Redirect testing in Publitas (A/B testing)

EARLY ACCESS: If you're interested in using this feature and you're on the Enterprise plan, reach out to your Success Manager who can activate this for you.

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In this article:

1. Definition of a redirect test
2. How to set up a redirect test
3. What URLs to communicate
4. Do's and don'ts
5. Analyzing redirect test results

What is a redirect test?

A redirect test is a type of A/B test that allows you to test different publication designs against each other. By continuously testing and learning from different variants, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your content and improve its effectiveness.  

How to set up a redirect test within Publitas

To take advantage of redirect testing in Publitas, follow these steps:

1. Request enabling the redirect testing feature: Contact your Publitas representative or support team and ask them to enable the redirect testing feature for your account. Once it's enabled, you'll be able to access this powerful functionality.
2. Create two or more versions of your publication (original + variant(s)): When setting up a redirect test, it's crucial to have two distinct versions of your publication. Make sure to give them different names to make it easier to track the results.
   
3. Navigate to redirect testing in the group menu: Click on the three dots next to your group name to navigate to the redirect testing page
4. Set up the test publications: After creating at least two versions of your publication, navigate to the redirect testing section in Publitas. Add the original publication and at least one variant publication.
5. Configure the timings of your redirect test: You can select the timing for when your test needs to run. The timezone used is the one set in your group settings. Press 'Save'.
6. Copy the redirect link and place it where you want to publish your publication: 
    You can now see your test in 'Pending', go to the 'Share' button to be provided with a link to share the link of the publication and place it where you usually would promote your publication.
7. Check the results: The data is captured in Publitas as soon as the test is running. You can access this data by selecting the analytics icon under 'running' or complete' sections only.
   Read more in part 3 of this article
   
   IMPORTANT: You can only do redirect testing with publications in the same group.
   
   

What URLs to communicate?

What are the different URLs?

A redirect test contains different URLs for each variant. 

The original URL is the URL of the page you want to test. It is the same as the redirect URL that results once you set up the redirect test. It is what will trigger the redirect process to occur. This is what you should use to link to or embed on your website.

The variant B (C, D, etc) URL is the URL of that publication but it will not trigger any redirect to occur. 

What link to share in your marketing campaigns?

We advise you to share the source URL in your marketing campaigns. This is the visitor’s actual URL when visiting the site. This may differ from the original URL of a page because while the site visitor may land at this page, they are coming from a referral, web search, or ad all of whom may add query strings and fragments to the URL i.e. UTM parameters. 

Note: The redirect testing does not work with the group website integration (found under '...' main top navigation > Group settings > Website integration.)

Do's and don'ts

✅ Do:

• Plan your redirect test: Before conducting a redirect test, use a sheet or template. Using a sheet will help prevent misalignment regarding the test's outcomes. Use a provided sheet or create your own as an example.

<< Download Template Sheet >>

• Track publication traffic on your site: Make sure you have an analytics tool enabled. Learn how to enable GA4.

❌ Don't:

• Overcomplicate your tests. Stick to one change at a time, making interpreting the results easier and drawing meaningful insights. 
• Neglect the significance of publication opens. By executing the same test in multiple publications, you can gather more data and validate the impact of your variations across different audiences.

Analyzing redirect test results

1. Gathering the captured data. The data is captured in Publitas. It includes the data for all the views where you shared the source & orginial (if different, i.e. source is the website link where the publication is embedded) publication URL. It does not include the data for any other non owned channels i.e. affiliate netweork that also promotes your content. To access it follow these easy steps: 
   1. Head to the redirect page 
   2. Click on a completed test
   3. Select the version to view the statistics from
      
2. Compare the performance. Compare the performance of version A and version B across the selected metrics. Look for any significant differences or patterns that indicate which variant performed better. What you lok out for will depend on what you are testing, say you changed the cover design or the product CTAs are bigger then you will look at bounce rate and CTR but not average enagement time as these deisgn changes would not effect that. Adding more rich media for example however probably would!
3. Conclude. Based on the analysis, conclude the effectiveness of the tested variations.
4. Iterate and refine. Use the insights from the redirect test to plan a new redirect and apply the learnings to create more impactful content.