Segmentation / Targeting

In AB Split Testing, you have the ability to segment and target specific visitors for your tests. By setting up specific filters, you can ensure that only the desired visitors participates in your split tests. This document explains the available filters and how to configure them.

1. User Roles

You can choose to run your tests on specific user roles. This is useful when you want to gather data from a particular group of users. The available user roles include Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber, Shop Manager, Shop Accountant, Shop Worker, Shop Vendor, EDD Subscriber, and Logged out users.

2. URL Filtering

This filter allows you to run tests on traffic with matching URLs or query strings. Add one rule per line; a visitor who matches any line is included. For example, if you input “utm_source=Google”, the test will run on traffic whose URL has ?utm_source=Google. Use *text* to match any URL containing that text, and NOT before a rule to exclude it.

3. Traffic Allocation

To reduce server load and risk, you can limit the percentage of your site visitors that participate in the test with Percentage of eligible visitors. This is especially useful for high-traffic websites as it reduces the speed of data collection, thus reducing server load.

4. Device Size

Run the test only on Large (1024px and above), Medium (768px - 1023px) or Small (under 768px) screens, or on Large + Medium or Medium + Small.

5. Session Referrer

Match the visitor’s first external referrer for the session, one rule per line (for example google. or facebook.). Use direct to match visitors with no external referrer.

6. Visit Tracking

Turn on “Wait until the test element is visible” to log a visit only when the test element is visible. Otherwise visits are logged on page load.

7. External Domains

Shown when External Domain Testing is set up. “Also run this test on external domains” runs the test on your tracked external domains too.

8. Audiences

Audience subsets do not limit who enters the test. They add filtered result views inside “All eligible visitors”. Create and edit them under AB Split Test > Audiences.

Setting Up Segmentation and Targeting

To set up these filters, open your test’s Settings and expand the ‘Test Visitor Segmentation’ section. Here, you can choose any or all options to target your desired audience. Leave a rule at its default to include everyone.

After the user is segmented and targeted, a variation is randomly chosen for them to view.

If you wish to increase traffic to a particular variation, make it the default and target a smaller percentage of the test users.

Please note that while these segmentation and targeting options provide more control over who participates in your tests, they also reduce the sample size. Therefore, low-traffic websites should be cautious not to over filter, as sufficient data is needed to make a decision. High-traffic sites can start with a lower percentage, like 20%, and gradually increase it if the test takes longer than expected, you can change the traffic filtering at any time during your test