--- title: Experiments description: Discover Storyblok's documentation with comprehensive developer guides, user manuals, API references, and examples to help you get the most out of the headless CMS platform. url: https://storyblok.com/docs/manuals/experiments --- # Experiments Storyblok Experiments introduces content variants at the story level. Use experiments for A/B testing or to manage personalized content. > [!NOTE] > Experiments is a premium feature. Learn more on the [pricing page](/pricing). Experiments is part of Storyblok [Labs](/docs/manuals/labs) and is still in beta. To enable the feature, open **Settings** → **Labs**. The feature is built around three core elements: - **Experiments:** define which variants to test, their weight distribution, and, optionally, for how long. - **Variants:** create variations of stories to test against each other. - **Results:** load performance data from your analytics platform into Storyblok via an API endpoint, and give teams visibility into experiment results without leaving the CMS. ## Create an experiment Navigate to **Labs** → **Experiments** and select **\+ Create new**. [![UI for creating a new experiment in Storyblok, with fields for experiment name, technical name, description, and variant details.](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/9e16b4b615/experiments-create.png/m/720x0/)](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/9e16b4b615/experiments-create.png) Create a new experiment Enter an experiment name and a technical name (used as the identifier in the [Content Delivery API](/docs/api/content-delivery/v2)). Optionally, add a description that summarizes the scope and goal of the experiment. By default, an experiment includes two variants: a control and a test. The control is the variant designated as the baseline against which other variants are measured—any variant can serve this role. Each variant requires a name, a technical name, and a weight distribution (as a percentage). The sum of all distribution percentages must equal 100%. Select **\+ Add variant** to add additional variants. Once you select **Create**, Storyblok creates the experiment in draft status. Associate at least one story with the experiment before starting it. ## Link a story to an experiment An experiment can include multiple stories, but you can only link each story to one experiment at a time. To link stories, the experiment must be in draft status. In the **Content** section, open a story. In the right sidebar of the [Visual Editor](/docs/manuals/visual-editor), select the **Experiment** section and link the story to the experiment. Once linked, the experiment title, status, and variants appear. [![The Experiments tab in the Visual Editor](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/c76cc3737d/experiments-link-story-to-experiment.png/m/720x0/)](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/c76cc3737d/experiments-link-story-to-experiment.png) Link an experiment to a story To access the story’s variants, select the variants toggle in the top toolbar and choose a variant to edit its content. [![The variants toggle in the Visual Editor. Select a variant to edit its content](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/1fdda8e324/experiments-select-variant.png/m/720x0/)](https://a.storyblok.com/f/212319/2880x1698/1fdda8e324/experiments-select-variant.png) Select a variant in a story Make changes to the variant’s content. Select **Save** and **Publish** to apply the changes to each variant independently from the main story. Repeat the process for any additional stories you include in the experiment. > [!TIP] > To create a new experiment directly from within the [Visual Editor](/docs/manuals/visual-editor), open the **Experiment** tab and select **\+ Create new**. ## Unlink a story from an experiment A story can only be linked to one experiment at a time. To switch experiments, select **Unlink experiment** next to the experiment title, then select a different experiment. The following applies when unlinking a story from an experiment: - From a finished experiment: variants other than the winner are deleted - From a draft experiment: all variants are maintained - From a running experiment: unlinking is not possible ## Start, pause, and finish an experiment After you've created and linked an experiment to at least one story, it moves through three states: running, paused, and finished. Each state has its own action in the experiment view. ### Start Open the **Experiments** section, select the experiment, and choose **Start experiment**. All stories and variants must be published before starting the experiment. ### Pause Open the **Experiments** section, select the experiment, and choose **Pause experiment**. You can resume the paused experiment at any time. While paused, variant content isn't visible in production. ### Finish Open the **Experiments** section, select the experiment, and choose **Finish experiment**. Once ended, you can't resume or restart the experiment. Choose a winning variant immediately, or decide later. If you select a winning variant other than the control, it remains the only published story. ## View results To review metrics for ongoing and finished experiments, select **Results** in the experiment details. Results depend on the analytics data available within Storyblok. To learn more about loading performance metrics, follow the [Experiment concept](/docs/concepts/experiments). ## Integrate experiments within Storyblok The following sections clarify how experiments integrate with existing Storyblok features and apps. > [!NOTE] > As part of Storyblok Labs, experiments' functionality is subject to change. ### Workflows Storyblok tracks workflow stages separately for the main story and each variant. For more information about workflows and stages, check the [Workflows manual](/docs/manuals/workflows). ### Search Search and indexing apply only to the main story. The search results available via Storyblok’s [Content Delivery API](/docs/api/content-delivery/v2) and the [Algolia app](https://www.storyblok.com/apps/storyblok-gmbh@algolia) exclude variants. ### Internationalization Experiments support both field-level and folder-level translation: - Field-level translation: translatable fields can have different translations for each variant, independent of the main story. - Folder-level translation: add individual stories to an experiment and manage each story's variants. Experiments don't work in combination with the [Dimensions app](https://www.storyblok.com/apps/locales). Learn more in the [Internationalization concept](/docs/concepts/internationalization). ### Releases The [Releases app](https://www.storyblok.com/apps/releases_only) offers partial support for experiments: when editing a story in an upcoming release, variants are disabled—only the main story is editable. On publish, Storyblok merges release changes into the main story, and variants remain unchanged. ### Pipelines The [Pipelines app](https://www.storyblok.com/apps/branches) offers partial support for experiments: variants are available only in the preview branch, and content staging isn't supported. ### Backups Experiments and variants are excluded from backups. ### Space duplication Experiments and variants are excluded from space duplication. ## Pagination - [Previous: Content Authoring](/docs/manuals/content-authoring) - [Next: History](/docs/manuals/history)