Do step names on a lead form progress bar lift conversion?
Our tax relief lead form had a plain progress bar. We added the name of each step to it so visitors could see what came next. Conversion rose 18.1% and revenue per visitor rose 15.6% over 27 days.
Won Responsive 27 days Called at 90%
The hypothesis
By adding step names to the progress bar, we will show visitors what comes next, resulting in a higher conversion rate.
A plain progress bar tells visitors how far along they are, but not what is coming. Not knowing the next question can make visitors hesitate, more so on a form about tax debt.
Naming each step sets expectations for the whole form and gives visitors a reason to keep going.
What we changed
We added the name of each step to the progress bar.
In the control, the progress bar showed progress with no labels. In the variation, each section of the bar carried a short step name, so visitors could see the steps ahead. The form questions did not change. The test started on part of the traffic and later moved to full traffic.
- Step names added to the progress bar
- Form questions unchanged
The result
Conversion rose 18.1% with step names on the progress bar.
The named progress bar beat the control by 18.1% over 27 days, and revenue per visitor rose 15.6%. Much of this funnel's traffic came from a mail campaign that ran for only part of the test, so we ran it longer to get enough solid data before calling it.
What we took from it
Knowing what comes next kept visitors moving through the form.
Step names set expectations for the whole form and built on the motivation visitors already had when they arrived. Visitors with lower debt amounts may still waver, but for most, a clear path ahead made the form easier to finish.