'Open an Account' instead of 'Learn More': +43% funded accounts
Test run byMarketingExperimentsResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsChanging a savings upsell link from 'Learn More' to 'Open an Account' lifted funded savings accounts by 43%.
MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran this single-factor test for a large financial institution, inside the bank's secure logged-in area.
The link text was the only thing that changed.
- Funded savings accounts: +43% for the 'Open an Account' link. This is the business outcome, not just clicks.
- Reaching the application start: 18.95% of landing page visitors from the 'Open an Account' link, versus 12.84% from the 'Learn More' link, per a comment from the researcher who ran the test.
- The researcher reported that visitors from the new link were more likely to move forward at every later step, at a statistically significant level.
- Raw conversion rates were anonymized, so the base rate is not shared.
The change
Same upsell link, but the text names the action instead of 'Learn More'.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Inside the logged-in area, an up-sell link for a savings account used soft 'Learn More' wording to start the application path.
Variant
Only the link text changed, to 'Open an Account', so it was clear that clicking starts the process of opening an account.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The direct wording likely filtered for people who already wanted an account, so the traffic arriving was more motivated.
- 'Learn More' sets up a browsing mindset; 'Open an Account' sets up a doing mindset, which may carry through the form.
- Clear expectations reduce surprise. People who clicked knew an application was coming, so fewer dropped off when it appeared.
Caveats: Conversion rates were anonymized and sample size and duration were not shared. The test dates to 2012 and ran in one bank's logged-in area.
Who ran it
MarketingExperiments ran this test for a large financial institution and published the results (MarketingExperiments). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on MarketingExperiments →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we change our upsell link from 'Learn More' to wording that names the action, like 'Open an Account', then completed sign-ups will rise because the people who click will be the ones ready to act.
- Primary metric
- Completed (funded) accounts or applications per visitor who saw the link
- Guardrails
- Link click-through rate
- Application start rate
- Application completion rate
- Who should test it
- Banks, insurers, and lead-gen or SaaS teams with an in-product upsell to an existing customer base. It is less likely to help if your offer needs explaining first and most visitors are not yet ready to apply.
Questions
Is 'Learn More' a bad call to action?
Not always, but it attracts curious clicks as well as serious ones.
In this test, naming the real next step brought in fewer casual visitors and more completed accounts.
Will a more direct button get fewer clicks?
It can, because some casual visitors stop clicking.
Judge the test on completed applications, not clicks, since that is what pays.
How small a copy change is worth testing?
Here three words moved funded accounts by 43%.
Small copy tests are cheap to run, so they are worth trying on high-traffic links.
Online Dialogue