Sign-up form moved off the landing page to its own step: +60% sign-ups
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsTaking the registration fields off a landing page and sending visitors to a separate sign-up page lifted sign-ups by 60%.
Vendio, an ecommerce store platform owned by Alibaba.com, ran this test on a free-store sign-up page, and it was published as a VWO case study.
The new page also had slightly different styling.
- Sign-ups: +60% versus the page with the embedded form.
- The variant added an extra step to the funnel and still won.
- Sample size, test length and confidence level were not shared.
The change
The embedded form is removed and a 'Signup Now' button leads to a separate form page.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The landing page showed marketing content with the registration fields built into the page, so visitors could sign up without a second click.
Variant
The page kept similar images and copy but had no form fields. A 'Signup Now' button took visitors to a separate page with the sign-up form.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- A wall of form fields can feel like a big ask before a visitor has decided they want the product.
- Clicking a single button is a small first step, and people who click are more committed when they reach the form.
- Without the fields, the page had more room to explain the offer clearly.
- 'fewer clicks' is not the same as 'less effort' if the first screen looks like work.
Caveats: The variant also had slightly different styling, so not all of the lift can be credited to removing the form. No sample size or duration was shared.
Who ran it
Vendio 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 Vendio →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we replace the embedded sign-up form on our landing page with one clear button to a separate sign-up page, then more visitors will start and finish sign-up because the first step will feel lighter.
- Primary metric
- Completed sign-ups
- Guardrails
- Button click-through rate
- Drop-off on the separate form page
- Activation rate of new accounts
- Who should test it
- SaaS and platform products with landing pages that put a long form above the fold. It is less likely to help if your form is just an email field, where an inline form is already low effort.
Questions
Should a sign-up form be on the landing page or a separate page?
It depends on the form. Vendio got 60% more sign-ups by moving a full registration form to its own page, but a short email field may work fine inline.
Does adding an extra step always hurt conversions?
No. An easy first step, like one button, can raise completion if it makes the whole process feel less demanding.
What should I measure when moving a form to its own page?
Track completed sign-ups, not just clicks on the button.
Also watch drop-off on the new form page.