> 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/split-url-testing/create-a-split-url-experiment.md).

# Create a Split URL Experiment

Step by step walkthrough for creating a split URL experiment in Elevate A/B Testing, including URLs, redirect behavior, and URL match conditions.

***

## Create a Split URL Experiment

Six steps, from entering your URLs to launching.

**Before you start:** every page you want to test live and reachable on your Shopify store.

Open **Experiments**, select **New Experiment**, then **Split URL Experiment**.

### Step 1: General Info & Goal

Enter an **Experiment name**. **Description**, **Hypothesis**, and **Assets** are optional.

Under **What do you want to measure?**, choose your goal. **Revenue per visitor** is recommended.

Select **Browse all metrics** for the full list, or **Add Custom Metric** to track something Elevate A/B Testing does not measure by default. See Custom Events.

### Step 2: Set Variations

Choose the **Number of Variations**, then enter the URLs.

#### Control

Enter the URL of your current page and select **Add**. The `https://` prefix is supplied for you.

**Control can hold more than one URL.** Select **Add another URL** to add more. Use this when several pages should all feed into the same experiment, such as a group of product pages you want redirected to one landing page.

Each variation takes a single URL.

Select **Preview** on any card to open that URL as a visitor sees it.

#### Query parameters

If a URL carries query parameters, they are listed as editable **Query Parameters** and **Value** pairs, which you can remove individually. Use **Hide params** to collapse the list.

Take this seriously. Parameters affect how an incoming URL is matched, and a stray UTM tag left on a control URL is a common reason an experiment appears not to run.

#### Redirect Behavior

This decides when a visitor gets redirected.

| Option                             | What happens                                                                                                      |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **All Experiment URLs** (default)  | The visitor is redirected to their assigned URL whenever they land on any page in the experiment                  |
| **Control URL only**               | The visitor is redirected only when they visit the control URL. Landing on a variation URL directly does nothing. |
| **Redirect once**                  | The visitor is redirected to their assigned variation on their first visit to any experiment URL, and not again   |
| **Redirect once control URL only** | The visitor is redirected once, and only when they first visit the control URL                                    |

The default is right for most experiments. Reach for the others when repeated redirects would be a problem, for example when visitors are likely to bookmark or share a variation URL and would be bounced away from it every time they return.

#### URL match condition

Choosing **Control URL only** or **Redirect once control URL only** adds a **URL match condition** to the control, which decides how strictly an incoming URL has to match.

| Condition           | Matches                                            |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Matches exactly** | Only that exact URL                                |
| **Starts with**     | Any URL beginning with what you entered            |
| **Contains**        | Any URL containing what you entered                |
| **Ends with**       | Any URL ending with what you entered               |
| **Regex**           | Any URL matching the regular expression you supply |

**Matches exactly** is the safest default and the easiest to get wrong, because a trailing slash or a query parameter makes a URL not match. Use **Starts with** or **Contains** when incoming traffic carries campaign parameters you cannot control.

Use **Regex** only if you are confident in the pattern. A regex that is too broad will redirect visitors from pages you never intended to include.

### Step 3: Traffic Allocation

Set the split with the slider. Even is the default.

**Isolate traffic for this experiment** is optional and off by default. See Traffic Isolation.

### Step 4: Audiences

Optionally narrow who enters, by device type, visitor type, UTM parameters, traffic source, or country. Select **Create Custom Audience** for anything more specific. See Audience Targeting.

### Step 5: Enhance Your Variations (Optional)

Your variations are already set. This step layers extra changes on top and can be skipped entirely.

| Option                          | Use it when                                                                                             |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Content Editing Changes**     | You want to edit headlines, copy, or other text per variation on top of the page you are redirecting to |
| **Custom Code**                 | You want to apply JavaScript or CSS per variation                                                       |
| **Click-Through Rate Tracking** | You want to track clicks on specific buttons or links inside the experiment                             |

Content editing and custom code turn this into a multivariate experiment. That is useful when the question is not just which page wins but how it should be presented. Use them deliberately: changing the page and the headline together tells you the combination won, not which half did the work.

### Step 6: Review Experiment

Check the setup, then select **Create Preview Experiment**.

The experiment moves into **Preview**. QA it, then select **Launch Experiment**. See Preview and QA a Split URL Experiment.

### Next steps

* [Preview and QA a Split URL Experiment](/elevate-helpcenter/split-url-testing/preview-and-qa-a-split-url-experiment.md)
* [Troubleshooting Split URL Experiments](/elevate-helpcenter/split-url-testing/troubleshooting-split-url-experiments-and-faqs.md)