setting up a A/B split test with PHP

[johnny]

hi all,

I would like to test different page layout / creative elements of a
website using a A/B/C split run test.
How could I set it up using php?
Basically, I would like to include a different html code for different
visitors and see which gets the best click-through, conversions etc.
The stats tracking part it's not a problem , it's just how could I show
the first user the A version, then to the second the B version and then
the C one to the third and so on with the A version to the fourth etc.

How could it be the php script ? should I take note of the number of
visitors in a database and then doing some maths? but how ?

Please point me in the right direction

Thanks in advance
Johnny

[Sjoerd]

Look into sessions. In the session variable, you can store the chosen
version, so that you can present the same version with the next hit.

[Michael]

"Sjoerd" <sj******@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

Look into sessions. In the session variable, you can store the chosen
version, so that you can present the same version with the next hit.

Don't you mean the present next version with the next hit?

What about using the Modulus operator?

[Sjoerd]

When a new user enters your site, you can give him a random version.
However, you do not want that the version changes while the user is
visiting your site. So if a user clicks a link, that next page has to
be loaded with the same version. This can be accomplished with sessions
or cookies.

[johnny]

Sjoerd wrote:

When a new user enters your site, you can give him a random version.
However, you do not want that the version changes while the user is
visiting your site. So if a user clicks a link, that next page has to
be loaded with the same version. This can be accomplished with sessions
or cookies.

thanks guys .

however, I am afraid sessions is not what I am looking for.
I mean, keeping the same version during the visit of the same user is
not my primary goal, the split run testing is needed to know which
different creative/ layout option ( ie some copy in the text , the
position of a form etc. ) is more efficient.

So the test is usually performed on single pages, often homepages or,
better, landing pages.

What is really important is that if for instance I have to test 3
different version of something, each option must have the same number
of impressions in order to have reliable stats to anlayze ( so 33,3%
of visitors must have seen one of the 3 different pages).

I realized that I should have a look at banner rotation management
scripts without using any random function because the core of my script
must be an equal number of views for each version.

I had no time to search properlly the web for those scripts yet but the
only one I have saw used a database table to know each time which
version of the banner has to be included in the page following an array
order

Anyway , any suggestion is always welcome

Johnny

[ninjadev]

fill in the blanks...
$i = "select count from abcounter"...

if ($i%3 == 0){$page = "1.php";}
if ($i%3 == 1){$page = "2.php";}
if ($i%3 == 2){$page = "3.php";}

"update abcounter set count = count+1"...

header("Location: $page");