The case where deleting the prelander raised conversions

The case where deleting the prelander raised conversions
Myth: "Always run a warm-up prelander on dating — direct-linking kills CVR."

The chats repeat this like scripture. A media buyer on a PPV adult feed tested it properly: identical $2,200 spend, same placements, A had a quiz prelander, B direct-linked to the offer page.

Prelander arm: 18,400 clicks → 71% reached offer → 1.9% reg = 248 regs.
Direct arm: 18,900 clicks → 3.1% reg = 586 regs.

The prelander wasn't "warming" anyone. It added a step, leaked 29% of clicks, and the people who pushed through weren't measurably better — backend rebill rates landed within 4% of each other after 14 days.

Why did the myth survive? Because prelanders genuinely help on cold push and native, where intent is low. On a high-intent adult feed, the visitor already knows what they clicked. The prelander was solving a problem that source didn't have.

Reality: the prelander earns its keep on cold traffic — bolting it onto already-horny clicks just taxes your funnel.