# Simpler homepage banner with a clear CTA: +433% clickthrough

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Homepage (Lead-gen)
- Elements: Hero banner, Copy length, Cta copy
- Date shared: 2016-03
- Test run by: [Humana](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/humana/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/a-b-testing/how-humana-optimized-banners
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/humana-homepage-banner-simplified/

A cleaner Humana homepage banner, with less copy, one clear message and a prominent call to action, got 433% more clickthrough than the busy original. Mike Loveridge, head of digital test and learn at Humana, ran the test, and it was published by MarketingExperiments.

## Result

**+433% clickthrough**

- Banner clickthrough: up 433% versus the original.
- The metric is clicks on the banner, not insurance enrolments, so the effect on leads further down the funnel is unknown.
- Sample size, test length and significance were not shared.

## Control

A homepage banner packed with copy, with no single clear message and a weak call to action.

## Variant

A focused banner with less copy, more white space, one concise message and a prominent call to action.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- Visitors glance at banners like billboards. One message read in a second beats a paragraph.
- A clear call to action tells people exactly what to do next.
- Moving the details to the next page lets the banner do one job: earn the click.

## Caveats

Copy, layout and call to action all changed at once, so the lift can't be pinned to one element. The test measured clickthrough only and dates from 2016.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we cut our homepage banner down to one message and one clear call to action, then more visitors will click through because they can understand the offer at a glance.
- Primary metric: Banner clickthrough rate
- Guardrail: Lead form submissions or quote starts from banner traffic
- Guardrail: Bounce rate on the destination page
- Who should test it: Lead generation and insurance or finance sites whose homepage banners carry lots of copy. If your banner is already short with a clear button, expect smaller gains.

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Credit: Humana ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/humana-homepage-banner-simplified/).
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.