What is the technical process behind conducting A/B testing at Optimizely?

I'm currently experimenting with Google Analytics and Content Experiments for A/B testing on my website, but I'm encountering some challenges in making it seamless.

To utilize the Google API properly, a few steps need to be taken. Firstly, I need to include a script tag to load the cxApi from Google, specifying an experiment id. Once loaded, the Google documentation recommends adding a listener on the window for the 'load' event. At this point, I should request Google for a variation of the content I want to display and provide a callback function. After selecting a variation, JavaScript can be used to show/hide the relevant content.

However, the main issue I'm facing is content flash during page load; if I'm testing a H2 element, for instance, I don't want the original one to appear first and then quickly switch. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The workaround I've thought of so far involves adding a style tag to hide the content (e.g., setting text color to transparent so the space remains consistent on the screen without causing reflow). Still, I'm looking for a more effective solution and curious if anyone knows how optimizely tackles this issue?

Thanks

Answer №1

Optimizely utilizes a static script delivered via a CDN that employs jQuery to modify elements on your webpage.

A notable distinction between Optimizely and Google Content Experiments is that Optimizely instructs users to set up the snippet in a synchronous fashion, whereas Google Analytics typically loads JavaScript asynchronously. This means that with Optimizely, the script downloads and executes before page rendering, especially if positioned as suggested, high within the <head>. If you adhere to the conventional Google Analytics setup, the GA script loads asynchronously after the rest of the content.

Further insights from Optmizely's documentation elucidates:

The reason for advocating this specific placement is because Optimizely operates by adjusting the webpage during loading. Placing the code snippet at the top ensures it is available throughout the loading process, allowing real-time modifications to occur.

If the snippet is inserted elsewhere on the page, it will still function. However, placing it after significant content has loaded may result in the original version displaying momentarily before being transformed by the script. Although these changes usually happen too quickly to be noticeable, to avoid any potential issues, we recommend adding the snippet early in the execution path.

Source:

Answer №2

A detailed explanation on how Optimizely interacts with the DOM can be found in the article linked below, from which the screenshot was taken:

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