Managing Tests¶

This section covers how to effectively manage your A/B tests, including editing, pausing, resuming, archiving, and deleting tests.

Test Management Dashboard¶

The main A/B Tests page serves as your management dashboard, providing an overview of all your tests.

Accessing the Dashboard¶

1. In your WordPress admin, navigate to A/B Tests
2. You'll see a table listing all your tests with key information

Understanding the Dashboard¶

The dashboard displays the following information for each test:

• Test Name: The name you've given to your test
• Status: Current status of the test (Active, Paused, or Archived)
• Versions: Number of variations in the test
• Test Mode: Whether the test is impression-based or session-based
• Actions: Links to edit, view details, or delete the test

Filtering and Searching Tests¶

To find specific tests:

1. Use the status filter dropdown to show only tests with a specific status
2. Click on column headers to sort tests by that column

Viewing and Editing Existing Tests¶

Viewing Test Details¶

Test Settings¶

To view edit the basic settings of an existing test:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests in your WordPress admin
2. Find the test you want to edit
3. Click the "Edit" link under the Actions column

The test edit page shows a table with all the versions in the test. The table outlines the following information for each version:

• Version Name: The name of the version
• Bucket Assignment: The bucket assigned to the version (if applicable)
• Impressions: The number of times the version has been shown
• Conversions: The number of times the version has led to a conversion
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of impressions that resulted in a conversion
• Default: Indicates if the version is the default version

The editable settings include:

• Test name
• Conversion page
• Test mode (Impression or Session)
• Session duration (for Session mode)
• Version assignment mode
• AJAX settings

Editing Test Versions¶

To edit the content of a test version:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. In the Versions section, find the version you want to edit
3. Click the "Edit" button for that version
4. Make your changes to the version name or content
5. Click "Save Version" to update the version

Adding New Versions¶

To add a new version to an existing test:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. Click the "Add Version" button
3. Enter a name for the new version
4. Add the content for the new version
5. Optionally, set it as the default version
6. Click "Save Version"

Changing the Default Version¶

To change which version is the default:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. Find the version you want to make the default
3. Click the "Edit" button for that version
4. Check the "Set as Default" option
5. Click "Save Version"

The previous default version will automatically be unset as the default.

Test Status Management¶

A/B tests can have one of four statuses:

• Active: The test is running and collecting data
• Paused: The test is temporarily stopped but can be resumed
• Archived: The test is permanently stopped

Changing Test Status¶

To change a test's status:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. In the "Test Status" section, select the desired status from the dropdown
3. Click "Update Test"

Alternatively, you can change status from the main tests list:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests
2. Use the status dropdown in the Actions column
3. Select the desired status
4. The status will update immediately

Pausing and Resuming Tests¶

Pausing a test temporarily stops it from running:

• No new impressions or conversions will be tracked
• The default version will be shown to all users
• Existing data is preserved

To pause a test: 1. Change its status to "Paused" using either method above

To resume a paused test: 1. Change its status back to "Active"

Archiving Completed Tests¶

When a test is complete and you've implemented the winning variation:

1. Change the test status to "Archived"
2. The test will no longer run, but its data will be preserved for reference

Archived tests: - Cannot be reactivated (unlike paused tests) - Remain in the database for historical reference - Show only the default version to all users

Resetting Test Statistics¶

If you need to reset the statistics for a test (for example, after making significant changes to the variations):

1. Navigate to the test details page
2. Click the "Reset Stats" button
3. Confirm the action when prompted

This will: - Reset all impression and conversion counts to zero - Preserve all test settings and variations - Allow you to start collecting fresh data

Note: This action cannot be undone. Consider exporting your data before resetting statistics.

Deleting Tests and Test Versions¶

Deleting Individual Tests¶

To delete a test completely:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests
2. Find the test you want to delete
3. Click the "Delete" link under the Actions column
4. Confirm the deletion

Warning: Deleting a test permanently removes all its data, including versions, impressions, and conversions. This action cannot be undone.

Bulk Deleting Tests¶

To delete multiple tests at once:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests
2. Check the boxes next to the tests you want to delete
3. Select "Delete" from the Bulk Actions dropdown
4. Click "Apply"
5. Confirm the deletion

Deleting Test Versions¶

To delete a specific version from a test:

1. Navigate to the test edit page
2. Find the version you want to delete
3. Click the "Delete" button for that version
4. Confirm the deletion

Note: You cannot delete the default version if the test is active or paused. You must first set another version as the default or change the test status to "Paused".

Bulk Operations¶

Bulk Status Changes¶

To change the status of multiple tests at once:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests
2. Check the boxes next to the tests you want to update
3. Select the desired status from the Bulk Actions dropdown
4. Click "Apply"

Bulk Reset Statistics¶

To reset statistics for multiple tests at once:

1. Navigate to A/B Tests
2. Check the boxes next to the tests you want to reset
3. Select "Reset Stats" from the Bulk Actions dropdown
4. Click "Apply"
5. Confirm the action

Test Organization Best Practices¶

Test Naming Conventions¶

For better organization, consider using consistent naming conventions:

• Include the page or element being tested
• Include the test objective
• Use a date or version number for sequential tests

Examples: - "Homepage Hero - CTA Button Color - 2023-03" - "Checkout Form - Field Order - v1"

Test Documentation¶

For each test, consider documenting:

• Test hypothesis
• Expected outcome
• Test duration
• Target audience
• Results and conclusions

This documentation can be added in the test description field or in a separate document.

Test Lifecycle Management¶

Follow these best practices for managing the lifecycle of your tests:

1. Creation Phase: Create tests in "Paused" status until fully configured
2. Testing Phase: Set to "Active" and collect data
3. Analysis Phase: Set to "Paused" while analyzing results
4. Implementation Phase: Set to "Archived" after implementing the winner
5. Cleanup Phase: Delete old tests that are no longer needed for reference

Next Steps¶

After managing your tests, you'll want to:

1. Implement winning variations permanently
2. Plan follow-up tests based on your findings

For more advanced test management, see the Advanced Topics section.