Navigation Bar Copy Test
| VERSION B | |
How site visitors voted:
VERSION A (26%)
VERSION B (74%)
|
Actual Test Results:
Version B’s “Online Training” wording increased clickthroughs from the support page to the webinar page 10.4%. More importantly, webinar attendees doubled the first week the winning navigation link went live. MailChimp, an email marketing company, conducted the A/B test on its support page navigation bar in-house using Google Website Optimizer. Worth noting: The team also ran A/B tests replacing “Webinars” with “Live Training” and “MailChimp Training.” In both cases, the word “Webinars” lost! Obviously, although all these words could be used to describe the same thing, certain words resonated better with the audience. Have you considered testing the wording of your navigation bar lately? It’s probably better than decisions by HIPPO, committee, or your gut! Sponsor Message: Click here to apply for your FREE landing page evaluation from WhichTestWon’s sponsor WiderFunnel. Takes 20 seconds! |
Yeeeeeeaaay! I finally got one right!!
Glad to get this one right after the last one, which in hindsight I should have guessed correctly if I was in the printing business. This one was easy, it’s like the difference between FAQ and HELP.
Oh, Snap! I went against my own opinion and tried to guess what “regular” people would do. Got it wrong. That makes me 47 for 49. GREAT TEST!
Now here’s my comment. I wonder if the test is done with computer newbies and then done with people who know that webinar means online training, will it get the same result?
Wow – version b – interesting !! thanks
My 2 cents: Avoid jargon wherever possible, even if it seem obvious and common…
This seems to fall under the category “avoid jargon.”
I like plain language.
Co-sign @ Ken Ryan..
Wonder if the blog-owner tested her webinars-link as well?
It depends on the target audience. Although I take advantage of webinars quite often many of my friends think they’re a bit ‘techie’.
I’m with Ken on this one, the term “webinar” may be a bit esoteric for many users.
Interesting!
@Ken – Sometimes the trick is understand when something is jargon and when it isn’t
If your users have considerable domain expertise, wouldn’t you want to use the jargon specific to their domain? If this were a site for scheduling webinars, perhaps “webinar” would have been appropriate.
“Webinars” are quite often marketing ploys. For people who want training, clearly the word “training” is a better cue.
Webinar also (sometimes) implies a clunky, barrier laden process that results in a not-so-subtle sales pitch as the underlying theme.
As a MailChimp user, I’m impressed. (And, their trainings are pretty good for the intended audience).
I got it right– but that’s after the fact. Thinking “what if”, in advance, is key (for me). Great Job Anne!
Bah. I thought people might have been put off by online training thinking it would be more of an investment than webinars. I’m constantly reminded by these that unless I’m the audience I often won’t be able to pick which one will work, and you must do testing testing testing!
Hi Anne!
What a great, “subtle” test.
Here’s my take: coming from the SUPPORT page, “Online Training” seems to be more aligned in purpose with someone needing SUPPORT, whereas “Webinars” sounds unrelated to a support issue and therefore seems to not further the purpose of someone who needed to come to a SUPPORT page in the first place.
In other words, “Damn! I’m having a problem with this Chimpy thing… let’s click on the SUPPORT tab and see if it will help.”
And once there…
“ARGH… this page doesn’t help! Maybe I need to learn more about how this ape works… perhaps this ONLINE TRAINING link will help.”
(Whereas the WEBINARS link sounds like its page might discuss something totally unrelated, e.g.: marketing, conversions, who the heck knows what else, etc.).
Make sense?
Keep ‘em coming, Anne!
Success!
Drew Eric Whitman, D.R.S.
Direct Response Surgeon(tm)
I really like the info on tests, but I have mixed feelings about the quiz thing — i.e., guessing at the results ahead of time.
The reason we do tests is because even experienced marketers can’t guess what will work. Our instincts are very often wrong. Customer behavior is surprising and odd and quirky.
But perhaps the test is a good way to get that point across.
Although one should always test, of course, I do think we can learn something general from this. Webinar is a techie word and if your audience is not principally techie one should always speak “plain English” In other words (Plagiated) Don’t make me think. Webinar makes me think, online training doesnt
Drew nailed it!
Everytime I see the word “Webinar” I think of a long and boring VP-level meeting being recorded and later put on the website to put users to sleep. Most of the webinars I watched actually felt like this. On the other hand. “Online Training” feels like a structured online class where experts will show me something new and useful.
Got this right
I went for ‘online training’ as it felt closer to explaining the benefit. Training = get knowledge. Whereas webinar doesn’t have the same get knowledge perception – too many people running sales based lead webinars.
‘Online’ is also good as gives feeling simple, fast, available.
“Online training” conveys user benefit. “Webinar” suggests added effort. Labels and tabs need to quickly and intuitively communicate what the user wins by clicking on them.
Good test,
I come up against this sort of thing all the time during MVT tests. First of all, using customer facing language is paramount – FAQ/HELP is a great example. We also find that goal oriented works better than click oriented – for example, Sign up for training vs. Register. If you put yourself in the mind of the visitor and work out some good solid goal/reward/task completion oriented words, these work much better. For example, on our site right now, ‘Fix my glass’ kicks butt in MVT tests over things like ‘Book online’ and ‘Book appointment’ etc. etc.
It looked as though B was clearer and that’s the reason it became my choice. I didn’t even read it over.
Hi Anne,
did you consider changing your own ‘Webinars’ navigation link?
Yeah, now I’m definitely considering changing our “webinar” link! First I’m gonna upgrade that site section for usability a little and then change it in a week or two.
Woohoo! Three for three! I think people think of webinars as someone trying to sell them something, but online training sounds like it has intrinsic value…we all want a leg up on our competition!
@Anne – Do not change your webinar link just because of this result. You have a completely (!) different audience. But you could test it very easily. I would be happy to assist you. A test like this is set up in some minutes! Just drop me a line.
Well, I’d test it first
I think this makes a great deal of sense in context. In a “support” environment, my needs center much more strongly around training then webinars. I wonder about a B2B prospect context? I’m not sure webinar is the best but it is clearly part of the lexicon, maybe others would be more compelling like “online seminar” or “online event” – ideas?
I picked ‘option B’ based upon terminology. As web professionals, we get wrapped up in eLanguage and buzz terms and many forget that most people out there think we are talking alien sometimes. A webinar means something to us, but online training means something to the wider audience so I would personally use wording that hits a wider mark.
Nice site you’ve got here, I love reading about others that are dedicated to split testing. Keep up the great work Anne!
My first question was ‘Whats Webinar’, great name, but too ambiguous from the start..:P
There is a reason for the choice of word “Online Training” – Cognitive Fluency
Cognitive fluency which is simply a measure of how easy it is to think about something.
People prefer things that are easy to think about to those that are hard.
According to psychologists, Cognitive fluency serves as a short cut in a world where lots of things fighting for our attention and we have to quickly sort out which are worth checking out.
In designing for the online world, words that well received or easily understood are the winner
Other things being equal, things that easier to mentally process tend to be more well received.
I hate the “word” webinar. It makes me itchy. Even typing it bugs the heck out of me. I’m glad it lost