Long vs. Short Landing Page test

by 13 replies
16
Hi all,

I'm sure some of you have already seen this, but I think it's interesting to mention it here.

A test published on WhichTestWon put a short landing page against a long one. Both versions had identical tops, but one went into more details about the product and had multiple calls to action.

I don't want to open another debate of short versus long copy, because I know it's been covered many many times before in this forum, but I found it interesting that this time the short landing page converted better.

Here's the test if you want to check it out.

Very Long vs. Short Landing Page

Cheers
#copywriting #copy #landing #long #page #short
  • I always enjoy the tests/findings on that site... but this one was easy to guess.

    Shorter squeeze pages frequently convert better than longer squeezes.

    In other words, good info, but not that surprising.

    Brian <- guesses wrong too often for his comfort on that site.
  • I know for a fact that a shorter one converts. We did a lot of testing on our product pages and we got so many calls when we had it short and to the point. The second we actually started adding onto it like more text and graphics we noticed the calls stopped coming in.

    Thanks for sharing those test results and cheers for the website
    • [1] reply
    • Something Jennie Heckel posted here a couple of days ago rings true in this situation...She mentioned that a lot of times the boxes, arrows and highlighted JPEG headlines get in the way of copy and interrupt the flow that the writer intended.

      And I think sometimes otherwise effective long form landing pages suffer from poor execution that can kill conversions regardless of copy.

      When a client gets their long form sales copy, I think it's easy for them to say "Brilliant! Now I have to make my page look just like all those other WSOs and squeeze pages and add tons of arrows and boxes!" And without realizing how important the flow of the copy is, start adding things willy-nilly throughout the page and kill the effectiveness of the copy.

      So you have what would otherwise be a highly converting page being zapped by tons of garbage that kills the conversions....And when placed against a short form lander that has no real room for all those distractions, it could be misleading...that the form isn't the culprit, but the sloppy execution...

      How many pros around the forum get highly involved in the design and content-layout of their client's landing pages? Do you approach a project strictly from a copy standpoint, or do you take command of the entire presentation of your message?
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • I'm with Brian on this one. Too easy.
    • [1] reply
    • I would chose a short landing page because I want them to be intrigued and put their contact info for more free info. If i put too much into a landing page it might give to much info out and turn the visitor away with out putting in their contact info.
  • Number two is way too long, best squeeze pages usually have everything above the fold.
  • The real question is, WHY do shorter pages convert better? Impulse and curiosity, perhaps?

    In the case of the WhichTestWon example, it seems the shorter page would leave unanswered questions and foster impulse sign-ups, while the longer page answers paractically everything and semi-interested readers would get tired of reading or distracted by something else, and leave before signing up.

    Perhaps the longer page better qualifies the leads they do get, but at the sacrifice of other potential impulse leads?
  • It's easy to say after you've seen the results that
    you could have guessed the results, but this one
    is really easy to analyze.

    The long copy is not copy at all but just a list
    of features and the layout makes the "copy"
    disjointed and distracting. It seems from the
    layout that the different sections have nothing
    to do with the optin at the top.

    I would not call this a fair test of long vs. short, because
    the long was just long, not persuasive.

    -Ray Edwards
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Shorter pages give you less of a reason to 'not buy' the product. The more you read the more of a chance something could be said which the visitor doesn't like. As long as the key areas are there then you'l convert best.
  • Front end conversion is only one part of the machine. Do they buy and do they buy again and again is the real way to have a business. Ask yourself am I maximizing lifetime value with this squeeze page? Then you've got a long term business not just an expensive to feed marketing front end.
  • This isn't always true, but for the most part people want to see short copy when they're getting something for free, and long copy when you're asking them for money. Essentially, if you're giving away a free trial or report, they're already excited about the gift and are good to go after a quick rehash of benefits. If you have even half-decent content it's a no-brainer. But spending cash involves more second-guessing, so you need to provide more proof (reasons for them to buy) and answer more questions before they're convinced your product is worth it.
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