Single-column sign-up page with one CTA: +265.6% clickthrough
Test run byMarketingExperimentsResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSimplifying a registration page to a single column with only one call-to-action raised clickthrough by 265.6% and conversion by about 27%.
MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran the test for a B2C online services company.
The layout and the number of CTAs changed together, so the result belongs to the bundle, not to either change alone.
- Single-column treatment: clickthrough up 265.6% over the control.
- Account sign-up conversion up nearly 27%.
- Results for the two-column treatment and confidence levels were not shared in text.
The change
Variant removes all but one CTA and uses one column.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A registration page with several competing calls-to-action, spread across five main blocks of content.
Variant
A single-column page with every competing element removed except one. A middle treatment cut the page to two columns and two CTAs.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- With one clear action, visitors did not have to choose between competing options.
- A single column gives the eye one path down the page.
- Fewer blocks meant less to read before deciding to register.
Caveats: Bundled test: layout and number of CTAs changed together, so you can't credit either one alone. Sample size, duration and confidence were not shared, and the data is from 2012.
Who ran it
MarketingExperiments ran this test for a B2C online services company 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 cut our sign-up page to one column and one call-to-action, then more visitors will register because nothing competes with the main action.
- Primary metric
- Account sign-up rate
- Guardrails
- Activation or first-use rate of new accounts
- Clicks to secondary pages you removed
- Support or contact requests
- Who should test it
- SaaS and online services whose sign-up page also pushes demos, other products or content links. If your page already has one clear action, expect a smaller effect.
Questions
Does removing CTAs increase sign-ups?
Often, when the extra CTAs pull visitors away from the main goal.
Here one CTA and a simpler layout together lifted conversion by about 27%.
Is a one-column layout better for sign-up pages?
It gives visitors a single path to follow.
In this test it shipped alongside fewer CTAs, so its own effect is not known.
Why did clickthrough rise more than conversion?
Many more people clicked into the sign-up flow, but not all of them finished.
That is common, so track final sign-ups, not just clicks.