Web Optimization: Simple CTA test yields 956% increase in clickthrough

A concept marketers at Web Optimization Summit 2014 have voiced is the principle of starting simple and digging deeper as you test and optimize to learn more about your customers.

In today’s MarketingExperiments Blog post from Web Optimization Summit, I wanted to share an experiment from Cindy Lu, Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Strategy, VMware, in her session on “5 Optimization Discoveries from the VMware Test Lab” to show you how starting with simple changes can have a huge impact.

Before we go further, let’s have a look at the background notes on the test.

Background: SMB Solutions Page featuring multiple products.

Objective: To increase Try, Buy and engagement clicks.

Primary Research Question: Will elevating vSphere Essentials and vCenter Log Insight CTAs above the fold increase engagement?

Test Design: A/B test: Control vs. Variant B vs. Variant C – 33/33/33 split

Side by side

In the control, Cindy explained the initial call-to-action was buried in the links at the bottom of the page.

“We identified an opportunity that we wanted to test,” Cindy said.

For the treatment, she hypothesized that moving the CTA above the fold would increase engagement.

This was also an opportunity for Cindy to test some subtle changes to the copy to aid her efforts in discovering more about what her customers wanted.

Results 

What you need to know

Moving the CTA above the fold increased clickthrough 956%. When I asked Cindy about the results, she explained that they were much higher than she initially expected.

“The results far exceeded my expectations,” Cindy said.

Her results also speak to the power of starting with the low-hanging fruit when optimizing your conversion process.

“Quick wins can sometimes be the most obvious or common sense best practices to implement,” Cindy explained. “Capitalize on those quick opportunities for success.”

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