Competitor-focused multi-step landing pages: +66% conversion rate
Test run byKlientBoostCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsCompetitor-focused, multi-step landing pages for competitor-keyword traffic came with a 66% higher conversion rate for Thinkific.
KlientBoost ran the work for the online course creation platform and published it as a case study PDF.
The new pages launched with new competitor keyword targeting and other campaign changes, so the result covers the whole package.
- Conversion rate: +66%, credited to competitor keywords plus competitor-focused pages together.
- Cost per conversion: -40%.
- Cost per click: -36%, so part of the efficiency gain came from cheaper traffic, not the page.
The change
Illustrative: a general page versus a competitor-focused multi-step page. Real layouts were not shared.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Thinkific's paid traffic went to its earlier destination pages, without pages written for people searching competitor brands.
Variant
KlientBoost targeted competitor brand keywords and sent that traffic to competitor-focused landing pages with multi-step flows, alongside single keyword ad groups, dynamic ads and remarketing audiences.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Thinkific's best customers were already on other course platforms, so competitor searchers were a strong fit.
- A page that speaks to someone comparing tools answers the switching question directly.
- Multi-step pages may have eased visitors into sign-up one small choice at a time.
Caveats: KlientBoost reported these numbers itself in a one-page case study PDF. They compare performance before and after a whole paid-media engagement, not a controlled split test, and ad, keyword, targeting and landing page changes all shipped together. No sample size, duration or significance was shared.
Who ran it
KlientBoost ran this test for online course creation software and published the results (KlientBoost case study (PDF)). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on KlientBoost →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we send competitor-keyword searchers to a page that compares us with that competitor, then conversion rate will rise because the page answers why they should switch.
- Primary metric
- Sign-up conversion rate from competitor-keyword clicks
- Guardrails
- Cost per conversion
- Trial-to-paid rate
- Brand or legal complaints about comparison claims
- Who should test it
- SaaS companies whose best customers switch from a known rival. If buyers rarely search competitor names, or the category has no clear rivals, this has little traffic to work with.
Questions
Do competitor landing pages work for SaaS?
They can, when your customers often switch from a named rival.
Keep comparisons accurate and fair, and test against your standard page.
Is it allowed to bid on competitor brand keywords?
Ad platforms generally allow bidding on competitor terms, but rules on using trademarks in ad text vary. Check the platform policy first.
How do I know whether the landing page or the ads caused a lift?
Change one side at a time, or split the same ad traffic between the old and new page.
If ads, keywords and pages all change in the same month, you cannot separate their effects.
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