Homepage: Static Images Replace Auto-Playing Carousel
Hypothesis
Removing an auto-playing image carousel in favor of static content occupying the same space will improve user engagement and conversions.
Test Results
Key Learning
Problem: The primary call-to-action on the homepage isn't converting at its potential — design, copy, or placement may be the bottleneck.
What worked: Auto-playing carousels actively hurt conversion by: (1) pushing primary CTAs off-screen repeatedly, (2) splitting attention across multiple messages, and (3) creating decision paralysis. Static hero content with a single clear message consistently outperforms. (+20.0% lift)
Takeaway: A meaningful improvement that compounds with other optimizations. Layout wins often unlock further opportunities — isolate which specific element drove the lift for even larger gains.
How to Apply This to Your Site
This experiment demonstrated that homepage: static images replace auto-playing carousel can produce a +20.0% improvement in conversions. The test was run on a homepage page in the cross-industry industry.
Before you test: Consider that layout tests typically require adequate traffic to reach statistical significance. Run your test for at least 2 full business cycles to account for weekly traffic patterns.
This result reached 95% statistical confidence, meaning there is a very low probability the observed effect was due to chance. Results at this confidence level are generally considered reliable for making business decisions.
What Was Tested
Test #238 on Suzuki.be: the control had a 4-slide carousel (auto-advancing every 3.5s, manually selectable). The variation replaced it with static images in the same space. Result: +28% progression. This is consistent with the broader industry finding that carousels dilute attention.
Methodology
Build On These Learnings
Save your own experiments, spot winning patterns across your test history, and stop repeating what's already been tried.
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