Frequently asked questions in Optimizely Web Experimentation

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We have compiled a list of questions that customers ask us the most about Optimizely Web Experimentation. Or file a support ticket.

Have a question about Optimizely Web Experimentation or website optimization? Check out Optimizely Web Experimentation questions on Stack Overflow to post a discussion and see what others are talking about.

General questions

What is Optimizely Web Experimentation?

Optimizely Web Experimentation is an experimentation platform that allows you to experiment on any channel or device with an internet connection. Optimizely Web products include Optimizely Web Experimentation and Optimizely Web Personalization

Optimizely Web compatible with single-page apps (SPAs) and responsive websites?

Yes, Optimizely Web Experimentation offers enhanced support for SPAs and responsive websites.

Is jQuery required for Optimizely Web Experimetation?

jQuery is not required for Optimizely Web Experimentation. After you have transitioned, you can remove jQuery for a smaller, faster snippet. You can keep jQuery in the snippet ;if you use it in custom code (like project JS or experiment JS) and do not have your own version you can reference.

How do I build an experiment in Optimizely Web Experimentation?

Learn more about building an experiment in Optimizely Web Experimentation.

What is the difference between campaigns, experiments, experiences, and variations?

Campaigns, experiments, experiences, and variations are all terms related to Optimizely Web Experimentation testing, with important distinctions. Read more about the differences between campaigns, experiments, experiences, and variations.

I am having trouble logging into my account. What should I do?

Check out this topic for a few things to try, plus information about who to contact if basic troubleshooting does not work.

How do I find my experiment or campaign ID?

When editing a campaign, you can find the IDs in the "API Names" options. Learn more about API Names in Optimizely Web Experimentation.

What is the difference between multivariate testing (MVT) and running multiple experiments?

Multivariate testing uses the same core mechanism as A/B testing but compares a higher number of variables revealing more information about how these variables interact. Think of it as multiple A/B tests layered on top of each other.

Testing all possible combinations of a multivariate test is also known as full factorial testing and is one of the reasons why multivariate testing is often recommended only for sites that have a substantial amount of daily traffic — the more variations that need to be tested, the longer it takes to obtain meaningful data from the test. Learn more about the different types of testing.

To effectively do multivariate testing, you need a significant level of traffic. More often than not, simply running multiple A/B tests on a page (or across several pages) will be sufficient to answer your hypothesis and will reach statistical significance more quickly.

How do event tracking and network requests work in Optimizely Web Experimentation?

Here is more information about how Optimizely Web Experimentation handles event tracking and network requests.

How does Optimizely Web Experimentation count conversions?

Optimizely Web Experimentation counts conversions based on unique visitors to your page, meaning that regardless of how many times a user triggers a conversion, Optimizely Web Experimentation will count it as one visitor and one conversion.

If the visitor does not trigger the conversion goal the first time he or she visits the site, but does so during a subsequent visit while the experiment is still running, the experiment still counts the conversion.

How fresh are my results?

Results are typically available within 5 to 10 minutes of Optimizely Web Experimentation receiving the data. Read our article about data freshness to learn more.

How do I set up 2-step verification?

Individual 2-step verification increases the security of an Optimizely Web Experimentation account by adding a second level of authentication when signing in. Instead of relying only on a password, individual 2-step verification requires you to enter a code that you access from their mobile phones. That way, you can rest easy knowing that the account is protected, even if your password is compromised.

This topic walks you through how to enable and disable individual 2-step verification in your personal settings. This option is available to any collaborator on any account.

If you are an administrator for the account, you can also require that all collaborators on the account use 2-step verification.

This article walks you through how to enable the account-level 2-step verification requirement.

What is the difference between publishing and starting an experiment or campaign for Optimizely Web Experimentation?

Essentially, publishing saves a new experiment or changes to an existing experiment, whereas starting exposes a published experiment to the specified audience.

There is a bit more to it though. See Differences among publish, start, and pause for details.