21 July 2009
How to Increase Sign-ups by 200%
When I had coffee with Jason Fried of 37signals after FOWA Miami, I asked him if he had learned anything about A/B testing that they hadn’t blogged about. And wow, did he have an amazing little tip to share …
Four Amazing Words
He said that they tested various phrases on the Highrise homepage for the call-to-action button. They originally had used various permutations of “Free Trial” and “Sign-up for Free Trial”. Then they tested the phrase:
“See Plans and Pricing”
This resulted in a 200% increase in sign-ups. That’s right. 200%.
He believes it’s because people are afraid if they click a link that says “Free Trial” then they’ll somehow automatically signup for something and be trapped. However, “See Plans and Pricing” encouraged them to explore, without the fear of commitment.
If that isn’t a case for conducting A/B Testing, then I don’t know what is.
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jonasmaaloe
# July 21, 2009 - 8:58 am
I’m nicking this. Thanks for the tip.
Simon Bennett
# July 21, 2009 - 9:10 am
Small but very useful post
Adam Fellowes
# July 21, 2009 - 9:16 am
Are we not talking here about basic marketing and sales promotion techniques – it’s one thing that’s still lacking online for both web sites and applications. Sadly we seem to focus on new visual styles and techniques rather than focusing on the core concept of delivering content and services to readers and users.
This should prove the case to any business owner when considering employing a copywriter empowered to create engaging content for your website or application.
Ryan Carson
# July 21, 2009 - 9:47 am
True Adam – this is probably ‘Marketing 101′, but it’s often overlooked in web copy. The common practice was to use the text “Free Trial”.
eraevion
# July 21, 2009 - 10:45 am
Exactly! While I’m looking at anything containing word ‘free’ and ‘trial’ it always brings up spamming/registering to mind. But kind, and not commiting ’see plans and pricing’ completely changes UX of this solution. Great stuff indeed.
Nick Lindwall (Coolbox)
# July 21, 2009 - 10:49 am
Great point, will try this for our forthcoming app.
Maleika E. Attawel
# July 21, 2009 - 11:19 am
This is very interesting. I observed that when I browse through a commercial product site that have a “Sign up, it’s free” or “Try Our Free Trial” kind of call-to-action links, I usually hesitate for a moment, whether I really want to commit. Usually, that’s because most sites offer these links without presenting additional information on the product above that link, usually the features, benefits and whatnots can be found on the side or via a different page, which is cumbersome, given a user’s short attention span.
With the way described above, I’m not given the impression that I have no options to inform myself before committing, but I’m asked to further inform myself. I think that is a significant part in the whole psychological process.
Great article!
dustin curtis
# July 21, 2009 - 11:41 am
I had similar results by changing the phrasing of a message at the bottom of my blog posts:
http://dustincurtis.com/you_should_follow_me_on_twitter.html
Ryan Carson
# July 21, 2009 - 12:13 pm
I tweeted about your post yesterday :) http://twitter.com/ryancarson/status/2737088657
Nixar
# July 21, 2009 - 12:17 pm
It would have been nice to spend 5 words explaining what “A-B testing” means, because it’s not explained anywhere in this post or in the links (including the one title “A-B testing”) AFAICT.
Steven Nash
# July 21, 2009 - 1:05 pm
An interesting finding and a great example of the way a/b testing can give you a constant stream of incremental improvements to drive conversion rates up (be it sign ups or purchases). Google’s Website Optimizer has helped me make significant improvements to sites I’ve worked on, both in volume of leads and online purchases. Just by a/b testing – either through 2 totally different versions of the same page or with more subtle changes of 1 page with a multivariate experiment (like swapping buttons etc) – more info here – http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer
In this case I wonder whether a user would like to know the prices before the start any kind of free trial because a trial would be a waste of time if it was significantly more expensive than someones budget, so a clear call to action inviting a user to see the prices and then sign up for a free trial seems to make sense.
The comment that using the term ‘FREE’ could have psychologically negative effects by associating with spammy e-marketing practices is a very good point. Good blog post.
Stefan
# July 21, 2009 - 3:20 pm
Interesting to see how important a small change can be. I guess I’ll never use “free trial” again.
Aleksandar
# July 21, 2009 - 4:06 pm
Thanks for the tip :)
furiousBlog – in my diatribe » Blog Archive » friggin’
# July 21, 2009 - 4:23 pm
[...] How to Increase Sign-ups by 200% [...]
Kristof
# July 21, 2009 - 4:27 pm
I’m curious to know what kind of conversion increase they experienced once a person clicked-through.
