Offer-focused hero headline: conversion rate 0.9% to 3.6%
Test run byOliver KenyonConversionwise
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSwapping a polished brand headline in the hero section for a blunt headline about the offer took conversion rate from 0.9% to 3.6%. Oliver Kenyon ran this test about two years before posting it. The hero was also stripped of award mentions and lifestyle imagery.
- Conversion rate: 0.9% to 3.6%, which is four times the starting rate.
- No revenue, order value or sample size figures were shared.
The change
Brand headline, awards and lifestyle imagery replaced by a plain offer headline
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The hero had a well-designed brand headline, with awards and lifestyle content around it. The store's average conversion rate was 0.9%.
Variant
The hero was stripped back to a bold, plain headline about the offer itself. Awards and lifestyle content were removed.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- visitors decide quickly whether a page is for them, and a headline about the offer answers that faster than brand language.
- removing awards and lifestyle images cut competition for attention on the first screen.
Caveats: No data screenshot, sample size or duration was shared, and 0.9% was the store's average, so this may be a before/after comparison rather than a split test. It is one store, from about two years earlier.
Who ran it
Oliver Kenyon (@oliverkenyon) shared this test on X. The numbers and screenshots are theirs.
View the original post on X
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we replace a brand-led hero headline with one that states the offer plainly, then more visitors will convert because they understand what they get within seconds.
- Primary metric
- Conversion rate
- Guardrails
- Revenue per visitor
- Bounce rate
- Average order value
- Who should test it
- Stores with strong design but a vague hero message, especially for paid traffic landing cold. Brands that sell mainly on image and status may see a smaller effect.
Questions
Should a hero headline talk about the brand or the offer?
In this test, an offer-focused headline took conversion from 0.9% to 3.6%. A clear statement of what the visitor gets beat polished brand copy.
Do awards in the hero section help conversion?
Here they were removed as part of the winning change. Their own effect was not measured separately.
Does good-looking design improve conversion?
Not on its own, judging by this test. The original store looked polished but converted at 0.9% until the message got clearer.
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