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> In comparison tests, longer copy almost always wins. Really? I'd love to see A/B results somewhere of this, as it doesn't agree with my experience. Maybe it

> In comparison tests, longer copy almost always wins. Really? I'd love to see A/B results somewhere of this, as it doesn't agree with my experience. Maybe it depends on industry. Or, maybe sufficiently good copy beats out shorter designs, but most people just can't generate that kind of copy. (Though it sounds like we're getting to a New True Scotsman a bit.) When my start-up did an A/B test of our homepage, we found less content won out. Also 37 signals did their series on optimization, and had strong results[1] that shorter beat out long form, too. [1] http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2991-behind-the-scenes-ab-testing-part-3-final http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2991-behind-the-scenes-ab-tes...

jcampbell1 14y ago
With a freemium product, I think the short vs long copy really depends. For my product, the average time between first visit and a sale is 5 months. Unless you run the tests for a year, it is difficult to determine which version effects the most revenue/profits. My rule of thumb is that if you have a very solid on-boarding process, then short copy and a giant signup button will likely work well (Dropbox, 37Signals, etc). They transition the prospective customer from mildly interested to an active user via the app itself. If it is not, then longer copy on the homepage to prime the customer for why they need your product makes more sense. When A/B testing, it is important that you are optimizing for active users, not just trying to maximize the number of rows in the user tables. When I run A/B tests, the units are dollars, not percent. It means the tests have to be run for a really long time, but it is common that what is best for revenue, is not always what creates the most button clicks, or the most rows in a database table.
thornofmight 14y ago
"According to Bob, short copy performs better when there is low perceived risk, low cost, and low commitment. Also, when the customer has an emotional, impulsive, and “want-oriented” motivation. In other words, if you’re looking to write high-impact copy for concert tickets, designer shoes, or mp3 players…keep it short. Bob states that long copy is the better performer when there is a rational, analytical, need-oriented motivation. Think consumer insurance products or many complex B2B offerings." http://conversionxl.com/4-cases-where-short-home-pages-outperformed-long-home-pages/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConversionXL+%28ConversionXL%29 http://conversionxl.com/4-cases-where-short-home-pages-outpe...

jcampbell1 14y ago

With a freemium product, I think the short vs long copy really depends. For my product, the average time between first visit and a sale is 5 months. Unless you run the tests for a year, it is difficult to determine which version effects the most revenue/profits. My rule of thumb is that if you have a very solid on-boarding process, then short copy and a giant signup button will likely work well (Dropbox, 37Signals, etc). They transition the prospective customer from mildly interested to an active user via the app itself. If it is not, then longer copy on the homepage to prime the customer for why they need your product makes more sense. When A/B testing, it is important that you are optimizing for active users, not just trying to maximize the number of rows in the user tables. When I run A/B tests, the units are dollars, not percent. It means the tests have to be run for a really long time, but it is common that what is best for revenue, is not always what creates the most button clicks, or the most rows in a database table.

thornofmight 14y ago

"According to Bob, short copy performs better when there is low perceived risk, low cost, and low commitment. Also, when the customer has an emotional, impulsive, and “want-oriented” motivation. In other words, if you’re looking to write high-impact copy for concert tickets, designer shoes, or mp3 players…keep it short. Bob states that long copy is the better performer when there is a rational, analytical, need-oriented motivation. Think consumer insurance products or many complex B2B offerings." http://conversionxl.com/4-cases-where-short-home-pages-outperformed-long-home-pages/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConversionXL+%28ConversionXL%29 http://conversionxl.com/4-cases-where-short-home-pages-outpe...