Kris Colvin
# July 21, 2009 - 11:51 pm
Michael, I’m glad you saw this post because I was about to send it to you. :-)
Great little nugget of info for those of us with webapps. Thanks a bunch!
Stormy (storming) 's status on Tuesday, 21-Jul-09 16:59:12 UTC - Identi.ca
# July 21, 2009 - 4:59 pm
[...] http://carsonified.com/blog/business/how-to-increase-sign-ups-by-200-percent/ [...]
Jason Brooks (jasonbrooks) 's status on Tuesday, 21-Jul-09 17:44:44 UTC - Identi.ca
# July 21, 2009 - 5:44 pm
[...] http://carsonified.com/blog/business/how-to-increase-sign-ups-by-200-percent/ [...]
links for 2009-07-21 « Giri’s Blogmarks
# July 21, 2009 - 6:02 pm
[...] Carsonified » How to Increase Sign-ups by 200% (tags: tips howto webdesign usability) [...]
Micah Slavens
# July 21, 2009 - 7:30 pm
this is really interesting… part of the reason we offer a free trial with one of our subscription services is the fact that products like Basecamp have really paved the way. it’s surprising to find out that one of the key principals in their book may actually deter potential customers if the concept isn’t communicated properly.
very helpful. thanks!
Brandan
# July 21, 2009 - 9:21 pm
This post is spot on – it’s something we know, but at the same time it’s amazing and somewhat perplexing how many companies still only have the “free-trial” as a sign-up, or main sign-up option.
In addition to making potential customers feel like they will be locked in, my experience is that it removes perceived control from the customer. Most people like the feeling of being able to browse the various plan options and then decide for themselves which one they want to pick. By forcing customers to sign-up for the “free trial”, you are essentially giving them a diminished feeling of control. They are not sure which plan option the “free trial” will get them, how much effort it will take to convert to a fully functioning. This is not good in 2009…
Loris
# July 21, 2009 - 9:50 pm
Interesting, but would be way better with some scale of values. 200% means nothing, does the change increased daily signups from 2 to 6?
Lisa
# July 21, 2009 - 10:38 pm
Makes sense.
With all the aggressive marketing found on the net, subtlety can go a long way.
Real buyers aren’t looking for gimmicks.
Chris Barber
# July 21, 2009 - 10:45 pm
Great Post. I think that as well as taking away the potential misconception that a free trial might automatically sign you up and trap you, the words “See Plans and Pricing”, actually do more than meets the eye:
Recently there has been a lot of talk about how we as an industry can undervalue ourselves / we create services and then give them away for free and in fact Jason’s post on “make money off your by-products” shows that really, we should not be afraid to charge for our products and services.
By changing the wording from “free trial” to “see plans and pricing”, you’re automatically cutting to the chase without the messing around and marketing fads of “free trials”. This in turn raises the customers expectations that you are an honest company providing a decent service for a price. Which, gives you a better conversion rate on sign ups.
great
# July 22, 2009 - 12:00 am
Thanks for sharing this insight.
By “200% increase in sign ups”, do you mean that sign-ups increased by 200% (i.e. tripled) or that they increased _to_ 200% of their prior count (i.e. doubled, 100% increase)? Either way, that’s powerful stuff.
links for 2009-07-22 :: User First Web
# July 22, 2009 - 9:09 am
[...] Carsonified » How to Increase Sign-ups by 200% (tags: 37signals analytics abtesting conversion) [...]
Four short links: 22 July 2009 | Tech-monkey.info Blogs
# July 22, 2009 - 12:21 pm
[...] How to Increase Sign-ups By 200% — A/B testing from 37Signals showed that “See Plans and Pricing” got twice the clickthroughs of “Free Trial!” and variations thereon. (via kathysierra on Twitter) [...]
interneta reklāmas aģentūras KOSMODROMS blogs » Pareizi izvēlēts nosaukums=200% efektivitāte
# July 22, 2009 - 2:05 pm
[...] Vairāk par to… [...]
Jessica
# July 22, 2009 - 2:14 pm
Definitely agreed 100%, Honesty is the best policy indeed.
josephspark107
# July 22, 2009 - 2:55 pm
Thank you for the info.I think another way to increase sign up is to make your site more popular is by posting in various high ranking site.
Adelle Charles
# July 22, 2009 - 3:54 pm
So simple, great tip!
