When Test Mode is activated in RapidLoad, any changes made will not be immediately visible or applied to your site. Instead, these modifications are temporarily stored, allowing you to review and evaluate their impact at your convenience before making them live.

Test Mode

Test Mode can be accessed both in the Titan Optimizer and the RapidLoad dashboard.

Preview URL

Test Mode Buttons Overview

In Test Mode, you'll find three key buttons that control how optimizations are applied:

  1. Live: Selecting this option will apply the optimizations to the live URL, making the changes visible to all users.
  2. Test Mode: When this option is selected, the optimizations will not be applied to the live site. This allows you to safely test and review changes without affecting the live environment.
  3. Preview: Clicking this button will redirect you to the homepage if you're currently in the dashboard. If you're on the Titan platform, it will take you to the optimized URL that is currently selected

What is Test Mode and How Does It Work?

Test Mode allows you to preview how an optimized URL will appear before applying the changes to your live site. This feature provides an opportunity to review and ensure that the optimizations meet your expectations, helping to avoid any potential issues when the changes go live.

When you enable Test Mode, it creates a controlled environment where RapidLoad optimizations are kept separate from your live site. To review the modifications, simply add the query parameter rapidload_preview to the end of your URL. This triggers the display of the stored optimizations, giving you a comprehensive view of the proposed changes before they are applied to the live site.

Preview URL

Benefits of Test Mode:

  • Review Changes Safely: Test Mode lets you check RapidLoad optimization in a safe environment. You can see how changes affect your site’s layout and functionality before making them live.
  • Experiment Without Risk: Test Mode allows you to try out different optimization settings without affecting your live site. This means you can test and tweak configurations without interrupting your visitor’s experience.

Utilizing Test Mode - Example

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If you want to add extra CSS to your site and see if it causes any layout shifts, you can use Test Mode. Simply enable Test Mode, add your CSS changes, and save them.

These changes will only be visible when you add the query parameter /?rapidload_preview to your URL. You’ll need to use this URL with the query parameter in tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and other page speed performance testing tools to see the changes.

You can confidently view the changes on your live website if there are no broken pages. Follow these steps:

  • Turn off Test Mode.
  • Save the changes.
  • Clear the cache, open the URL in incognito mode, and check the changes on your live site.