> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.elevateab.com/elevate-helpcenter/content-testing/content-testing-overview.md).

# Content Testing Overview

What content experiments do in Elevate A/B Testing, what you can change without code, and when to use one instead of a page or custom code experiment.

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A content experiment lets you change what is on a page by clicking on it. Edit text, swap images, restyle buttons, hide sections, add new elements, then test the result against your current page.

No code, no duplicate templates, no developer.

### How it works

1. You open the content editor, which loads your storefront in an interactive preview.
2. You select an element and change it. Every change is recorded against that specific element.
3. Visitors are split between variations, and each one gets that variation's changes applied as the page loads.
4. Elevate A/B Testing tracks behavior and attributes conversions to the version each visitor saw.

Only the elements you touch are affected. Everything else on the page is untouched. Your original page is saved automatically as the control.

### What you can change

| Area         | What you can do                                                                  |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Text         | Edit any text, with formatting: bold, italic, underline, lists, links, alignment |
| Images       | Replace an image, resize it, change how it fits                                  |
| Typography   | Font, weight, size, color, alignment, line height, decoration                    |
| Layout       | Auto layout or columns, spacing, margins, padding                                |
| Appearance   | Background color or image, borders, radius, opacity                              |
| Visibility   | Hide any element outright                                                        |
| New elements | Add text, headings, images, or containers                                        |
| Attributes   | Add HTML attributes to an element                                                |
| Code         | Add custom JavaScript or CSS to the variation                                    |

You can run changes on a single page or across several pages in one experiment, and create up to five variations including your control.

### When to use it

| Use a content experiment when                                               | Use something else when                                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| You want to change specific elements on a page you already have             | You want to compare two whole page templates. Use a Page Experiment.                      |
| You want to test a headline, a button, a section order, or hiding something | The change is mostly logic rather than appearance. Use a Custom Code Experiment.          |
| You want to move fast without a developer or a theme edit                   | The two versions live at different URLs. Use a Split URL Experiment.                      |
| You want to test the same change across several pages at once               | You want to change price, images on the product, or shipping. Those have dedicated types. |

The line against page testing is worth remembering. **Content edits elements on the page you already have. Page serves a genuinely different template.** If you find yourself duplicating a template to change one headline, you wanted a content experiment.

The line against custom code is softer, because a content experiment can carry custom JavaScript and CSS too. Use content when the change is mostly visual and the code is a finishing touch. Use custom code when the code is the point.

### Requirements

* Elevate A/B Testing installed on your store.
* The Elevate A/B Testing theme extension enabled. Changes are applied on the page, so the extension is required and the experiment cannot launch without it.
* The pages you want to edit live and reachable, since the editor loads your actual storefront.

Content testing works on all Shopify plans.

### Before you start

**Change something people will notice.** Adjusting a margin by two pixels or rewording one adjective will not move a number. If you cannot see the difference at a glance, neither can your customers.

**Change one thing if you want to learn something.** A variation that moves the headline, recolors the button, and hides a section will tell you the combination won, not which part did.

**Check both widths as you go.** The editor has a desktop and mobile toggle for a reason. A change that looks right on desktop and breaks on a phone will lose you the experiment and some orders with it.

### Next steps

* Create a Content Experiment
* Using the Content Editor