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Getting started with Experiments

The following procedure provides a checklist of how to create, test, and go live with Experiments.

Procedure

  1. In the slide out navigation pane, select Targeting.

    The Targeting Dashboard appears.

  2. Create an Experiment in your "Staging" Web site where Experience Manager is installed for inline editing of your Web sites. For example:
    • Specify today as the start and end date so that it's active immediately.
    • Publication—select, for example, your German Web site.
    • Web page—select the Page you want your Experiment to run.
    • Page Region—select where on the Page you want your Content Variants to appear.
    • Content Variants—add two or more unique Component Presentations to the Experiment (the Components must contain one or more links to be able to track Conversions).
  3. Publish the Web page and all the Content Variants (Components) used in the Experiment to your Staging Web site.

    The Experiment is now available in the Web site.

  4. Open a browser and go to your Staging Web site where your German Web site is running.
  5. Open the Web page you specified when you created the Experiment.

    SmartTarget will display a random Content Variant to you and will display the same content to you while the Experiment is running.

  6. Check one of the Content Variants you specified when you created the Experiment is displayed in the correct location of the Web page and click a link.
  7. Click the SDL Tridion button in the top left-hand corner of the page to open Experience Manager.
    1. Select the border around the Web page and click the Properties border button at top right corner.
    2. Click Targeted Regions.
    3. Click the Page Region where you Experiment is running.
    4. Select your Experiment and click Open.

    The Experiment is opened.

  8. Go to Statistics and check analytics are working as follows:
    • a View has been registered (the total is incremented each time a visitor requests the Web page)
    • a Conversion has been registered (the total is incremented each time a visitor click a link in the Content Variant)
  9. Go live when you are happy with the Experiment:
    1. Create a duplicate of the Experiment and schedule start and end dates.
    2. Copy the duplicate to your Live Web site.
    3. Publish the Web page and all the Content Variants (Components) used in the Experiment to your Live Web site.
  10. While the Experiment is running you can:
    • Change the Title and End Date.
    • Enable or disable the Experiment.
    • View Statistics to see which is the best performing Content Variant, based on the most conversions.
  11. When the Experiment has finished, add the best performing Content Variant in your Web page.