Swapping the CTA and testimonial in the homepage hero: +35.6% sales
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSwapping the positions of the call-to-action button and a testimonial bubble in the homepage hero lifted sales by 35.6%.
Underwater Audio, a seller of waterproof audio products, ran this A/B test itself, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The swap also uncovered the main product image, which the testimonial had partly hidden.
- Sales: +35.6% for the swapped layout.
- Sample size, test length and statistical significance were not shared.
The change
The testimonial and button swap places, so the quote comes before the call to action.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The homepage hero showed the title, then the CTA button, with a testimonial bubble below it that partly covered the product image.
Variant
The CTA button and testimonial bubble switched places, so the hero read title, then customer quote, then button, and the product image was easier to see.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Visitors met the customer quote before the button, so they saw social proof right before being asked to act.
- The product image was no longer covered, so people could see what they were buying.
- In the original, visitors who clicked the button straight away likely never read the testimonial.
- Two changes came with one move, a new order and a clearer image, so it is hard to say which mattered more.
Caveats: No sample size, duration or significance was given. Moving the bubble changed both the reading order and how much of the product image showed.
Who ran it
Underwater Audio ran this test for Underwater Audio 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 Underwater Audio →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we place a short customer quote between the hero headline and the button, then sales will rise because visitors will see proof just before they are asked to act.
- Primary metric
- Sales (orders per visitor)
- Guardrails
- Hero CTA click rate
- Bounce rate
- Revenue per visitor
- Who should test it
- Stores whose homepage hero sells one main product and has a strong customer quote to use. It is less likely to help if your hero is a broad brand banner or the quote is weak or generic.
Questions
Should a testimonial go above or below the CTA button?
In this test, putting the quote before the button won.
Visitors read proof first and then saw the action, which is a natural order to test on your own hero.
Does the order of hero elements matter that much?
It can. Small layout moves change what people read and in what order, and here the move also uncovered the product image.
What kind of testimonial works best in a hero?
A short, specific quote from a real customer that speaks to the main worry about the product.
Long or vague praise is easy to skip.
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