How to Create Adaptive Tests in Hubspot for Website Optimization
Running adaptive tests in Hubspot is one of the most effective ways to improve the performance of your website and landing pages using real visitor data. By automatically sending more traffic to better-performing variations, you can continuously optimize conversion rates without constantly managing manual A/B tests.
This guide explains step by step how adaptive tests work in your content tools and how to configure, run, and analyze them efficiently.
What is an Adaptive Test in Hubspot?
An adaptive test in Hubspot is an experiment where you create multiple variations of a page and let the system dynamically allocate more traffic to the best-performing version over time.
Instead of splitting traffic evenly as in classic A/B tests, the tool adjusts traffic distribution as it learns which variation converts better based on your selected primary metric.
How Adaptive Tests Work in Hubspot
When you turn on an adaptive test, Hubspot will:
- Display the original page and its variations to visitors.
- Track performance against a selected goal metric, such as form submissions or CTA clicks.
- Gradually send more traffic to the variation that performs best.
- Recommend a winner after enough data has been collected.
This approach helps you improve results faster while still running a rigorous experiment.
Requirements for Using Adaptive Tests in Hubspot
Before you start, make sure you can access the necessary tools and content types in Hubspot.
Supported Content Types
You can create adaptive tests on the following content types:
- Website pages created in the content editor
- Landing pages created in the content editor
Blog posts and other asset types are not supported for adaptive testing at this time.
User Permissions and Access
To run an adaptive test in Hubspot, you generally need:
- Access to the website or landing page tools
- Permission to edit and publish pages
- Permission to view reports and analytics
Check with your account administrator if you are unsure which permissions you have in your portal.
How to Create an Adaptive Test in Hubspot
You can create an adaptive test directly from the page editor. Follow the steps below to configure your experiment correctly.
1. Open Your Page in the Hubspot Editor
- Navigate to Marketing > Website > Website Pages or Landing Pages.
- Find the page you want to test.
- Click the page name to open it in the content editor.
Make sure the page is already set up with your standard content, layout, and conversion elements.
2. Start an Adaptive Test
- In the top bar of the editor, locate the option to create a test (the interface label may read Run a test or similar).
- Select the option for an adaptive test instead of a classic A/B test.
- Give your test a clear name so your team can easily identify it in Hubspot analytics.
Clear naming helps keep your optimization roadmap organized and measurable.
3. Choose the Primary Goal Metric
Hubspot requires a primary metric to determine which variation performs best. Typical primary goals include:
- Form submissions on the page
- Click-through rate on a call-to-action
- Page views to a specific next-step page
- Custom events tied to the page
Select the metric that most closely matches your business objective for this specific page.
4. Create Page Variations
You can add multiple variations for your adaptive test in Hubspot. To set them up:
- Click to add a Variation B (and additional variations if needed).
- For each variation, change only a few key elements at a time, such as:
- Headline text
- Hero image or media
- Form length or fields
- CTA copy and color
- Page layout or section order
- Save each variation after editing.
Avoid changing too many elements in one variation, so it’s easier to interpret which changes impact performance.
Best Practices for Adaptive Tests in Hubspot
Well-planned experiments in Hubspot can dramatically increase conversion rates over time. Use the guidelines below to design meaningful tests.
Define Clear Hypotheses
Before building your variations, define what you want to learn. For example:
- “Shorter forms will increase demo requests.”
- “A benefit-focused headline will increase signups.”
- “Social proof above the fold will boost click-through.”
Write your hypothesis down inside your optimization documentation or the notes section of your page.
Limit the Number of Variations
While Hubspot allows multiple variations, more is not always better. Too many variations:
- Spread traffic thinly across each version
- Increase the time needed to reach statistically reliable results
- Complicate analysis and decision-making
For most pages, two to four variations are enough for a strong test.
Run Tests for Enough Time
Allow your adaptive test to run long enough to collect meaningful data. Consider:
- Average daily traffic to the page
- Seasonality or campaign cycles
- Change in performance from external factors
Hubspot will adjust traffic allocation automatically, but you should still avoid stopping tests prematurely based on very early results.
Publishing and Managing Adaptive Tests in Hubspot
Once your variations are ready, you can publish the test and monitor performance from the analytics dashboard.
Publish the Test
- Review each variation in preview mode.
- Confirm your primary metric and test name.
- Click Publish (or Update) to start the adaptive test.
Hubspot will begin sending live traffic across your variations and learning from visitor behavior.
Monitor Performance
In the page analytics section, you can track your adaptive test metrics, including:
- Views per variation
- Conversion rate per variation
- Primary goal completions
- Secondary metrics such as bounce rate or time on page
Use these reports to understand how different layouts, messages, and offers impact your audience.
Selecting a Winning Variation
Over time, Hubspot will indicate which variation is performing best based on your goal. When you are confident in the results:
- Stop the test from the page settings or test panel.
- Choose the winning variation to become the primary page.
- Archive unused variations if they are no longer needed.
This ensures future visitors see the highest-performing version by default.
Where to Learn More About Hubspot Adaptive Tests
For deeper technical detail on adaptive testing behavior, supported options, and interface changes, you can review the official documentation from the platform provider. The original reference for this guide is available at Hubspot knowledge base: create adaptive tests for pages.
If you need strategic help planning experiments, building conversion-focused pages, or integrating results into a broader inbound strategy, you can also consult specialists such as Consultevo, who work extensively with the platform and modern optimization workflows.
By combining a clear experimentation strategy with adaptive tests in Hubspot, you can continuously refine your website and landing pages, improve conversion rates, and build a repeatable optimization process supported by accurate, automated testing.
Need Help With Hubspot?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Hubspot , work with ConsultEvo, a team who has a decade of Hubspot experience.
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