When testing a series of pages to see if the removal of a photo of the author would impact conversion rates, we found that it did not, in every case except one.
Our research partner for this test offers a series of self-help programs for people looking to improve various aspects of their lives.
On the offer pages for 10 separate programs we had a photo of the author featured on the first screen, at the beginning of the text. We assumed that the inclusion of the photo would add a more personal feel to the page, lift confidence and increase conversion rates.
To test this assumption, we ran an A/B Split Test. One version of the pages included the photo, the other version did not.
With nine out of 10 pages, the removal of the photo made no significant difference to conversion rates.
However, on one page, the removal of the photo actually lifted conversion to sales by a surprising 39 percent.
Here are the results:
How can one explain that out of 10 pages, only this one performed so much better without the photo?
Perhaps it was the topic of the program being sold. The other nine pages covered self-help issues such as confidence building, smoking cessation and increasing self-esteem.
This page was on the topic of shyness.
For now, it appears that the topic itself -- shyness -- was responsible for the difference in results.
With a difference in results as significant as this, we will now create another test to confirm that it was the subject of the page itself that was responsible.
If this proves to be the case, it will provide a strong incentive for marketers to look carefully at their optimized offer and landing pages.
You'll find a full archive of our test results, and analysis within the MarketingExperiments.com Research Archives. The Marketing Experiments Journal publishes primary test results from work with our research partners once every two weeks. Subscription to the Journal is free and gives you full access to both our archives and teleconference calls. Subscribe here.
