Beginner 9 min

Installing Webtrends Optimize

How the WTO snippet works, where it goes, and why placement matters for performance and flicker.

Webtrends Optimize (WTO) is loaded by a single synchronous script tag placed as high in the <head> as possible. The earlier it loads, the smaller the window for the visitor to see the unmodified page before your variant arrives.

Placement matters. Below render-blocking CSS, you give the visitor a glimpse of the control. That glimpse is called flicker and it ruins above-the-fold tests. Place the WTO snippet before any other script and before your stylesheet links if you can.

Pair WTO with an anti-flicker style that hides the testable region for up to four seconds while your variant code runs. Always remove the hide after the variant applies — and always remove it on a timeout, even if your script fails. A blank screen is worse than the control.

Example

<!-- Place high in <head>, before render-blocking assets -->
<script src="//s.webtrends-optimize.com/your-account.js"></script>
<style>.wto-hide { opacity: 0 !important; }</style>

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