Does softer wording on the debt amount question lift lead conversion?
Our tax relief lead form asked visitors how much tax they owe. We reworded it to ask how much the IRS says they owe. Conversion fell 7.1% over 14 days, so we paused the new wording.
Lost Responsive 14 days Called at 90%
The hypothesis
By softening the debt amount question, we will lower visitor anxiety at that step, resulting in more visitors finishing the form.
Softer wording on the debt question had lifted conversion in earlier tests. Framing the amount as an estimate takes pressure off visitors who are not sure of the exact figure.
This version framed the amount as what the IRS says the visitor owes, rather than asking them to state it.
What we changed
We reworded the debt question to ask what the IRS says they owe.
In the control, the debt step asked visitors how much they owe. In the variation, the question read "How much does the IRS say you owe?" The answer options and the rest of the form stayed the same. The test restarted once after a data issue at launch.
- Question reads: How much does the IRS say you owe?
- Answer options unchanged
The result
Conversion fell 7.1% with the new debt question wording.
The new wording converted 7.1% worse than the control over 14 days, and revenue per visitor fell 7.3%. We paused the variation and kept the original question.
What we took from it
Naming the IRS again at the debt step added pressure.
Visitors had already seen the IRS mentioned on the page. Repeating it in the debt question likely raised the stakes at the very step where we wanted to calm them, so the softer intent of the change was lost.