setting up a A/B split test with PHP

[johnny]

hi all,

I would like to test different page layout / creative elements of a
website using a A/B/C split run test.
How could I set it up using php?
Basically, I would like to include a different html code for different
visitors and see which gets the best click-through, conversions etc.
The stats tracking part it's not a problem , it's just how could I show
the first user the A version, then to the second the B version and then
the C one to the third and so on with the A version to the fourth etc.

How could it be the php script ? should I take note of the number of
visitors in a database and then doing some maths? but how ?

Please point me in the right direction

Thanks in advance
Johnny

[Sjoerd]

Re: setting up a A/B split test with PHP

Look into sessions. In the session variable, you can store the chosen
version, so that you can present the same version with the next hit.

[Michael]

Re: setting up a A/B split test with PHP


"Sjoerd" <sjoerder@gmail .com> wrote in message
news:1133288476 .977689.215950@ g44g2000cwa.goo glegroups.com.. .[color=blue]
> Look into sessions. In the session variable, you can store the chosen
> version, so that you can present the same version with the next hit.
>[/color]

Don't you mean the present next version with the next hit?

What about using the Modulus operator?

[Sjoerd]

Re: setting up a A/B split test with PHP

When a new user enters your site, you can give him a random version.
However, you do not want that the version changes while the user is
visiting your site. So if a user clicks a link, that next page has to
be loaded with the same version. This can be accomplished with sessions
or cookies.

[johnny]

Re: setting up a A/B split test with PHP


Sjoerd wrote:[color=blue]
> When a new user enters your site, you can give him a random version.
> However, you do not want that the version changes while the user is
> visiting your site. So if a user clicks a link, that next page has to
> be loaded with the same version. This can be accomplished with sessions
> or cookies.[/color]

thanks guys .

however, I am afraid sessions is not what I am looking for.
I mean, keeping the same version during the visit of the same user is
not my primary goal, the split run testing is needed to know which
different creative/ layout option ( ie some copy in the text , the
position of a form etc. ) is more efficient.

So the test is usually performed on single pages, often homepages or,
better, landing pages.

What is really important is that if for instance I have to test 3
different version of something, each option must have the same number
of impressions in order to have reliable stats to anlayze ( so 33,3%
of visitors must have seen one of the 3 different pages).

I realized that I should have a look at banner rotation management
scripts without using any random function because the core of my script
must be an equal number of views for each version.

I had no time to search properlly the web for those scripts yet but the
only one I have saw used a database table to know each time which
version of the banner has to be included in the page following an array
order

Anyway , any suggestion is always welcome

Johnny

[ninjadev@gmail.com]

Re: setting up a A/B split test with PHP

fill in the blanks...
$i = "select count from abcounter"...

if ($i%3 == 0){$page = "1.php";}
if ($i%3 == 1){$page = "2.php";}
if ($i%3 == 2){$page = "3.php";}

"update abcounter set count = count+1"...

header("Locatio n: $page");