A simple formatting change to a headline increased leads by 59.82% on a mortgage broker’s website.
We ran an experiment. Two identical pages, the only difference was the headline. One was written in ALL CAPS, the other in a normal sentence case. Google randomly split the traffic between the two pages over 23 days.
The ALL CAPS page generated 59.82% more leads per click than the sentence case version.
The experiment
We changed one thing. The H1 headline. Everything else on the page stayed exactly the same. Same content, same form, same reviews, same adviser photo.
Page A: CAPITAL LETTERS HEADLINE
Page B: Capital letters headline
Over 23 days, 216 people clicked through from a Google Ad. Google’s system randomly assigned each visitor to one page or the other.
What happened
We started with an all caps headline page that was performing well. When the sentence case page went live, the blended cost per lead increased by 59.39%. The conversion rate dropped 21.10% and Google’s bidding algorithm responded by increasing the cost per click by 25.67%. One small change created a double hit.
When we switched back to the ALL CAPS headline, performance recovered.
But why? People didn’t leave faster
Here’s the interesting part. The bounce rates* were virtually identical. People weren’t put off by either headline. They landed on the page at the same rate.
*Bounce rate is the % of people that just arrive and leave quickly without doing anything.
The difference was in what happened next. Visitors on the ALL CAPS page spent 27.54% longer on the page. They read more. They engaged more. And more of them filled in the form.
The sentence case headline didn’t push people away. It just didn’t pull them in as strongly.
Why does it work?
Capital letters demand attention. In a world of polite, lowercase, sentence case headings, an ALL CAPS headline on a landing page is the digital equivalent of someone raising their voice in a quiet room.
When a visitor arrives from a Google search, they have one question: “Am I in the right place?” The headline needs to answer that instantly. Capital letters are processed faster by the brain because the shapes are more distinct and uniform. The message hits harder and quicker.
Think about road signs. STOP. GIVE WAY. EXIT. They’re in capitals for a reason. When clarity and speed matter, capitals win.
There’s also an anchoring effect. A bold, confident headline sets the tone for the rest of the page. It signals authority and directness. For a mortgage broker, where trust and competence are everything, that matters.
Doesn’t it look like shouting?
This is the objection everyone raises. And it’s fair. In an email or a message, all caps feels aggressive. But on a landing page headline, the context is different. It’s not a conversation, it’s a sign. The visitor just searched for mortgage advice, clicked an ad and landed on a page. They want to be told clearly what they’ve found.
Our data shows visitors didn’t bounce more. They stayed longer. If it felt like shouting, they would have left.
What can you do?
Test it. Change your main headline to ALL CAPS and run it for a few weeks. You don’t need special software. If you’re running Google Ads, create a duplicate page with the capitalised headline and split the traffic between the two ads.
If you don’t run ads, make the change and monitor your leads over the next month. One headline. One formatting change.
Not a silver bullet
As with all our experiments, the capitalised headline didn’t work in isolation. The page had 5-star Google reviews, a clear call to action, adviser photos, and content tailored to what the visitor searched for. The headline was the first impression, but it needed a strong page behind it.
Still, of all the tests we’ve run, this one required the least effort for a meaningful result. You don’t need a designer, a developer or a copywriter. Just open your page editor and hit Caps Lock.