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Kyle Poyar published the analysis I've been waiting for: 25,000 website tests across top tech companies, and a clean answer to the question every CRO team avoids — how many of these actually move revenue?

The headline number: only 10% of tests tied to revenue beat the control.

Nine out of ten of your "data-driven" experiments are essentially shipping the existing version with extra steps. Teams are burning cycles on tests that have a 10% chance of doing anything useful, then defending the process because "we're testing."

Some specifics from Kyle's data worth sitting with.

What's actually winning right now

Product "sneak peeks" on checkout/registration pages beat plain backgrounds. The old playbook was minimize-distraction at the point of conversion. The new data says the opposite — showing what the user is about to get, inside the registration moment, reduces drop-off. Friction isn't the enemy. Anonymity is.
Multiple CTAs in hero sections showed signal as a re-testable assumption. The "one CTA above the fold" gospel may not survive contact with current data. Worth A/B testing again, especially for products with multiple buyer intents.
Annual pricing displayed as a monthly equivalent is now standard among the top 100 B2B SaaS. Nearly 30% have made the switch. The math is the same — $199/month billed annually vs $2,388/year — but the framing makes the price feel smaller. If your pricing page still leads with annual numbers, you're paying a perception tax.

What's failing — and why teams ignore the data

The most damning anecdote in the post is GoDaddy. They tested less AI-centric messaging on their homepage. It won. Their response: emphasize AI everywhere on the site anyway.

This is the part of CRO that doesn't show up in case studies. You don't lose tests because the methodology is bad. You lose them because the org has already decided what the answer is — and the test is theater.

If you're running tests where the executive team has pre-committed to a direction, you're not testing. You're collecting evidence to ignore.

What to do this month

Kyle's top recommendation: run fewer, higher-impact tests instead of pursuing volume. The CRO teams that win are not the ones running 20 tests a month with 2 winners. They're the ones running 5 tests a month, picking variables that genuinely could move revenue, and acting on the results.

Concrete moves:

Audit the last 10 tests you ran. How many tied to revenue (not engagement)? How many beat the control? If the ratio is worse than 1-in-10, your test selection process is the problem, not your execution.
Stop running button-color, copy-tweak tests. They almost never hit. Test structural changes — page layout, where social proof lives, hero treatment, registration flow.
Pre-commit to the action. Before launching, write down what you'll do if it wins, lose, or flat. If "we'll ignore it" is the answer for any outcome, don't run the test.
Track your team's hit rate quarterly. If you're not at 10%+ on revenue-tied tests, you're worse than Kyle's average. Time to recalibrate.

The interesting thing about Kyle's number isn't that 90% of tests fail. It's that most teams don't measure their hit rate at all, so they don't even know they're under average.

—Corey

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1608, Captain John Smith became president of the council at Jamestown and put the colony’s idle gentlemen to work under a blunt rule: those who wouldn’t work wouldn’t eat.

A Virginia county is advancing talks on selling naming rights to high school sports facilities as a potential revenue source. Learn more in Top Stories, then reply to let us know how you feel about this idea.

There has been no shortage of noise around the Lindsay Clancy trial. Conspiracy theories, hot takes, and bad legal analyses have drowned out the actual facts. So we stripped away the bias and the agenda and laid out what really happened, including the courtroom decision everyone was talking about last week. Plus, what three jurors just revealed about the chaos inside that deliberation room. Join Ayla on The Flyover Podcast for the story without the spin. Tune in here!

Later today, watch for an email from our partner, Insurify, about a quick way to compare car insurance rates from more than 100 companies and potentially save up to $1,100 a year.

Today's edition is brought to you by Cacao Bliss. Try their delicious, heart-healthy hot cocoa superfood drink.

Virginia Earns B for Labor Laws

Virginia earned a B for its public-sector labor laws in the Pennsylvania-based Commonwealth Foundation’s new 50-State Labor Report, the second straight edition to place the Commonwealth at that grade.

The free-market group awards higher marks to states that restrict collective bargaining. Virginia earned an A+ in 2017 and 2019, fell to a C in 2022, and has since settled at B, one of 10 states there.

The grade lands amid a live fight in Richmond. The General Assembly this year passed bills creating a statewide public-bargaining system, but Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, vetoed them in May after lawmakers rejected her amendments.

Spanberger said she supports giving public workers a stronger voice but wanted a slower rollout. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, called himself “disappointed and perplexed” and vowed another try, while unions called the veto a betrayal.

GMU and TreQ Partner for Quantum Leap

George Mason University has partnered with Oxford-based TreQ to install Virginia’s first open-architecture quantum computing system, also the first U.S. deployment of TreQ’s Open Architecture Quantum framework.

The $7.7 million system will be located on a Northern Virginia campus, with delivery and installation planned for early 2027 and commissioning by late summer 2027.

Supported by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, the project will give students, faculty, researchers, and industry partners access to flexible quantum infrastructure that can incorporate evolving processors, software, and networking technologies.

Officials say the collaboration will strengthen workforce development, accelerate research, and help position the Commonwealth as a leader in the emerging multi-trillion-dollar quantum economy.

Fairfax Weighs Sports Facility Naming Rights

Fairfax County school board members are advancing talks on selling naming rights to high school sports facilities as a potential revenue source.

