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Understanding Test Types
Quick Win Tests
Quick Win Tests are designed for fast, focused experiments that can often be launched in just a few minutes. They’re ideal for testing individual elements without redesigning an entire page.
Headline Test
Headline Tests allow you to compare different versions of a post’s title, image, and excerpt.
This experiment is designed for websites that display posts in blog archives, widgets, recent post sections, or other headline-based layouts.
When visitors click a post from one of these headline views, Magix A/B Testing automatically tracks which version of the headline generates more visits to the post.
Automatically tracked goal
- Post headline clicks / post visits
Best for
- Blog titles
- News websites
- Publishers
- Increasing article engagement
CTA / Button Test
CTA (Call-to-Action) Tests allow you to experiment with buttons on an existing page.
After selecting the page you’d like to optimize, choose the button you want to test. Magix A/B Testing then lets you modify several aspects of the button without editing the rest of the page.
You can update:
- Button text
- Destination URL
- Text color
- Background color
- Border radius
Magix A/B Testing automatically measures which version receives more button clicks using a Click on Element conversion goal.
Automatically tracked goal
- Click on Element
Best for
- Call-to-action buttons
- Signup buttons
- Purchase buttons
- Contact buttons
Menu Test
Menu Tests allow you to compare different versions of a native WordPress navigation menu.
After selecting one of your WordPress menus, you can modify menu labels, links, and structure to understand which navigation experience visitors engage with most.
While Menu Tests support multiple conversion goals, we recommend using the Target Page URL goal to measure which menu version drives more visitors to the destination pages.
Recommended conversion goal
- Target Page URL
Best for
- Main navigation
- Footer menus
- Landing page navigation
- Improving site navigation
Full Page Tests
Full Page Tests compare complete versions of WordPress content rather than individual elements.
These experiments are ideal when you’re testing broader design, layout, messaging, or content changes.
Page Test
Page Tests create a variation of an existing WordPress page.
The variant opens in the same editor used to build the original page.
For example:
- Gutenberg pages open in the Gutenberg editor.
- Elementor pages open in Elementor.
- Other supported builders open in their native editing experience.
This allows you to work with familiar editing tools while testing complete page variations.
Page Tests are commonly used for:
- Hero section redesigns
- Landing page optimization
- Pricing pages
- Homepage improvements
- New layouts
Post Test
Post Tests allow you to experiment with the content of an individual WordPress post.
You can modify headings, text, images, and other content to understand which version creates a better reading experience.
A popular conversion goal for Post Tests is Scroll Percentage, allowing you to measure how deeply visitors engage with each version of the article.
Popular conversion goal
- Scroll Percentage
Best for
- Blog content
- Educational articles
- News posts
- Long-form content
Custom Post Test
Custom Post Tests support any custom post type registered within your WordPress website.
When creating the experiment, Magix A/B Testing displays the available custom post types currently registered on your site.
Examples may include:
- Products
- Portfolio items
- Events
- Testimonials
- Team Members
Because WordPress plugins and themes can register custom post types in many different ways, available options may vary between websites.
If a custom post type isn’t available or doesn’t behave as expected, our support team is happy to help improve compatibility.
URL Redirect Test
URL Redirect Tests compare two different page destinations rather than editing the content itself.
Instead of modifying a page, visitors are redirected to one of two URLs, allowing you to compare which destination produces better engagement or conversion performance.
These tests are particularly useful when:
- Comparing two landing pages
- Testing redesigned pages
- Evaluating campaign destinations
- Comparing experiences hosted at different URLs
Global Tests (Bluvia A/B Testing Premium)
Global Tests allow you to optimize reusable WordPress components that appear across multiple pages. Because these elements are shared throughout your website, a single experiment can influence multiple pages without editing each page individually.
What is a Template
A template is a structural layout blueprint that controls how specific pages or posts are displayed on a website, handling the design shell (such as the placement of headers, sidebars, and footers) independently of the actual written content. While a theme acts as the complete, overarching design package that dictates your entire site’s global styles, color palettes, and typography, a template is just a single layout file or block structure contained within that theme. For example, a theme will include distinct templates optimized for different use cases, such as a front page template for the main homepage, a single post template for individual blog articles, and an archive template for displaying category listings.
