'Sold' sign photo instead of staff photo on lead page: +89% sign-ups
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSwapping a staff photo for an image of a 'For Sale' sign being marked 'Sold' lifted listing sign-ups by 89% on Makelaarsland's lead page.
Traffic Builders ran the A/B test for the Dutch online estate agency, and it was published as a VWO case study. Only the image changed.
- Listing sign-ups: +89% against the original page.
- The test ran for 20 days and was reported at 95% confidence.
- Sample size was not shared, so the size of the lift is less certain than the headline suggests.
The change
Staff photo under the help box swapped for a 'Sold' sign image
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The listing sign-up page had a form for personal details and the property address. A 'Need Help?' box with phone and email sat on the right, with a photo of a staff member below it.
Variant
The staff photo was replaced with an image of a 'Sold' sticker being put on a 'For Sale' sign. The form and help box stayed the same.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Home sellers want one outcome: a sold house. The new image showed that outcome right beside the form.
- Traffic Builders framed it as response efficacy, the idea that people act when they believe the action will work.
- Makelaarsland had a trust problem, and a picture of success may have reassured people more than a friendly face.
Caveats: The test ran for 20 days at 95% confidence, but sample size was not shared. A lift this large from one image is worth confirming with your own retest.
Who ran it
Traffic Builders ran this test for Dutch online real estate agency and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Traffic Builders →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we replace a generic staff photo with an image of the outcome customers want, then more visitors will sign up because they can picture the result of taking action.
- Primary metric
- Completed lead form sign-ups per page visitor
- Guardrails
- Lead quality or listing-to-sale rate
- Calls and emails to the help line
- Form abandonment rate
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen businesses that sell a clear result, such as property sales, legal wins or approvals, and use stock or staff photos near the form. It may matter less where trust in a person is the main factor, such as advisers or clinics.
Questions
Do images near a lead form affect conversions?
They can. Here a single image swap next to the form lifted sign-ups by 89%.
Should I show people or outcomes on a sign-up page?
It depends on what visitors doubt most. When they doubt the result, an image of the outcome can reassure them more than a staff photo.
What is response efficacy?
It is the belief that taking an action will lead to the result you want. Showing the result helps build that belief.