Case Study: Cancer Research UK achieves a 294% improvement in click-through rate with Optimizely

How experimentation drives donations for the UK’s biggest charity

Cancer Research UK, the UK’s largest charity with more than 25 million annual visitors and over £30 million raised online in 2017, depended on its website to engage fundraisers, patients and the public. The organisation identified that noisy layouts, unclear calls-to-action and poor navigation on campaign pages were harming engagement and risking lost donations, so it needed a scientific, data-driven way to improve the digital experience.

Using Optimizely Web Experimentation the team A/B tested a streamlined landing page that reduced noise and clarified CTAs; this change drove a >294% increase in click-through rate during World Cancer Day 2017. The result not only boosted fundraising performance but also secured internal buy‑in for experimentation, expanded the charity’s digital centre of excellence and paved the way for further digital initiatives like online chat, donations and grant applications.

Cancer Research UK

Josie Downey

User Experience Designer