Template Test
A Template Test compares different WordPress templates to determine whether a different page layout or structure performs better.
The Control uses the template currently assigned to the content. For a Variant, select another template already available in your WordPress installation.
Template Tests use your existing WordPress templates rather than creating a new template specifically for the experiment.
Best for:
- Comparing full-width and standard page layouts.
- Testing layouts with and without sidebars.
- Comparing different templates available through your theme or WordPress setup.
- Evaluating layout changes without changing the entire WordPress theme.
Recommended conversion goal: Choose the goal that represents what the template change is intended to improve. For example, use Click on Element for a CTA-focused layout, Submit a Form for a lead-generation page, or View a Page when the goal is moving visitors to another page.
Example: Your landing page currently uses your theme’s default template. You create a Variant using a full-width template to determine whether removing the sidebar helps more visitors reach the primary CTA.
Template Test vs. Theme Test
A Template Test changes the template used for the tested content while keeping the site’s theme in place.
A Theme Test compares different installed WordPress themes.
Use a Template Test when you want to evaluate a different page layout. Use a Theme Test when you want to compare broader site-wide designs.
Theme Test
A Theme Test lets you compare different installed WordPress themes.
Your website’s currently active theme serves as the Control. For each Variant, you can select another theme installed on the WordPress website.
Because themes can affect styling, navigation, layouts, widgets, and other functionality throughout the site, Theme Tests are intended for broader design experiments.
Best for:
- Evaluating a website redesign.
- Comparing an existing theme with a new theme.
- Comparing a parent theme and child theme.
- Testing significant site-wide design or layout differences before committing to a change.
Recommended conversion goal: Choose a conversion that reflects the primary purpose of the website or experience you’re evaluating. This might be Submit a Form, Click on Element, View a Page, or another goal directly tied to the outcome you want the new theme to improve.
Example: Your current WordPress theme serves as the Control. You select a newly designed theme for the Variant and compare whether visitors are more likely to complete your primary conversion action.
Because changing themes can affect many parts of a website, carefully preview your Theme Variants before launching the test.
WordPress Pattern Test
A WordPress Pattern Test lets you compare different versions of a reusable WordPress block pattern.
WordPress patterns are pre-designed collections of blocks that can be reused throughout your website. A pattern might contain several blocks arranged together to create a hero, call-to-action section, pricing section, or another reusable layout.
Select the WordPress pattern you want to test, then edit the Variant to create an alternative version.
Best for:
- Testing reusable page sections.
- Comparing hero layouts.
- Testing reusable calls to action.
- Experimenting with block layouts without testing an entire page.
- Optimizing patterns used throughout your WordPress website.
Recommended conversion goal: Use the visitor action most closely connected to the pattern. Click on Element is often useful for patterns containing buttons or links, while Submit a Form may be appropriate for patterns containing forms.
Example: You have a reusable call-to-action pattern containing a headline, supporting copy, and button. You create a Variant with different messaging and layout to see which version generates more button clicks.
Widget Test
A Widget Test lets you compare different versions of a WordPress widget.
Widgets are individual content or functionality elements commonly used in widget-ready areas such as sidebars, footers, and other areas provided by your WordPress theme.
Best for:
- Testing sidebar content.
- Comparing footer widgets.
- Testing changes to individual widget content or configuration.
- Optimizing recurring elements without changing the surrounding page.
Recommended conversion goal: Click on Element is often appropriate when the widget contains a link, button, or other clickable action. Choose another goal when the widget is intended to drive a different measurable behavior.
Example:
A sidebar widget promotes an important resource. You create a Variant with different messaging and compare which version generates more clicks.
Currently, Widget Tests support WordPress widgets. Support for global widgets from additional sources is planned for the future.
Widgets vs. WordPress Patterns
Patterns are reusable collections of WordPress blocks and can represent more complex sections or layouts.
Widgets are typically standalone elements that provide a specific piece of content or functionality.
Advanced Tests (Bluvia A/B Testing Premium)
Advanced Tests provide additional flexibility for experienced users and deeper behavioral insights.
These tools allow you to analyze visitor behavior or introduce advanced styling and functionality without modifying your site’s core files.
Custom CSS Test
A Custom CSS Test lets you test visual and styling changes by applying different CSS to a Variant without changing the underlying content.
