# A/A testing

Before you start running A/B tests, it's worth asking: can you trust your data? An A/A test helps you answer that question.

An A/A test splits your traffic between two identical versions of your store, no changes, no variant. If your tracking is working correctly and traffic is being split fairly, both sides should perform roughly the same.

Think of it as calibrating your scales before you weigh anything important.

### What an A/A test tells you

Running an A/A test gives you three useful signals:

* **Tracking accuracy:** Confirms that Shoplift and your analytics tools are recording data correctly.
* **Traffic split quality:** Verifies that visitors are being assigned to each group evenly and without bias.
* **Natural variance:** Shows you how much your conversion rate fluctuates on its own. If one identical version "outperforms" the other by 2%, you'll know that a 2% difference in a future test might just be noise, not a real result.

### How to run an A/A test

The method depends on your Shoplift plan.

#### Advanced and Pro plans: blank API test (recommended)

The most reliable way to run an A/A test is with a blank automatic API test. Because API tests work by running code directly on your live theme, rather than swapping templates, leaving the variant empty means every visitor sees the exact same site, with no server-side differences at all.

1. In Shoplift, create a new test and select **API test**, then choose **Automatic**.
2. Leave the variant's JavaScript editor completely empty. Don't add any code.
3. Launch the test.

Shoplift will split traffic 50/50. Since the variant contains no code, both groups see an identical experience.

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{% hint style="info" %}
This method gives you the cleanest possible A/A data because it eliminates any variables that come from template rendering or third-party app behaviour.
{% endhint %}

#### Core plan: duplicate template or theme

If you're on the Core plan, you can run an A/A test by testing a template or theme against an exact duplicate of itself.

1. In your Shopify admin, duplicate the template or theme you want to test. Make no changes to the duplicate.
2. In Shoplift, create a template test or theme test. Set your live version as the original and the duplicate as the variant.
3. Launch the test and let it run for 1–2 weeks.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Some third-party apps behave differently when they detect they're running on a non-primary template. If your A/A test shows a large difference between the two sides, a specific app may not be firing correctly on the duplicate. Check your app integrations before drawing any conclusions.
{% endhint %}