# Header and footer redesign: -16.3% conversion despite more clicks

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Site-wide (Ecommerce)
- Elements: Navigation & mega menus
- Test run by: [Clean Commit](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/clean-commit/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://cleancommit.io/ab-tests/website-footer-and-header-redesign/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/cleancommit-website-footer-and-header-redesign/

Redesigning the header and footer cut conversion rate 16.3% and revenue per visitor 16.5%, even though click-through rate rose 12.0%. Clean Commit ran this test for an anonymized Shopify store selling sports equipment and published it in its A/B test library. Both header and footer changed at once, so the result can't be pinned on either one.

## Result

**-16.3% conversion despite more clicks**

- Conversion rate: -16.3%. Negative: the original had a 91.0% probability of performing better, short of significance.
- Revenue per visitor: -16.5%, and orders fell 16.0%.
- Add-to-cart rate: -5.2%.
- Click-through rate: +12.0% and bounce rate -6.7%. Shoppers used the new links, but fewer bought.

## Control

The site's original header and footer.

## Variant

The footer was expanded with a section linking to every major sports landing page. The header was decluttered by moving or grouping less essential links, such as Military and Team Sales.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- More footer links gave visitors more places to go, which may have spread attention away from products.
- Grouping links like Team Sales may have hidden paths that some high-intent buyers relied on.
- Clicks show movement, not intent, so a rise in clicks can sit alongside a fall in sales.

## Caveats

The test ran for 35 days on 36,149 visitors and did not reach significance, though both devices moved down. Header and footer changed together, so the effect of each is unknown.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we add clear footer links to all sports landing pages and declutter the header, then more visitors will buy because the site is easier to move through.
- Primary metric: Conversion rate
- Guardrail: Revenue per visitor
- Guardrail: Add-to-cart rate
- Guardrail: Conversion rate on grouped links such as Team Sales
- Who should test it: Stores with large catalogs and messy navigation. Test the header and footer separately, and don't call a win on clicks alone.

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Credit: Clean Commit ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/cleancommit-website-footer-and-header-redesign/).
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.