Clear 'book a hotel room' button: at least +13% conversions
Test run byOnline DialogueCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsAdding a clear 'book a hotel room' button to Van der Valk's reservations overview page lifted conversions by at least 13%.
Online Dialogue ran this multi-variant test for the Dutch hotel group, around 2009. The button was tested on its own as well as combined with other changes.
- Conversions: at least +13% from the clear call-to-action, as stated by the source.
- The source gives a floor, not an exact lift, and shares no sample size or confidence level.
- In the same test, extra deal promotion lowered conversions and free coffee and Wi-Fi had no significant effect.
The change
A clear 'book a hotel room' button added in view
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The reservations overview page with no clear booking button in view. The team judged the page unclear.
Variant
A clear call-to-action button to book a hotel room, placed in view. One variant combined all the tested changes, and separate variants tested each change alone.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Visitors who are ready to book need an obvious next step. Without one, some leave.
- A specific label says what happens on click, which lowers doubt.
- The page had a lot of traffic and bookings, so even a small clarity fix reached many visitors.
Caveats: Multi-variant test: one variant had all changes and the others tested each alone; the source puts the effect at 'at least 13%'. Hotel booking site (travel, treated here as lead-gen). The test dates from around 2009, when the program began. Sample size, duration and confidence are not shared.
Who ran it
Online Dialogue ran this test and published the results (Online Dialogue case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Online Dialogue →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we add a clear, specific booking button in view, then more visitors will book because the next step is obvious.
- Primary metric
- Bookings per visitor
- Guardrails
- Booking flow completion rate
- Cancellations
- Phone bookings
- Who should test it
- Booking and lead-gen sites where the main action is hidden, vague or below the fold. If your call to action is already clear and visible, expect little.
Questions
Does button copy matter on a booking page?
Yes. A label that names the action, like 'book a hotel room', tells visitors exactly what happens next. Vague or missing buttons make people hesitate.
Where should the booking button go?
In view without scrolling, next to the price and room details people use to decide. Repeat it further down on long pages.
Is a 2009 test still relevant?
The tools are old, but the idea holds: people book more when the next step is obvious.
Re-test it on your own site before relying on it.
MarketingExperiments