a/b testing without javascript based integration

Question

I would like to do a/b testing for my website, but I don't want to use javascript based solution such as google weboptimizer because it would affect page load times. Are there any server side frameworks to assist in a/b testing? I can always write conditional code for creating scenarios as a quick fix, but I am not sure how to measure the variance in google analytics. So, is there a/b testing tool which is server based and integrates with google analytics?

Update: I am using java as server side language along with jsf, deployed in jboss.

Answer 1

Really depends on your platform and stack.

You don't necessarily need to measure the variance in Google Analytics, since these frameworks come with their own measurement tools.

Here are a few:

• Ruby on Rails: A/Bingo is a popular choice, as is Vanity
• Google App Engine (Python): GAE Bingo, a fork of A/Bingo
• PHP: PHP AB, which integrates with Google Analytics.

May I suggest you also give Optimizely a look. It is JavaScript based, but it makes its modifications in-page at DOM ready, so no redirects are required. It's easy, powerful, and fast. Of all of the testing tools I've dabbled in -- and I've dabbled in a few -- it is far and away the best choice.

Answer 2

I wrote simple python lib for A/B testing SimpleAB. It might be helpful to find some base principles to organize you data and flows for testing on server side (Note: it's not GA related).