Simpler nav, industry terms, testimonials up: +63% demo clicks
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsOrah's homepage redesign lifted demo request clicks by 63.27% by cutting nav items, using common industry terms instead of brand names, and moving testimonials near the top.
Orah, a student engagement platform, ran the test itself, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The three changes shipped together, so the lift can't be credited to any one of them.
- Demo request clicks (primary goal): +63.27%.
- Product page clicks: +101.41%.
- Free sign-up clicks: +121.41%.
- All three metrics are clicks, not completed demo bookings or sign-ups, so the effect on pipeline is not known.
The change
Trimmed nav, plain industry wording and testimonials moved up, all at once.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The homepage had a fuller navigation menu, described products with Orah's own branded terms, and showed testimonials lower down.
Variant
The nav had fewer items, the copy used industry terms schools already know, and testimonials moved near the top.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- First-time visitors don't know a product's branded names. Industry terms tell them right away what the product does. Orah's team saw this as the main lesson.
- Fewer menu items make it easier to find the right page, which fits the jump in product page clicks.
- Testimonials from similar schools near the top give early proof that peers use the platform.
Caveats: Three changes were bundled, so no single change can be credited. The test ran only 11 days, no sample size was shared, and the metrics are CTA clicks rather than completed requests.
Who ran it
Orah ran this test 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 Orah →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we describe our product with the industry terms buyers already use, then more first-time visitors will request a demo because they will understand the offer faster.
- Primary metric
- Completed demo requests from new visitors
- Guardrails
- Demo-to-opportunity rate
- Bounce rate on the homepage
- Returning visitor conversion
- Who should test it
- SaaS companies whose homepage leans on branded feature names or serves mostly new visitors. It matters less if most traffic is existing customers who already know your terms. Test the copy change on its own to learn what really drives the lift.
Questions
Should a SaaS homepage use branded feature names?
For new visitors, plain industry terms are often clearer.
Orah's team concluded that branded names added friction for first-time visitors.
Does moving testimonials higher increase demo requests?
It may help, but in this test it was bundled with nav and copy changes. Test it alone to know its effect.
Is 11 days long enough for a homepage test?
It can be if you reach your planned sample and cover full weeks.
Short tests risk catching a lucky week, so check that the result holds.
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