“See Pricing”, Your Marketing Tip Of The Week! ~ Mattias Geniar
# July 22, 2009 - 4:35 pm
[...] Now this is interesting. He said that they tested various phrases on the Highrise homepage for the call-to-action button. They originally had used various permutations of “Free Trial” and “Sign-up for Free Trial”. Then they tested the phrase: “See Plans and Pricing”. This resulted in a 200% increase in sign-ups. That’s right. 200%. [...]
Andrew Hyde
# July 22, 2009 - 4:57 pm
I’m always amazed by the power and importance of web copy.
Dave Bowers
# July 22, 2009 - 5:46 pm
Interesting post. More fuel for the argument that there are no silver bullets when it comes to web design. Everything is context-specific and requires a good deal of thought.
How to Increase signups by 200% What?????
# July 22, 2009 - 6:56 pm
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beskinnyasap
# July 22, 2009 - 11:10 pm
This article simple but I thinks it helps a lot. Especially when it comes to buying some Diet plan, Diet pills, you have to test it first before availing the product, co’z it should be proven safe and effective.
Thanks a lot! :)
BlogLESS : Four Design Links: July 23, 2009
# July 23, 2009 - 10:41 am
[...] user testing, 37signals found that a call-to-action button with the copy “See Plans and Pricing” resulted in a 200% [...]
Federica Cau
# July 23, 2009 - 12:49 pm
Great tip !
This is an example of how theory is usually beaten by on-field practical testing.
Thank you for sharing this small but powerful piece of experience.
David Kendall
# July 23, 2009 - 1:24 pm
The word ‘free’ does seem to put some people off, I tried with quite a bit of success a few years ago a call to action with the words ‘click here to try our system with absolutely no obligation’ :o)
Bit of a mouthful but the button stood out and was much more successful than ‘free trial’.
David
# July 23, 2009 - 1:35 pm
This is a simple but great tip for increasing sign-ups. I have a few projects that I’m going to try it out on!
tomo
# July 23, 2009 - 1:54 pm
Hm, I am kind of joking, but, 200% is such a rooound number, it implies they had an increase from 1 new customer to 2 of them.
:))
Still a very usefull tip.
:)
Ben
# July 23, 2009 - 2:12 pm
A jump from 1 signup a day to 2 is significant.
James
# July 27, 2009 - 4:32 pm
I’ve never quite got the “increased X%” thing either…
My confusion stems more out of:
If it increased BY 200% wouldn’t that mean they went from 1 to 3 signups? (200% being 2, 1+2=3).
Sign-ups Increased by 200% - Real Example | Proimpact7.com E-commerce Blog
# July 23, 2009 - 2:04 pm
[...] have found this very useful post from carsonified.com about how highrise.com increase their sign ups by 200% by doing A/B or multivariate testing. This [...]
CatalinB
# July 23, 2009 - 2:13 pm
These guys must have read this: http://siteremark.com/.
But on their website it’s sort of deceiving because you click and you don’t see pricing.
So if you use this advice make sure the button does what the label says..
Augmenter son taux de conversion, assurément, mais comment ne pas en faire trop ? | Marketing, pensées et autres tergiversations
# July 23, 2009 - 3:11 pm
[...] exemple pertinent décrit ici. Souhaitant travailler l’augmentation du nombre d’inscrits pour son logiciel, [...]
See Plans and Pricing | Midas Oracle .NET
# July 23, 2009 - 6:20 pm
[...] See Plans and Pricing Written by Chris F. Masse on July 23, 2009 — Leave a Comment “This resulted in a 200% increase in sign-ups.” [...]
Eclecti.ca » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for Jul 14th through Jul 23rd
# July 23, 2009 - 6:22 pm
[...] Carsonified » How to Increase Sign-ups by 200% – When I had coffee with Jason Fried of 37signals after FOWA Miami, I asked him if he had learned anything about A/B testing that they hadn’t blogged about. And wow, did he have an amazing little tip to share … [...]
J.D.
# July 23, 2009 - 7:28 pm
Honestly calling something what it is, instead of trying to force a “call to action” through carefully crafted nonsense phrases? That could get you kicked out of most marketing associations.
Ryan Carson
# July 23, 2009 - 8:22 pm
I’d hardly call “See Plans and Pricing” a crafted nonsense phrase, as it’s exactly what you do when you click the button.
And also, who cares about being part of marketing associations? Most of them are full of folks who still think banner ads are the answer to online marketing.
Benjamin Fleischer » Blog Archive » How to Increase Web Site Sign-ups by 200%
# July 23, 2009 - 8:15 pm
[...] via Carsonified » How to Increase Sign-ups by 200%. [...]
