Title: Configure Headline Testing in the Parse.ly WordPress Plugin
Author: Lucas Radke
Published: October 14, 2025
Last modified: February 11, 2026

---

 1. [Installation resources](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/)
 2. [Add-on Features](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/add-on-features/)
 3. [How to install Headline Testing](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/add-on-features/install-headline-testing/)
 4. Configure Headline Testing in the Parse.ly WordPress Plugin

#  Configure Headline Testing in the Parse.ly WordPress Plugin

![](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/HeadlineTestingWPParsely.
png)

The Headline Testing tab of the Parse.ly WordPress Plugin settings page

The Parse.ly WordPress Plugin lets you [enable and configure Parse.ly Headline Testing](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-developer-resources/add-on-features/install-headline-testing/)
directly from your WordPress Admin area.

This integration makes it easy to [test multiple headline variations and optimize engagement](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/optimization-menu/headline-testing-tab/)
without manually adding scripts or editing templates.

**Note**

Headline Testing settings are available only to WordPress administrators (users 
with the `manage_options` capability).

## **Accessing the Headline Testing settings**

 1. In your WordPress Admin sidebar, go to **Parse.ly → Settings**.
 2. Select the **Headline Testing** tab.
 3. Configure your preferred options ([see below](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/add-on-features/install-headline-testing/configure-headline-testing-in-the-parse-ly-wordpress-plugin?output_format=md#options)).
 4. Click **Save Changes** to apply your settings.

Once enabled, the plugin automatically adds the Parse.ly Headline Testing script
to your site’s pages.

**Default behavior:** Headline Testing is enabled by default on new plugin installations.
You can disable or reconfigure it at any time.

## **Available options**

**Headline TestingEnable or disable Parse.ly Headline Testing for your site.

**Installation Method****Choose how the headline testing script is installed:

 * **One-line Snippet (Recommended):** Automatically includes the standard Parse.
   ly Headline Testing script (https://experiments.parsely.com/vip-experiments.js).
   Ideal for most sites.
 * **Advanced Installation:** Inserts the headline testing logic inline for more
   granular control. Recommended for developers with custom integrations.

**Enable Flicker ControlReduces visible flicker when headlines are replaced by briefly
hiding the page body (up to 500 ms).
Note: Only available with Advanced Installation.

**Enable Live Updates****Automatically refreshes headline variations when new content
loads—for example, on pages with infinite scrolling.

**Live Update Timeout (ms)****Sets how long Parse.ly should watch for new content(
in milliseconds).
Default: 30000 (30 seconds).

**Allow After Content Load****Allows headline swapping even after the main content
has fully loaded.

**Caution**

Enabling the **Allow After Content Load** option may cause visible flickering if
the page continues to update headlines after load.

## **Best practices**

 * Use **One-line Snippet** unless your site uses custom caching or rendering logic.
 * For dynamic or single-page applications, enable **Live Updates** and adjust the**
   Live Update Timeout**.
 * Avoid enabling both **Allow After Content Load** and **Flicker Control** unless
   necessary for your site setup.
 * After saving changes, view your homepage’s source code and confirm that the headline
   testing script appears as expected.

## **Troubleshooting**

If headline testing doesn’t appear to work as expected:

**No script found:Check that Headline Testing is enabled and that the One-line Snippet
installation method is selected.
The script should appear as `https://experiments.
parsely.com/vip-experiments.js` in your page source.Clear your site and CDN caches,
then reload the page.

**Flickering issues:Enable Flicker Control (if using Advanced Installation) to reduce
visible flashes when swapping headlines.

**Headlines not updating on scroll or dynamic load:Confirm that Enable Live Updates
is active and the Live Update Timeout is sufficient for your content loading pattern.

**Still not working?Open your browser console and check for errors related to `vip-
experiments.js`.
If the problem persists, contact Parse.ly Support for assistance.

## **Version note**

The Headline Testing tab and related configuration options are available starting
with **Parse.ly WordPress Plugin version 3.21.0**.

Last updated: February 11, 2026