> 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/preview-and-qa-a-content-experiment.md).

# Preview and QA a Content Experiment

Pre-launch checklist for content experiments in Elevate A/B Testing, covering visual checks, responsive behavior, interactions, and multi page scope.

***

Work through this in **Preview**, before launching. Content experiments change the page for real visitors as it loads, so a broken variation is visible immediately.

### Visual check

| Check                     | What passes                                                                    |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Changes are present       | Every edit you made appears on the variation                                   |
| Control is untouched      | The control looks exactly like your current live page                          |
| Only intended differences | Nothing else moved, resized, or restyled as a side effect                      |
| Mobile                    | Every variation renders correctly at phone width                               |
| Desktop                   | Every variation renders correctly at full width                                |
| Text fits                 | Edited text does not overflow, wrap badly, or push other elements out of place |

Text length is the usual culprit. A headline two words longer than the original can break a layout that was built around the original.

### Interaction check

| Check             | What passes                                                                  |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Buttons and links | Everything you restyled still works when clicked                             |
| Forms             | Any form on the page still submits                                           |
| Hidden elements   | Nothing you hid was load bearing. The page layout closes up cleanly.         |
| Apps and widgets  | Reviews, chat, upsells, and subscription selectors still appear and function |
| New elements      | Anything you added behaves correctly and does not overlap existing content   |

Hiding an element is the most common way to break a page silently. If you hid a container rather than the thing inside it, you may have removed more than you intended.

### Code check

If your variation carries custom JavaScript or CSS:

| Check              | What passes                                                    |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| No console errors  | The browser console is clean on the variation                  |
| No theme conflicts | Existing theme behaviour still works                           |
| Speed              | The variation does not load noticeably slower than the control |

### Scope check

| Check                          | What passes                                                                        |
| ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Right pages                    | The changes appear on the pages you edited and nowhere else                        |
| Across a multi page experiment | If you edited several pages, check each one                                        |
| Consistency                    | If the same change was meant to appear on several pages, it appears on all of them |

### Tracking check

| Check                      | What passes                                                 |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Events are arriving        | Visiting an affected page produces an event                 |
| Correct variation recorded | The event records the version you actually saw              |
| Custom event fires         | If you added a custom metric, the action produces the event |

Experiment data is cached and refreshes every two hours. Select the refresh control next to **Experiment Settings** to pull live data.

### Next steps

* Troubleshooting Content Experiments