# One page cut from registration: +117% free trials, +130% revenue

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Signup page (SaaS)
- Elements: Form steps, Page count
- Date shared: 2008-05
- Test run by: [MarketingExperiments](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/marketingexperiments/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/a-b-testing/simple-tests-significant-gains
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/britannica-remove-registration-page/

Removing one whole page from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online's subscription registration path lifted conversion to free trials by 117% and revenue by 130%. MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran the test as part of a two-year program with Britannica and published it on MarketingExperiments.

## Result

**+117% free trials, +130% revenue**

- Conversion to free trials: +117%.
- Paid subscriptions: +61%, so the extra trials did turn into paying customers.
- Revenue: +130%.

## Control

The subscription registration path with its original number of pages.

## Variant

The same registration path with one whole page taken out. The source does not say which page was removed.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Every extra page is another chance to drop out, so cutting one removes a point of loss.
- A shorter path gets people into the product sooner, while they are still motivated.
- Paid subscriptions rose too, which suggests the removed page was not doing useful qualifying work.

## Caveats

The test dates from 2008, and the source does not say which page was removed. Sample size and duration were not shared.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we remove or merge a step in our sign-up flow, then more visitors will start a trial because there are fewer points to drop out.
- Primary metric: Free trial starts per visitor
- Guardrail: Trial-to-paid conversion
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Data completeness for onboarding
- Who should test it: SaaS and subscription businesses with multi-step sign-up flows. It may not help if your flow is already one or two steps, or if the step you cut collects data you truly need.

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Credit: MarketingExperiments ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/britannica-remove-registration-page/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.