Diagnose why your optimization isn’t getting traffic.
If traffic drops off for one of your optimizations, there’s usually a reason — either something changed on the base page, or your visitors are behaving differently. Here’s how to check both.
Check for changes to the base page
Before most optimizations run, Optimize checks the webpage to confirm that the elements it modifies are present and available. If the element fails to load, moved, or were removed, the optimization won’t run.
- Hand-coded variations can use “preconditions” to check for the element
- Visual editor variations include this check automatically
Verify if the optimization can run
- Preview the webpage
- Check the preview module to see what the icons show:
- Green check — the optimization is running without issue
- Red exclamation — an error is preventing the optimization from running
Fix an optimization that can't run
The fix depends on the error type in the status module. You can contact us if you need assistance.
If the page element is no longer on the base page:
If the element is still on the page but the optimization isn’t finding it:
- Hand-coded variations — edit the precondition to check for the correct element as it now appears
- Visual editor variations — use the visual editor to re-select the correct element on the page
Check for shifts in visitor behavior
If your optimization shows as running correctly in the preview module but isn’t getting traffic, the cause may be a shift in how people reach or use your site.
Common scenarios:
- Visitors are landing on different pages due to a new ad
- A site update is routing traffic to new pages
- Another optimization is driving traffic elsewhere
- A competing optimization is outperforming and taking the traffic
Stop getting email alerts
If you’re getting email alerts for optimizations/variations you’ve stopped using, pause those variations to prevent alerts.