This document summarizes the results of two A/B tests that compare the effectiveness of long copy versus short copy on conversion rates. The first test found that decreasing the length of copy on landing pages for a psychological evaluation service increased conversion rates up to 25.4%, showing that short copy performed better. However, the second test of a rehabilitation facility's pages found that a longer treatment page increased conversions by 220% compared to a shorter control page. The document concludes that optimal copy length depends on factors like the complexity and cost of the offer as well as the customer's knowledge prior to arriving on the page.

1. Long Copy vs. Short Copy:
How discovering the optimal length of a webpage
produced a 220% increase in conversion
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TODAY’S PRESENTER
Dr. Flint McGlaughlin – Managing Director, MECLABS
Flint McGlaughlin is the Managing Director of MECLABS Group. The
organization has partnered with key market leaders including The
New York Times, Microsoft Corporation, and Reuters Group.
Dr. McGlaughlin also serves as the Director of Enterprise Research at
the Transforming Business Institute, University of Cambridge (UK), as
the Chairman of the Board of Governors for St. Stephen’s University,
and as a Trustee for Westminster Theological Centre. Dr. McGlaughlin
originally studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of
London’s Specialist Jesuit College.
Today, his primary research is focused on enterprise as transformative
agent. His work has won multiple awards and has been quoted in
more than 13,000 online and offline sources.

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EXPERIMENT: BACKGROUND
Background: A company that provides personal psychological evaluations to
curious individuals.
Goal: To increase free assessment sign up rate.
Research Question: Which landing page will result in the highest completed
assessments?
Test Design: A/B Variable cluster test
Experiment ID: TP1001
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: [Protected]
Research Notes:

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EXPERIMENT: RESULTS
16.52% 19.95% 23.14% 25.40%
Conversion increases as page-length decreases
Control T1 T2 T3
54%INCREASE IN CONVERSION

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THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SHORT COPY
Key Principles
1. One of the most effective ways to increase conversion is to decrease friction.
Indeed, our experiments suggest that there is a disproportionately high return
on efforts to reduce friction.
2. Copy-length is often the easiest form of friction to reduce.

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NOT THIS, BUT THIS
Not this But this
43%INCREASE IN CONVERSION

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NOT THIS, BUT THIS
Not this But this
138%INCREASE IN CONVERSION

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NOT THIS, BUT THIS
Not this But this
5%INCREASE IN CONVERSION

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NOT THIS, BUT THIS
Not this
But this
29%INCREASE IN CONVERSION

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However, short copy does not
always outperform long copy….
LONG COPY VS. SHORT COPY

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EXPERIMENT: BACKGROUND
Experiment ID: (Protected)
Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library
Test Protocol Number: TP1662
Background: An addiction and mental health rehabilitation facility.
Goal: Increase the total number of leads captured.
Primary Research Question: Which page will obtain the most form
submissions?
Approach: A/B multi-factor split test
Research Notes:

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EXPERIMENT: CONTROL
• Average short-form page
template with a rotating
banner.
• Call to action is on the right
hand side and above “the
fold”.
Control

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EXPERIMENT: TREATMENT
Treatment - Top

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EXPERIMENT: TREATMENT
Treatment – Middle

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EXPERIMENT: TREATMENT
Treatment – Bottom

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EXPERIMENT: SIDE-BY-SIDE
Treatment
• The treatment is nearly
2x the length of the
control and the call-to-
action is at the bottom
of the page.
Control

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EXPERIMENT: CONTROL
Design Conversion Rate
Control 0.78%
Treatment 2.48%
Relative Difference 220%
220% Increase in Total Conversion
The treatment page increased the rate of conversion by 220%
 What you need to understand: By utilizing a single-column, long-copy
approach, the treatment better guides the prospect’s thought process and
generates 220% more leads online.

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WHY THE DIFFERENT RESPONSES?
Short Copy Wins Long Copy Wins
Why did short copy win
in one test and long copy
in another?

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LONG COPY VS. SHORT COPY
Key Principles
1. One of the most effective ways to increase conversion is to decrease
friction. Indeed, our experiments suggest there is a disproportionately high
return on efforts to reduce friction. Copy-length is often the easiest form of
friction to reduce.
2. However, friction does not exist on the page, it exists in the mind of your
customer. The goal of the marketer is not simply to decrease page length,
but rather mental effort.
3. Many times, adding copy to a page is required to guide the visitor’s thought
sequence to a purchase decision. In fact, our testing suggests a direct
relationship between the cost/complexity of an offer and the amount of
information that is required to achieve a conversion.

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Copy Length FactorMatrix
NatureofOffer
Cost
Low commitment
Low anxiety
Simple
ImpulsePurchase
High commitment
High anxiety
Complex
RequiresAnalysis
Lawyer
Insurance
Policy
Medical
House
Wedding
Photographer
Music CD
Surveys
Charitable
Donation
Short Copy
Works Better
Long Copy
Works Better
Free
Trials
Short Copy Wins
Long Copy Wins

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OPTIMAL COPY LENGTH CHECKLIST
What is the nature of your product? Is it a “high-cost” or a “high-anxiety” product?
Or does your offer require little commitment on the part of the customer?
How complex is your product? Does it require much explanation? Or is it grasped
quickly with little explanation?
How much does your visitor know prior to arriving on your web page? Is this their
first exposure? Or are they coming in from a channel in which they were already sold
on the offer?
Does all the copy either express or support the value proposition? If not, it is waste
and can be eliminated.
Can the layout of the page be adjusted so that the most essential information is in a
vertically-flowing main column and all supporting (unnecessary) copy is in a
secondary column?

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Live Optimization
Walmart
Primary Objective(s):
To drive sales of consumer
electronics
Page URL:
http://bit.ly/9skvmT

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Live Optimization Wharton at UPenn
Primary Objective(s):
To sign up for an online
event
Page URL:
http://bit.ly/15pnhkz

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