'Resources' added to the top nav: +73.30% resource page traffic
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a 'Resources' item to ArchiveSocial's top navigation bar raised traffic to its gated content page by 73.30%.
VWO Services ran this test for ArchiveSocial, a SaaS social media archiving tool, and published it as a VWO case study. The metric was page traffic, not leads.
- Traffic to the resources page: +73.30%.
- The test ran for 10 days with all traffic split 50/50, and the variant went live for all users.
- This is an engagement metric. The effect on content downloads or leads was not shared.
- Confidence level and sample size were not shared.
The change
A 'Resources' item is added to the top navigation bar.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The top navigation had no Resources item, and the gated content page got very little traffic.
Variant
A 'Resources' category was added to the top navigation bar, linking to the gated content page.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- People can't visit a section they can't find. Putting it in the main menu makes it visible on every page.
- Visitors researching a B2B purchase often look for guides and case studies before talking to sales.
- a nav link mainly moves traffic; whether that traffic converts depends on the content and the gate.
Caveats: The metric was traffic to the resources page, not leads or downloads. The test ran for only 10 days.
Who ran it
VWO ran this test and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on VWO →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we add a Resources link to our main navigation, then more visitors will reach our gated content because it will be visible on every page.
- Primary metric
- Gated content downloads or form submissions (track resource page visits too)
- Guardrails
- Demo or trial requests from the site
- Clicks on other nav items
- Overall lead volume
- Who should test it
- B2B SaaS and lead-gen companies that use gated content to capture leads but hide it in the footer or a submenu. If your content isn't a lead source, more traffic to it may just pull people away from the demo CTA.
Questions
Should I put a Resources link in my main navigation?
If gated content is an important lead source, yes, it is worth testing.
ArchiveSocial saw 73% more traffic to that page after adding it.
Does more traffic to a content page mean more leads?
Not necessarily. Track downloads and lead submissions, not just visits, and watch that demo requests don't drop.