Overview
To be able to run Server-side testing you need to install the SST-SDK on your backend (web) server(s). This will handle the randomization and allocation of projects and variations. The SDK needs to be connected to a unique website ID in the Symplify Conversion UI.
To be able to track your visitors in your SST projects you also need to have the Symplify Conversion script implemented on your website. This will work alongside the SST-SDK and will handle the tracking of your visitors.
An SST project needs to be created in the Symplify Conversion UI first. The creation and setup for this consist of the project name, the number of variations and their names, the allocation of these, Audience (optional), and Goals. The SST-SDK polls this information from active projects and uses this to allocate visitors for the SST projects.
SST-SDK
The SDK when initialized in your server keeps a small config in memory for the active server-side tests on your website. You manage the tests in the Symplify Conversion UI, and updates are published to our CDN.
The SDK periodically checks to ensure it has the current version of the config. The interval for this check can be configured in the SDK.
For each code path where you want to test different variations per visitor, you need to ask the SDK for the variation allocation.
Note that the project needs to be activated in the Symplify Conversion UI to end up in the SST config.
Read more about how the SST-SDK works in our documentation on github.
The setup in Symplify
To create a Server-side test first click the A/B test module in the menu to the left (if you aren't already in that module) and then click New A/B test.
- Select your website in the dropdown.
- Enter the project name. Notice that this name must be unique and will be referred to in your backend setup for the project.
- Leave the project URL as is. This won't be used in a Server-side test.
- Check the checkbox to make this project a Server-side project. You won't be able to change this later!
- Click on Create to complete this part of the setup.
As usual, you get the option to either go back to the project listing or to go to your project. Click Go to the A/B test to start the setup for the Server-side test.
In the setup for Server-side testing, you can add variations, set up your goals/KPIs:s for the project, and alter the traffic allocation. Click the pencil to edit these.
By default, there are two variations, the Original and Variant 1. Click Add variations to add more variations and click the pencil icon to rename a variation. Notice that the variation name will be referred to in your backend code for this project. You can of course delete variations as well if you've added too many. Notice that the Original variation can not be renamed and/or deleted. When you are done click Save and close to save your setup for this setting.
Click on Goals to open up the Goals setup. This works the same way as for Client-side projects. Please check this tutorial if you do not know how this is done
To change traffic allocation click the pencil icon. You can now set the allocation you want. By default, this is set to be equally allocated between all variations.
The next two settings you have already made when creating the project.
To change the website for this project click the pencil icon and select a new website in the dropdown and click Save and close.
To change the project name click the pencil icon and then set a new name and click on Save & close.
When done with all settings click Generate code and select your code language to see the generated project code for this setup. This code needs to be implemented where your variation changes will be made. You can use a switch to do different things based on which variation the user got from the findVariation function.
The SST-SDK installation
You need to install the Server-side testing SDK to be able to run Server-side tests on your website. See examples and read more about the setup and the SDK by following the links below. Click the link for your code language.
Activating the project
When all is set up correctly on both ends (in Symplify and in your backend) you need to activate the project in Symplify for the SDK to find the project and its variations. We will then (when the visitor gets assigned a variation) track the visitor and register conversions for the set Goals/KPIs.
To activate a project, simply click the project and choose Activate in the project menu.