How to Disable Experiments on Specific Pages in Convert Experiments

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In the dynamic world of website optimization, there are instances where you might want to exclude certain pages from running experiments. Whether it's due to the nature of the content, the page's role in your marketing strategy, or simply because you're running a test elsewhere, Convert Experiments offers a straightforward solution to ensure your experiments only run where they're supposed to. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of disabling experiments on specific pages using a simple JavaScript snippet.

Understanding the Need for Exclusion

Before diving into the technicalities, it's important to understand why you might need to disable experiments on certain pages. Common reasons include:

  • High-Sensitivity Pages: Pages that handle sensitive information, such as checkout or payment pages, might not be ideal candidates for experiments due to security concerns or potential disruptions to the user experience.
  • Performance Considerations: High-traffic pages or those with performance constraints might need to be excluded to ensure site speed and user experience remain unaffected.
  • Strategic Decisions: Certain pages might be part of a control group in a larger marketing strategy or simply not relevant to the current testing objectives.

How to Disable Experiments Using JavaScript

To exclude a page from running experiments, you can use the following JavaScript snippet. This code tells Convert Experiments not to initiate any experiments on the page where it's placed. Please be aware that is only available on the newer version of the Convert snippet, which you can identify by looking at the url snippet and see that contains the 'v1' substring. Place this code exactly below the Convert tracking code.

window._conv_q = window._conv_q || [];
window._conv_q.push(['doNotRunExperiences']);

Step-by-Step Implementation

  1. Access Your Website's HTML: Start by accessing the HTML code of the page you wish to exclude from experiments. This can typically be done through your website's content management system (CMS) or directly via the site's source code if you're comfortable with web development.
  2. Insert the JavaScript Snippet: Within the `<head>` tag of your page's HTML, paste the JavaScript snippet provided above. If your page loads scripts at the bottom of the body, placing it there is also acceptable, though less common for this purpose.
  3. Save and Test: After inserting the snippet, save your changes and visit the page to ensure everything loads correctly. While you won't see a visible change, this action prevents Convert Experiments from initiating any tests on this page.

Verifying the Exclusion

To verify that experiments are indeed disabled on your chosen page, you can use Convert Experiments' debugging tools or check your browser's console for any Convert-related activity. If the setup is correct, you should not see any experiments being loaded or attempted on the excluded page. You can also check the convert.currentData.experiments in the console, to check if there are any experiments firing on the present page.

Conclusion

Disabling experiments on specific pages is a powerful feature that allows for greater control over your website optimization strategy. By using the simple JavaScript snippet provided, you can ensure that your Convert Experiments tests run exactly where you want them to, preserving the integrity of sensitive pages and aligning with your strategic goals. Remember, testing is about finding what works best for your site and your audience, and sometimes that means knowing where not to test.