Application Deadline
Based on testing, it's good to reference specific, approaching application deadlines.
Background Issue
The Academy section of the website does not prominently display the application deadline. Perhaps, web visitors are unaware of the deadline and/or referencing the deadline will instill a sense of urgency that will result in more conversions.
Deadline Test
Test a variation where the application deadline is listed.
Form Variations
We tested two variations against each other.
Links without application deadline
Links with application deadline
Test 1: December - January
We ran a split test where users were randomly served one of two versions. The new variation added the application deadline in the link for How To Apply. This test was run for one month Mid-December to Mid-January and had 1,500 experiment sessions.
Results
| Version | Page How To Apply Click Rate | Page Apply Click Rate | User Click to Apply Conversion Rate | Page Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 4.76% | 3.33% | 4.87% | .07 |
| Deadline | 4.36% | 4.08% | 5.96% | .09 |
People were less likely to click the how to apply link when it had a deadline. However, when they visited a page with that content, they were more likely to click on the apply link on that page as well as click to application. This led to a higher page value.
Test 2: October - November
We repeated the test October 11 - November 15 with 1721 sessions.
Results
| Version | Next Page: Apply To Academy | Next Page: Apply Now | User Click to Apply Conversion Rate | Page Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 13.20% | 1.03% | 4.50% | .10 |
| Deadline | 12.21% | 2.11% | 3.95% | .09 |
Similar to the previous experiment, people were less likely to click the how to apply link when it had a deadline. However, when they visited a page with that content, they were more likely to click on the apply link on that page as well as click to application. However, running in October and November led to a lower page value.
Test 3: November - December
We repeated the test November 16 - December 14 with 940 sessions.
Results
| Version | Next Page: Apply To Academy | Next Page: Apply Now | Next Page: How To Apply | Page Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 10.46% | 1.63% | 1.63% | .06 |
| Deadline | 14.54% | 1.06% | 0.71% | .08 |
Similar to the previous experiment, people were less likely to click the how to apply link when it had a deadline. However, when they visited a page with that content, they were more likely to click on the apply link on that page as well as click to application. This led to an overall increase in conversions.
Recommendations
- Include deadlines in the copy when there are specific, upcoming deadlines.
- Place prominent deadline reminders 1 - 2 months prior to deadline. Prior to two months, deadlines should be clear and easily findable but if too prominent could reduce near-term conversions.
- Continue to test placement and design of these deadlines.
- Create a test plan for upcoming deadlines, include when the test is launched and what we are testing.