MindValley Labs Internet Marketing Blog

Illustrating The Power of Small Tweaks

How One Tiny Change Boosted Our Click-Through-Rate by 180%

As you well know by now, our Chain Reaction Marketing philosophy is rooted in rapid test and optimization. Once we find some sure fire tweaks that work over and over, we love to share them with our readers to help you become more successful.

Today, I wanted to share one tiny tweak with you that boosted the performance of one of our major Google campaigns by 180%. When you see it, you will say, what, that’s it? The answer is yes! That’s all it took to get a HUGE performance boost. See, the secret to making money online is not working harder, it is working smarter by knowing what works and what does not and rapidly testing your way to become incredibly successful.

Still can’t see the change? Hint: I said “This Changes Everything.” See, we changed “Changes” to “Change” and that tiny change alone resulted in a 180% increase in the Click-Through-Rate.

Here’s why “Change” and “Changes” can cause such a big conversion difference

The word “changes” insinuates AUTOMATIC change. The word “change” implies the act of doing something yourself. For example, if you were advertising a tool for cleaning for your dog:

“Dog-Clean-O-Matic Washes Your Dog Spotless”

Makes the reader see the machine as an automatic tool. Toss your dog into it and voila - the animal’s now spotless. You don’t have to do any dirty work.
On the other hand:

“Dog-Clean-O-Matic: Wash Your Dog Spotless”

Makes it seem like the machine requires YOU to do manual labor. Perhaps it nothing more than a fancy new kind of fur brush.
This distinction is important depending on the product you’re selling. In the ad above, we’re selling a relaxation CD: perhaps this is why the word “Change” relates better to the audience. They want to be in control when they go through this relaxation process. The word “changes” perhaps implies something where the participant losed control - as in hypnosis. It could be intimidating.
For other ads - in the case of software for example - I have seen the word “changes” work better. This could be because, for software, we want stuff that does the work for us automatically.
So try testing both phrases on your ad.

Hungry for more Google AdWords tips? Check out our guide on AdWords System Exposed.

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About the Author

Prior to MindValley Media, Mike was the Head of New Ventures Strategy at eBay where he conceived of the strategies that led to the investment in Craigslist, the launch of Kijiji.com and the acquisition of Skype. Mike has an MBA from Stanford and previously worked for the Boston Consulting Group. He is also a certified Google AdWords Professional.

Check out other posts by Mike

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