An enterprise software company increased its trial signup conversion rate from 2.4% to 3.44% after we removed two qualification fields. The shorter form generated more enquiries without an increase in the marketing budget.
The starting point
The company used a software trial as an entry point into its sales process. Before accessing the trial, visitors completed a form that collected contact details and information for lead qualification.
Two questions asked whether prospects already used the product and how many machines their organisation needed to protect. The sales team used these answers to assess suitability and allocate enquiries.
However, information that is useful to sales can also create friction for potential customers. A visitor may be interested in evaluating software without having every technical detail immediately available.
What I changed
My team and I ran an A/B test comparing the existing form with a shorter version. We removed the two qualification questions and kept the other form elements and messaging unchanged.
The hypothesis was straightforward: reducing the effort required to request a trial would encourage more visitors to complete the form.
Keeping the change focused also made the result easier to interpret. When a test changes the headline, layout, offer and form simultaneously, it becomes harder to understand which adjustment contributed to the outcome.
The results
Over the 30-day test:
| Metric | Original form | Shorter form |
|---|---|---|
| Visits | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Trial submissions | 120 | 172 |
| Conversion rate | 2.40% | 3.44% |
The shorter form produced 52 additional submissions, representing a 43% relative improvement in conversion rate.
We also checked lead quality. The distribution across the company’s lead grades remained broadly consistent after the change.
What this case demonstrates
Form optimisation involves deciding which information is essential at the first point of contact and which questions can wait until a prospect has engaged.
For businesses investing in traffic acquisition, this is a useful area to investigate. Improving the proportion of existing visitors who enquire can increase the return from that traffic without requiring a larger advertising budget.
The practical lesson is to test qualification requirements alongside conversion performance—and assess lead quality as well as submission volume.
