# Create Your First Experiment
Canonical URL: https://monetly.io/docs/create-your-first-experiment
Last updated: 2026-06-18
Audience: Monetly users and AI assistants helping users operate Monetly
Status: Public usage documentation, non-authoritative
## Summary
Your first experiment should answer one practical question: does this audience show enough behavior to justify continuing with this idea?

Keep the setup narrow. Use one clear idea, one target audience, one validation mode, and a traffic source that matches the audience you want to test.
## Key Rules
- One experiment should test one clear idea.
- Choose the validation mode before you write or edit landing content.
- Do not launch until the page, offer, and traffic source are aligned.
- If you choose a custom domain flow, finish domain setup before expecting public traffic to work.

## Steps
- Sign in with your email.
- Create or open a project.
- Describe the idea, audience, and problem in plain language.
- Choose a validation mode.
- Review the generated validation page and selected template.
- Choose the available domain option that fits the experiment.
- Launch the experiment or save it as a draft when setup is incomplete.
- Send qualified traffic and wait for Monetly to produce evidence.

## Common Mistakes
- Testing multiple audiences or offers in the same experiment.
- Changing the offer while traffic is already running.
- Launching before domain or traffic setup is ready.
- Assuming early clicks are enough to make a product decision.

## Before You Launch
Make sure the experiment page describes the exact offer you want to test. Visitors should understand what they are being asked to evaluate.

If the experiment uses a custom domain, verify the DNS setup first. A domain that is still waiting for verification is not ready for traffic.

## After Launch
Keep the experiment stable while traffic is running. Changing the offer, audience, or page structure mid-run can make the evidence harder to interpret.

Use the dashboard to watch progress, but wait for Monetly to produce the decision before treating the result as final.
## Related Pages
- [Validation Modes](https://monetly.io/docs/validation-modes.md)
- [Traffic and Ads](https://monetly.io/docs/traffic-and-ads.md)
- [Custom Domains](https://monetly.io/docs/custom-domains.md)