Headline & Copy Tests on the Homepage: 18 Examples, 5 Results

Why headlines and copy matter on the homepage

The homepage hero is often the first thing a new visitor reads.

It has a few seconds to say what the store sells and why that matters to them.

A slogan or brand line can leave that question unanswered.

Measured results

Copy-only changes (2 tests)

Dave Diederen changed the homepage CTA to "Shop Now" instead of creative copy.

It won +4.99% conversion rate, +8.15% revenue per visitor and +3.00% AOV.

In Dave Diederen's homepage hero redesign, a copy-only variant ran alongside the full redesign.

Copy alone won +3.99% conversion rate and +8.43% revenue per visitor.

The full redesign won much more: +39.85% conversion rate, +72.15% revenue per visitor (+$30,562/month) and +23.09% AOV.

That gap is a useful reminder that copy is one lever among several.

Headlines inside hero tests (3 tests)

• Dave Diederen tested hero variations with a goal headline, a how-to subheader, USPs, a CTA and reviews: +23.79% conversion rate, +30.09% revenue per visitor and +30.39% profit per visitor.
• Dave Diederen's banner with a problem headline, two CTAs, reviews and a guarantee won +17.12% conversion rate and +$28,163 monthly profit.
• Oliver Kenyon's hero with better imagery, a 4.9/5 rating, press logos and a clearer headline won +$78,454/month and +$1.54 revenue per session.

A

→

B

+$78,454/month

Homepage hero with better imagery, 4.9/5 rating, press logos and clearer headline

HomepageReviews & star ratings@oliverkenyon

A

→

B

+30.09% revenue per visitor

Tested hero banner variations (goal headline, how-to subheader, USPs, CTA, reviews)

HomepageReviews & star ratings@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+22.12% revenue per visitor

Tested a new homepage banner layout (problem headline, two CTAs, reviews, guarantee)

HomepageReviews & star ratings@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+8.15% revenue per visitor

Changed homepage CTA copy to 'Shop Now' instead of creative copy

HomepageHeadlines, product titles & copy@DaveDiederen

A

→

B

+72.15% revenue per visitor (+$30,562/month)

Redesigned the homepage hero

HomepageHero & above-the-fold section@DaveDiederen

Losing or flat tests

None of the five lost. Four came from Dave Diederen and one from Oliver Kenyon, so this is a small, mostly single-source sample.

The copy-only variant's smaller lift is the closest thing to a sobering result.

Untested ideas

Most of the 13 ideas swap a slogan for a benefit or outcome headline:

• Dave Diederen suggests testing several copy angles (benefit, problem-aware, outcome, feature) against the control, noting outcome-led, specific copy tends to win.
• Dave Diederen also suggests building hero copy from your best ad angles: the customer's goal as the header, how the product gets them there as the sub-header.
• Another Dave Diederen idea: rewrite the headline to an outcome such as "Ditch Brain Fog. Crush Your Mornings", then test layouts.
• Milos has three hero concepts that replace a slogan or "experience" line with a benefit headline, plus a guarantee near the CTA.
• Kasper Dolk suggests a benefit headline above homepage product sections, with the bestseller first and benefit lines under each title.
• Josh Thompson describes a benefit-first above-the-fold rebuild and claims conversion rate rose from 1.7% to 3.2%, but shows no test data.

Placement and design patterns that won

• A headline that states the customer's goal or problem, with a subheader on how the product solves it.
• Plain CTA copy such as "Shop Now".
• Reviews or a rating next to the headline.

Related tests elsewhere on the store

See homepage hero tests, product page headline tests, landing page headline tests and the full headlines and copy collection.