The Control uses the website’s existing styling. Custom CSS added to a Variant changes how the experience appears to visitors assigned to that Variant.
Best for:
Best for:
- Testing colors.
- Changing typography.
- Comparing spacing or sizing.
- Adjusting positioning.
- Testing visual emphasis.
- Hiding or displaying elements.
- Making styling changes that don’t require editing the underlying content.
Recommended conversion goal: Match the goal to the element or behavior affected by your CSS. For example, use Click on Element when testing the appearance of a CTA or Submit a Form when testing styling intended to improve form completion.
Example: You want to know whether making your primary CTA larger and more visually prominent increases engagement. Create a CSS Variant with the new styling and measure clicks on the CTA.
Custom CSS Tests are best suited for users who are comfortable writing and troubleshooting CSS.
Custom JavaScript Test
A Custom JavaScript Test lets you test experiences created using custom JavaScript.
The Control uses the website’s existing behavior. A Variant executes additional JavaScript for visitors assigned to that experience.
Custom JavaScript provides flexibility for experiments that can’t easily be created with another Test Type.
Best for:
- Testing custom interactions.
- Modifying dynamic page behavior.
- Testing functionality that can’t be changed through the standard experiment editors.
- Creating more advanced developer-controlled experiments.
Recommended conversion goal: Choose the Conversion Goal that measures the behavior your JavaScript change is intended to influence. Depending on the experiment, this could be Click on Element, Submit a Form, View a Page, or Trigger Custom JS Event.
Trigger Custom JS Event can be particularly useful when the behavior you’re measuring is specific to custom functionality and isn’t represented by one of the standard Conversion Goals.
Example: You use JavaScript to introduce a different interaction on a page and configure a Custom JS Event to measure when visitors successfully complete that interaction.
Custom JavaScript Tests are intended for users who are comfortable writing and troubleshooting JavaScript. Test your code carefully before launching an experiment.
Heatmaps
Heatmaps help you understand how visitors interact with a page rather than comparing a Control against Variants.
Heatmaps visualize visitor behavior such as clicks and how far visitors scroll. Scrollmaps are included with Heatmaps.
Best for:
Best for:
- Discovering which parts of a page receive the most interaction.
- Seeing where visitors click.
- Understanding how far visitors scroll.
- Finding content visitors may be overlooking.
- Identifying opportunities for future A/B tests.
Heatmaps are a behavior analysis tool, so you don’t need to configure a Conversion Goal to compare a Control and Variant.
Example: A Heatmap shows that relatively few visitors scroll far enough to see an important CTA near the bottom of a page. You can use that observation to develop a future experiment that tests moving the CTA higher on the page.
Session Recordings
Session Recordings let you replay visitor sessions to better understand how individual visitors interact with your website.
Recordings capture behaviors such as mouse movement, scrolling, and clicks so you can observe how a visitor moved through the recorded experience.
Best for:
Best for:
- Observing how visitors navigate a page.
- Finding confusing interactions.
- Identifying areas where visitors appear to struggle.
- Seeing how visitors interact with page elements.
- Generating ideas for future A/B tests.
Session Recordings are a behavior analysis tool rather than an A/B experiment, so they don’t require a Conversion Goal.
Example: Several recordings show visitors repeatedly interacting with an element that isn’t clickable. That behavior could reveal a usability problem and give you an idea for a future experiment.
Experiments vs. Behavior Analysis
Most Test Types in Bluvia A/B Testing are designed to compare different experiences and measure their performance using a Conversion Goal.
Heatmaps and Session Recordings serve a different purpose. They help you observe visitor behavior and identify potential opportunities for improvement.
These tools can work together as part of your optimization process:
- Use Heatmaps or Session Recordings to understand visitor behavior.
- Identify an opportunity or problem worth investigating.
- Create an A/B test to evaluate a possible improvement.
- Use the experiment results to determine whether the change improved the behavior you care about.
Choosing the Right Test
If you’re trying to…
Not sure where to start? If you already know the change you want to compare, choose the A/B Test Type that most closely matches the content you’re changing. If you’re still trying to understand what should be improved, start with a Heatmap or Session Recording to identify potential testing opportunities.
Next Steps
Now that you understand the available test types, you’re ready to choose the content you want to optimize and begin configuring your experiment.
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