Does a winning homepage CTA button work without its copy?
A new button had won on our mobile homepage alongside a copy change. We tested the button alone, plus 2 versions that sent visitors to a focused landing page. Over 15 days, no version beat the control by enough to call.
Not significant Mobile 15 days Not called
The hypothesis
By reusing the winning button without its copy change, and by testing a simpler landing page, we will send more visitors to the product page, resulting in higher revenue per visitor.
The previous mobile homepage test won with a new button paired with new copy, lifting conversion about 25% and revenue per visitor about 30%. We wanted to know whether the button alone carried that lift.
We also tested the winning landing page from that round in 2 forms: with the site navigation but no promo bar, and with neither.
What we changed
We reused the winning button without its copy and tested 2 landing pages.
Var A used the button from the previous winner but kept the original copy. Var B sent visitors to a landing page with the site navigation and no promo bar. Var C sent them to a landing page with no navigation and no promo bar.
- Winning button design
- Original copy kept
- Visitors sent to a focused landing page
- Navigation kept
- Promo bar removed
- Visitors sent to a focused landing page
- Navigation removed
- Promo bar removed
The result
No version beat the control; the best lifted conversion 2.2%.
Var C, the landing page with no navigation and no promo bar, lifted conversion 2.2% but lowered revenue per visitor 3.1%. Var A, the button without its copy, lowered conversion 4.1% and held revenue per visitor about flat. Var B lowered conversion 16.9% and revenue per visitor 17.6%.
No version produced a lift we could call over 15 days.
What we would do next
The button alone did not carry the earlier win.
The button lost a little without its copy, which points to the copy as the part that drove the earlier lift on this homepage. We would retest the copy on its own to confirm it.
