How to Create a Post Test

A Post Test lets you compare different versions of a WordPress blog post — or test one post against another — to find out which one drives better results (more engagement, subscriptions, or conversions).

You can create new variants, test against existing posts, and launch everything from your WordPress dashboard.

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Step 1: Create a New Post Test

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Nelio A/B Testing → Tests.
2. Click Add Test.
3. In the dialog, select Post (under the Page category).
4. Give your test a clear, descriptive name, such as Blog Hero Image Test, Product Announcement Variant, or Newsletter Signup Post Test.

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Step 2: Define Scope and Consistency

In the right sidebar, you’ll find several configuration options:

• Description — Optionally document your hypothesis or what you expect to learn.
• Test Scope — Choose which posts the test applies to:
  • By default, only the selected post is included.
  • Enable Global Consistency if you want the same variant experience to apply site-wide (e.g., in RSS feeds, archives) without additional quota cost.
• Status & Management — Set your start and end dates or scheduling as needed.

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Step 3: Choose Control and Variants

In the main panel, select your control version (Version A) — the post you want to test — and add one or more variants.

By default, when you create a Post A/B Test, Nelio automatically duplicates the control post as Variant B, so you can modify it freely — from small text changes to a full rewrite.

If you prefer, you can test the control post against an existing one by checking the appropriate box; Nelio will then let you select the published post you want to use as a variant.

If you’re testing against existing posts, you’ll also find the option “Use control URL in variants.”

When enabled, visitors will continue to see the original control URL, even when viewing a variant. Nelio dynamically swaps the variant’s content under the hood while keeping the same URL — ideal for maintaining consistent analytics and SEO behavior.

💡 Use control URL in variants

When you test against an existing post and the Use control URL in variants option is disabled, visitors are redirected to the selected post’s actual URL. Enable this checkbox if you prefer to mask the URL and keep all variants under the same address.

You can also click New Variant to add additional variants to your test.

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Step 4: Edit Your Variants

Click Edit on a variant to open it in the WordPress editor.

• For duplicated variants, you can modify text, images, blocks, or layout just like any other post.
• For existing-post variants, you’ll edit that live post directly.
• Use the Nelio sidebar to switch between duplicated variants or return to the test overview.

When finished, click Save Draft (or Update if editing an existing post), then return to the test screen.

💡 Note about responsive designs: If your original post uses different designs for desktop, tablet, and mobile, make sure to apply your changes separately for each device view when editing the variant. Otherwise, only the desktop version of the variant will show the alternative design, while the tablet and mobile versions will continue displaying the original layout.

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Step 5: Define Goals and Conversion Actions

Every test needs a goal — what counts as success.

Each goal can include one or more conversion actions that describe the specific behavior you want to track.

Name your goals, then click the Add Action button to choose from the available conversion actions.

You can combine multiple actions under one goal.

Category	Example Actions
View	Page view, Element view
Interaction	Click, Click external link, YouTube Video Playback, Scroll, Engagement
E-Commerce	Add WooCommerce product to cart, WooCommerce Purchase
Other	Time on Page, Custom event

🔍 Learn more: What Are the Conversion Actions and Goals? →

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Step 6: Add Segmentation Rules (Optional)

Segmentation lets you decide who participates in the test. You can target visitors by conditions such as:

URL parameter · Referrer · Language · Location · Logged-in status · Visitor Type · Day/time · Browser · Device type · Operating system · Window Width Cookie · IP address

If you skip segmentation, all visitors to the tested post are included automatically.

🔍 Learn more What is Segmentation and How to Use It →

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Step 7: Start the Test

When everything is ready:

1. Review your setup summary at the top of the page.
2. Click Start.

Nelio A/B Testing will:

• Randomly assign visitors to variants.
• Track conversions anonymously via Nelio Cloud.
• Display real-time results in your dashboard.

⏯ Pause, Resume, or Stop Your Test

• Pause a running test if you need to make changes, then resume it later.
• Stop a test manually whenever you want, or let it end automatically under certain conditions such as duration, total number of visits or confidence results (available in Professional and Enterprise plans).
• Once a test is stopped, its results remain available for review.

⚠️ Important note about editing paused tests

Editing a paused test may reset or affect ongoing statistics. When in doubt, duplicate the test before resuming.

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Step 8: Review Results and Apply the Winner

While your test runs, go to Nelio A/B Testing → Tests and click View Results to monitor its progress.

Summary of the results

In the right sidebar, you’ll find a quick overview of your test:

Test Progress

The main area of the results page is divided into two tabs that visualize your test’s progress and performance:

• Conversion Rates — A line chart showing conversion evolution across variants.
• Views and Conversions — Compares total visits and conversions for each variant.

Confidence indicators appear alongside these charts, updating automatically as more data accumulates.

Below the charts, you’ll find a summary table with:

• A thumbnail preview (if available) of each variant.
• Number of visits and conversions.
• Conversion rate and improvement over control..
• A button to view each variant’s heatmap (if available).

Step 9: Improve Your Web Conversion

You can end a test manually using the Stop button in the upper-right corner of the results page, or let it end automatically based on the configured end mode.

Once finished, review your results. If there’s a clear winner, apply the winning variant so it becomes the default post for all users — improving your site’s conversion performance instantly.