Frambly
# July 24, 2009 - 10:10 am
People seem genuinely amazed that a person who comes to a website might be interested in actual information rather than in being pushed to sign up for something. Speaking as a consumer, I actually want to know what it is you are trying to sell me. If you skimp on the information, try to dazzle me with marketing, and surround me with big buttons saying “Click Here!”, I take that as a sure sign there is nothing worth sticking around for.
Ryan Carson
# July 24, 2009 - 5:43 pm
Hear hear! That’s a great way to put it :)
Why conversion rate uplift percentages can be confusing- 90 Percent of Everything
# July 24, 2009 - 10:31 am
[...] look at an example: 37signals reportedly achieved a 200% uplift in an A/B test on Highrise registrations when they tested a call-to-action that read “Sign up for a Free Trial” against an [...]
The effect of wording on click-through rates
# July 25, 2009 - 2:13 am
[...] This is another great example of how subtle changes in grammar or how a phrase is built, will get you much more success Carsonified How to Increase Sign-ups by 200% [...]
S.Pradeep Kumar
# July 25, 2009 - 2:29 am
Really nice article ! Gonna check and retweet it ! :)
Wizard
# July 25, 2009 - 12:46 pm
Concise and informative article, and very helpful to us folks with no marketing background. I’m one of those who don’t click on anything tagged with “Free” online because I have a bad experience with them — spam galore.
Toni Anicic
# July 25, 2009 - 4:31 pm
Bookmarked this :) I love to see practical examples of how split testing improved sales.
dave
# July 26, 2009 - 11:15 pm
Wow, I will try doing how to get that thing going on in my coupon code website.
links for 2009-07-26
# July 27, 2009 - 12:06 am
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Carsonified » How to do A/B Testing in WordPress
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# July 27, 2009 - 3:40 pm
I liked it, interesting though small article.
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# July 27, 2009 - 9:31 pm
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How to do A/B Testing in WordPress - Programming Blog
# July 28, 2009 - 12:07 am
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How to do A/B Testing in WordPress | Bookmarks
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Gema
# July 28, 2009 - 9:36 pm
I think this is really important. It’s about letting the user do what THEY WANT to do, instead of trying to make the user do what YOU WANT them to do.
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# July 29, 2009 - 3:22 pm
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Interaction » Useful post by Ryan Carson about A/B Testing
# August 3, 2009 - 5:38 pm
[...] See how 37 Signals puts A/B testing to the works here. [...]
The Little English Lesson That Boosted Sales by 200% « { 3i }
# August 5, 2009 - 11:30 am
[...] What if changing a few words on your website could increase your conversion rate by 200%? It happened to software company 37signals, and you can read the (short) story here. [...]
elliot jalley
# August 5, 2009 - 3:52 pm
Thanks for sharing. I can see how this might work in that the user still feels they have a choice after clicking. Its about being perceived as more honest and less pushy (regardless of the reality). Gonna give this a whirl and see what happens..
My daily readings 08/12/2009 « Strange Kite
# August 12, 2009 - 11:37 am
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¿Qué son las Pruebas A/B y para qué sirven?
# August 13, 2009 - 1:12 pm
[...] caso más reciente que leí mientras realizaba esta serie de artículos fue de las pruebas que hizo 37signals con el sitio de uno de sus productos llamado Highrise, ellos ganan de las mensualidades que los [...]
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# August 21, 2009 - 5:46 am
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Är det inte dags att begrava Webbprojektet? • t/r
# August 21, 2009 - 12:42 pm
[...] som skapat det oerhört populära projektplatsen basecamp, genomförde A/B-testning på en knapp till sign-up-formuläret. En justering på fyra ord från “Sign-up for Free Trial” till “See Plans and [...]
Loïc d'Anterroches
# August 25, 2009 - 12:09 pm
I did the same test with the links “Free Hosting” against “See Plans & Pricing” and got a 50% boost!
http://www.ceondo.com/ecte/2009/08/ab-testing-boost-conversion
Thanks a lot for reporting this formulation!
Joe Feinhandler
# September 4, 2009 - 5:07 pm
Thanks for the post. It seems so simple I dont know why I didn’t think of it. Whenever I see some “30 day Free Trial” offer I know that I will be slapped with Buy Now offers for the next 30 days.
Boy73
# October 22, 2009 - 10:53 am
In short, we find that coercion, in money as in other matters, brings, not order, but conflict and chaos. ,
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# October 26, 2009 - 9:40 am
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