> 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/troubleshooting-split-url-experiments-and-faqs.md).

# Troubleshooting Split URL Experiments and FAQs

How to read split URL experiment results, fixes for common redirect and URL matching problems in Elevate A/B Testing, and answers to frequent questions.

***

### Reading the results

For what each metric means and how a winner is decided, see the reports and statistical significance documentation. Three things are specific to split URL.

**A win is a page, not a reason.** Two entirely different pages produce one answer: which one sold better. If you want to know why, that is a follow up content or page experiment on the winner.

**Check the pages were comparable.** A variation that loads more slowly, or is missing an app the control has, is being judged on that as much as on its design.

**Watch traffic sources.** If the control URL receives paid traffic and the variation does not normally, or the two pages are indexed differently in search, the visitors reaching each page may not be alike.

### No redirect happens

**Likely cause.** The incoming URL does not match the control, usually because of a trailing slash, a query parameter, or a strict **Matches exactly** condition.

**Fix.** Loosen the **URL match condition** to **Starts with** or **Contains**, or remove parameters from the control URL. Confirm the experiment is running rather than in Draft or Preview.

### Visitors are redirected from pages that are not in the experiment

**Likely cause.** A **Contains**, **Starts with**, or **Regex** condition is broader than intended.

**Fix.** Tighten the condition. Test pages that should be excluded before relaunching.

### Visitors are redirected every time and it is disruptive

**Likely cause.** **All Experiment URLs** is selected, which redirects on every landing.

**Fix.** Switch to **Redirect once** or **Redirect once control URL only** if repeated redirects are the problem, for example when visitors bookmark a variation URL.

### The variation URL returns a 404

**Likely cause.** The page was unpublished, renamed, or deleted after the experiment was set up.

**Fix.** Restore the page or edit the experiment to point at a URL that exists. Check this before launching, not after.

### Results are lopsided in a way traffic allocation does not explain

**Likely cause.** One URL is receiving direct traffic that never passes through the redirect, from ads, email, search, or bookmarks.

**Fix.** Check where traffic to each URL is coming from. Consider **All Experiment URLs** so visitors landing directly on a variation are still assigned properly.

### An external page will not work

**Likely cause.** Only URLs on your Shopify store are supported.

**Fix.** Move the page onto your Shopify storefront, or use a different approach.

### The experiment runs but conversions are not attributed

**Likely cause.** The purchase happened on a page or flow outside the experiment's URLs.

**Fix.** Confirm the full path from every experiment URL through to checkout produces events, and that all relevant pages are included in the experiment.

### FAQs

**Does split URL testing need the theme extension?** No. The visitor is sent to a different URL rather than having the page changed, so the extension is not part of the delivery path.

**Can I test a page hosted outside Shopify?** No. All URLs must be on your Shopify store, because pages outside it cannot be tracked.

**Can the control have more than one URL?** Yes. Select **Add another URL** on the control card. Each variation takes a single URL.

**Will visitors see the URL change?** Yes. A redirect is a navigation, so the variation URL is what appears in the address bar and what a visitor bookmarks or shares.

**What is the difference from page testing?** A page experiment serves a different template at the same URL. A split URL experiment sends the visitor to a different URL. If the alternative page already exists at its own address, use split URL.

**Can I add content or code changes on top?** Yes. Step 5, **Enhance Your Variations**, offers content editing, custom code, and click-through rate tracking. Adding them makes the experiment multivariate, so the result tells you the combination won rather than which part did.

**Which Shopify plans support it?** All of them.

### Next steps

* [Split URL Testing Overview](/elevate-helpcenter/split-url-testing/split-url-testing-overview.md)
* [Create a Split URL Experiment](/elevate-helpcenter/split-url-testing/create-a-split-url-experiment.md)