Background info A few months ago, I published a free ebook, 7 Universal Conversion Optimization Principles. Being the test junkie that I am, I started tweaking, testing and optimizing the ebook landing page right away.
I’ve experimented with everything from privacy policies and button color to headlines and testimonials. The most recent test was particularly interesting as it revolved around a very simple copy tweak that ended up having major impact on conversions.
How I came up with the treatment My iPad is packed with awesome free ebooks that I really want to read. Unfortunately, I rarely have time to sit down and actually read them. In fact, I’d say that time is a barrier that impacts my decision every time I’m about to download free ebook.
I figured that I couldn’t be the only person with this problem. Therefore I hypothesized that I could increase downloads by emphasizing the fact that my ebook only takes about 25 minutes to read.
After messing around with different treatments and ideas, I realized that the main challenge was finding the right spot to address the time issue. The fact that the book is an easy read is not the main selling point, so I didn’t want it to be the overriding message.
To get inspiration, I turned to Eyequant.com – a clever new tool that helps predict how visitors look at your web pages. The Eyequant analysis suggested that the first few words in the first bullet point would attract initial attention from visitors, and I decided to tweak the bullet copy towards addressing the time issue.
The variations
Control bullet copy: Insights and experience from 4 years of research and over 350 A/B tests distilled into one 26-page free ebook
Treatment bullet copy: Read the book in just 25 minutes and get insights from 4 years of research and over 350 A/B tests
Test hypothesis
By tweaking the copy in the first bullet point to directly address the “time issue”, I can motivate more visitors to download the ebook and increase the conversion rate of the landing page.
Test design and results In order to examine whether my hypothesis would hold water, I set up a simple A/B test where the only variable was the copy in the first bullet point.
I ran the test for 20 days and reached a statistical confidence level of 98%. During the test period, the book was downloaded 391 times.
The test data confirmed my hypothesis as the treatment increased downloads by 18.59%.
Take-Aways Addressing the mental barriers of your target audience is an effective tool for increasing conversions. Moreover, small tweaks can have major impact on the decisions and actions of your prospects, IF those tweaks are applied strategically to critical elements and address relevant questions or pain points.
