> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dokumentation.websale.de/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # A/B test > Serve two or more variants of a shop page at the same time, measure the conversion and determine the more successful variant. Whether the green or the orange order button works better cannot be settled by thinking about it. An A/B test answers the question with numbers: over a defined period, each visitor is randomly shown one of the variants, and the shop counts how often the goal is reached afterwards. The goal is either a completed order or the call-up of a specific page. At the end, the statistics show which variant led to the goal more often. ## How the test works | Aspect | Behavior | | - | - | | Distribution | Random; on average, each test case receives the same number of visitors | | Binding | Always the same test case per session, even if the same page is called up several times | | Counting of impressions | Once per session, not per page view | | Counting of conversions | Only if the visitor saw a test case in the same session | | Scope | Two to ten test cases per test | | Location | Any template; a test is not intended for configurations | > [!NOTE] > > Search engine crawlers are also randomly shown a variant. This is intentional and prevents cloaking, that is, serving different content to the crawler than to the visitor. These page views are not counted, so the results remain unaffected. > [!NOTE] > > Because the shop counts per session and not per page view, the statistics measure visitors, not page views. A visitor who views the page five times appears once. ## Rules for planning * Always test just one feature in different variants, never several at the same time. Otherwise, at the end you will not know which change had an effect. * Expect at least 200 measurements per test case and subshop, preferably more than 1,000. Statistics based on thin data are not a basis for decisions. * Plan the test completely before you start it. > [!WARNING] > > Once a test has started, it can no longer be changed or extended. Even a test that is ended early remains locked. A forgotten test case therefore means starting a new test from scratch. ## Creating a test In the online service area, select your shop ID, then the "A/B-Test" service and there "Neuen A/B-Test anlegen" (create new A/B test). ### Step 1: Basic settings ![A/B test panel](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k/images/a_b_test_panel.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k\&q=85\&s=61425256e5194647ac01aa6db0d782e2) | Field | Meaning | | - | - | | Count conversion | "Automatisch bei Bestellung" (automatically on order) counts when the order confirmation is reached, "Durch Tag auf Zielseite" (via tag on target page) counts when a page of your choice is called up | | Test ID | Identifier of the test, which you later specify as a parameter in all tags | | Description | The test scenario in up to 1,000 characters, for looking back in three months | > [!NOTE] > > A test only counts what you have set here. A test with a target page does not count orders, and a test with orders does not count page views. ### Step 2: Test period Set the start and end using the calendar icons, and select the shop's time zone. > [!NOTE] > > The time zone determines not only the start and end, but also the day boundary of the daily charts in the evaluation. ### Step 3: Test cases Use the document icon next to "Testfälle" (test cases) to create one row per test case. Each row gets a label and a description. | Setting | Purpose | | - | - | | Test case ID | Assigned automatically, `CaseA` to `CaseJ`, and later forms the name of the section tag | | Label | Caption in charts and legends, a maximum of 25 characters | | Description | What is different about this test case | > [!NOTE] > > Keep the labels short. They later appear on the axes and in the legends of the charts, where long text becomes unreadable. Finally, save. ## Adding the test cases to the template Two main sections are created in the template of the affected page. The first encloses the variants and is only output during the test period; the second contains the version for the time before and after. ```html theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}} {ABTest-active(Meine_Test-ID)} {ABTest-CaseA} {/ABTest-CaseA} {ABTest-CaseB} {/ABTest-CaseB} {/ABTest-active(Meine_Test-ID)} {!ABTest-active(Meine_Test-ID)} {/!ABTest-active(Meine_Test-ID)} ``` Within the first section, the shop selects exactly one of the test case sections when the page is called up. > [!WARNING] > > The second section is not optional. Without it, nothing appears at this point outside the test period. Reference: ABTest-active() · ABTest-CaseA…J ## Setting the conversion counter If you selected "Automatisch bei Bestellung" as the goal, there is nothing else to do. The counter increases as soon as a visitor reaches the order confirmation after going through a test case. With "Durch Tag auf Zielseite", you set the counter yourself, at the point in the target page's template whose reaching should count as a success. ```html theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}} ~ABTest-TriggerConversion(Meine_Test-ID)~ ``` > [!NOTE] > > The evaluation distinguishes two figures: how many sessions reached the goal, and how often it was triggered in total. If a visitor calls up the target page three times, the first figure counts once and the second three times. Reference: ABTest-TriggerConversion() ## Checking the test cases So that you do not have to rely on chance when you want to view all variants, there is a dedicated test mode. For this, the shop must be in the general test mode. ```text theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}} https://www.ihr-shop.de/?test=on&ab-test-id=&ab-test-case= ``` Switching off: ```text theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}} https://www.ihr-shop.de/?test=on&ab-test-id=off ``` Guide: Switching the shop's test modes on and off ## Reading the evaluation In the "A/B-Test" service, the bar chart icon at the end of the test row leads to the statistics. They are available during the test period as soon as the first measurements are in. ![Test evaluation frequency 1](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/uOq_714PDvdTxAoI/images/testauswertung_haeufigk-1.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=uOq_714PDvdTxAoI\&q=85\&s=638725231299c0da4c30283bec61ad35) Each evaluation begins with the same control bar: a chart showing the frequency and even distribution of the test cases, a slider for the time period under consideration, and checkboxes for the subshops included. ![A/B screen 2](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k/images/ab_screen2.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k\&q=85\&s=dc64293290a34a4012275e06a0f5d4c3) ![A/B screen 3](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k/images/ab_screen3.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k\&q=85\&s=55948f99b809bee332430aa38c4a1202) Below this follow the evaluations, depending on the conversion goal: | Conversion goal | Sections | | - | - | | Durch Tag auf Zielseite | One section on the target page views | | Automatisch bei Bestellung | Order conversion, revenue, line items, products | All four sections have the same structure: a bar chart with the average per test case and a line chart with the daily values. ![A/B screen 6](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k/images/ab_screen6.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k\&q=85\&s=a13dd3aab9fe6b19907e95c6a59bb7ed) ![A/B screen 7](https://mintcdn.com/websaleag-44ee7ea6/ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k/images/ab_screen7.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ZpqrUDlxS94uTw6k\&q=85\&s=a7f852236bf45cfdc360bdc72a04a3fb) | Section | What is compared | | - | - | | Order conversion | Share of sessions with an order, in percent | | Revenue | Order revenue per day | | Line items | Number of line items per order | | Products | Number of products per order | > [!NOTE] > > Looking at conversion alone is misleading. A variant can lead to orders more often while producing smaller baskets. That is why revenue, line items and products are shown alongside it with equal weight. To zoom in, drag a frame around the desired area of a chart with the mouse; a double-click restores the original size. Clicking a legend text hides and shows the corresponding line. ## Related topics * Guide: Switching the shop's test modes on and off * Guide: Integrating tracking ## Related topics - [ABTest- (A/B tests)](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/referenz/tags/abtest.md) - [Enabling and disabling shop test modes](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/domains/testmodi-des-shops-ein-ausschalten.md) - [Special online services](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/online-servicebereich/spezielle-online-dienste.md) - [Integrating tracking](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/funktionen-zur-shop-optimierung/tracking-einbinden.md) - [Use cases](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/anwendungsbeispiele/anwendungsbeispiele.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.