to the Variation tab, you will see the original version of your page – that’s normal; it’s because you’ve used this URL in the Main Information Page. To load the new one, go back to the Main Information Page and paste the new URL in the field named URL to load in the editor, and click save. Then go back to the editor. Your new page will be loaded in the Variation tab.
- Now you can add your tracker in the variation in the usual way. Use the same name as the tracker in the original version. This way all data collected on the original element and the new element will contribute to the same metric, even though they are hosted on different pages, with different IDs.
- Another solution is to code your trackers directly by adding JavaScript (global code added in the right side panel).
For the most efficient workflow in setting up an A/B test, list all your metrics and their trackers on a separate sheet or document (for example metric “click rate”, so tracker “click tracking on the element #mainCTA). Then implement all the trackers in the original variation, before finally implementing them all in the variation. Each time, you can copy and paste the tracker names from the list, to ensure none are overlooked and your associated metrics will have the same names. This is necessary to ensure all relevant data is collected under the same KPI in your campaign report.
👉 To learn how to configure Goals, please read Campaign flow: Goals step.
Step 4: Targeting
You have to declare WHERE your campaign should be visible on your website (e.g. on every page, on specific pages, on only one page, etc.), for WHOM (e.g. your whole traffic, mobile users only, etc.), and in WHICH conditions (e.g. after a certain number of pages, when it’s cold outside, etc.) it should appear. You can also decide WHEN visitors will see the campaign depending on the recurrence you choose.
You must target the source URL.
👉 To learn how to configure targeting, please read How to setup a campaign targeting.
Step 5: Traffic allocation
Traffic allocation must be identical for each variation.
👉 To learn how to configure Traffic allocation, please read Traffic allocation.
Step 6: Advanced options
The advanced options are not mandatory.
- Enable the third party tool(s) you have connected to AB Tasty to send your test data to your tool.
- Select a loading method for your campaign.
- Activate Sequential testing to detect if your experiment will not be successful at all based on the results of your primary goal (if it is based on a Conversion/Transaction Rate).
👉 To learn how to configure Advanced options, please read Campaign flow: Advanced Options.
Step 7: QA
The QA of the campaign is one of the most important steps before launching your campaign into production. The QA allows you to verify and test in real condition :
- the targeting configuration
- the tracking
- the modifications you've made
👉 To learn how to use the QA Assistant, please read QA Mode & QA Assistant.
If you want to launch your A/B Test at a specific hour on a specific day, and/or if you want to pause it at a specific hour on a specific day, see our guide on scheduling.
If the AB Tasty tag is not implemented on the page which you want your visitors to be redirected to, they will be able to view the page but no data will appear on the reporting of your campaign.