During a Tuesday work session, athletics director Tom Horn outlined a possible timeline following a request from board members seeking creative funding options. A districtwide program would be novel in Northern Virginia, though some nearby districts already have individual deals.

Under current policy, all proceeds would flow to a facilities fund, with the board retaining final approval on deals limited to a minimum five-year term. Officials may issue a request for information this fall to gauge corporate interest.

Eligible sites could include stadiums, tracks, tennis courts, weight rooms, and other campus facilities across the county’s 26 high schools. Fairfax County considered naming rights in 2009, but didn’t advance the idea.

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Longevity breakfast dessert enjoyed by Blue Zone Costa Ricans helps them live to 100?

Most Americans think eating sweets for breakfast is unhealthy.

But according to Stanford researchers, there's one delicious “dessert” food that Costa Ricans in the famous "blue zone" eat each morning that:

✅ Keeps them lean even into their 70s, 80s, and 90s
✅ Slows blood sugar spikes and maintains healthy insulin sensitivity
✅ Keeps their blood pressure at normal, healthy levels
✅ Keeps their hearts and arteries strong and clean well into old age, with a striking lack of heart disease in their population
✅ Even helps them have seven times more centenarians than in Japan

So what's the No. 1 “dessert” food that helps Costa Ricans live healthy, lean, and energetic past 100?

Click below to discover Costa Rica's Blue Zone secret:

>> Eat this Costa Rican longevity "dessert" for breakfast.

P.S. Here's the crazy part: while Costa Ricans are living longer with this morning ritual, Americans trying it are losing 7 lbs in a couple of weeks as a "side effect." Not a bad bonus, right?

➤ Statewide: A new Virginia Health Information dashboard shows the state’s maternity-care gap widening, with rural mothers traveling on average 30 minutes longer and 23 miles farther to give birth than mothers in urban areas. (More)

➤ Roanoke: An outside review branded the city’s planning department “tone deaf,” citing a culture of saying no that it says is slowing projects and costing the city money. (More)

➤ Prince William County: Police are searching for a Lyft driver accused of abducting two women during a ride early Sept. 6 near Woodbridge. The suspect is also wanted in Maryland on reckless-driving charges. (More)

➤ Virginia Beach: The City Council approved a plan to phase in shorter firefighter workweeks, cutting shifts from 56 to 48 hours, citing health and family benefits for crews. (More)

➤ Chesterfield County: Construction on the $565 million Powhite Parkway extension is set to begin this winter, a 9-mile project running from Route 288 to Hull Street Road that officials expect to finish by 2034. (More)

➤ Loudoun County: The School Board voted to ask county supervisors for an extra $14 million that opened up after state budget delays, even as enrollment came in about 2,000 students short of projections, leaving a $13.5 million gap. (More)

➤ Henrico County: The Board of Supervisors voted to put speed cameras in some school zones, so drivers caught speeding near county schools will soon face fines. (More)

Like The Virginia Flyover? Share it with a friend! ✈️

➤ The Washington Nationals set a Major League record with their 38th blown save of the season, surrendering a three-run lead in the eighth inning during a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres. (More)

➤ Coach Michael Vick, the Virginia Tech legend and Newport News native, returns to Charlottesville on Friday night, his first time on the sideline there since he faced Virginia as a Hokie in 1999, now leading Norfolk State against the Cavaliers. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. (More)

➤ The Washington Commanders rolled out a “Flavors of the Season” menu at Northwest Stadium, adding options under $10 plus a crab-stuffed pretzel, half-smokes, a Hail Mary Cheesesteak, a DC BBQ Pocket, and the Legends Dog of the Game. (See Photos)

➤ An Albemarle County judge refused to dismiss former UVA men’s lacrosse coach Lars Tiffany’s $1.4 million lawsuit over his firing after the 2025 season, ruling the school made a firm offer that Tiffany accepted. (More)

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➤ The Truth About Tylenol Is All Over the News. You've seen the headlines—Tylenol's warning labels keep growing and the risks aren't small. It doesn't fix the problem, just masks pain temporarily. Now researchers point to a natural, gentler option that supports comfort without the harsh side effects. Learn More

➤ The Valley Environmental Justice Alliance has formed in Waynesboro to press the Virginia DEQ and City Council over pollution from defense contractor Northrop Grumman’s plant there. (More)

➤ Richmond may use a lottery to decide who can open marijuana dispensaries in the city, with a set share of licenses reserved for so-called impact applicants. (More)

➤ A new outpatient clinic for veterans opened in Chesapeake’s Western Branch area, giving veterans on the western side of Hampton Roads’ Southside a closer place for care and cutting travel time. (More)

➤ Roanoke’s city-owned Berglund Center, open since 1971, needs at least $30 million in repairs, from a new roof to boilers and a fire-alarm system, as leaders weigh its future amid stalled casino talks. (More)

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One Cup of This Morning Drink Floods Your Body with Stem Cells. Harvard Researchers found that people who drank this hot morning drink had a 47% improvement in blood vessel function, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and a 220% increase in stem cells. See which drink here.

➤ The USS Wisconsin battleship moved a short distance from its pier at Nauticus in Norfolk so crews can replace a worn pier fender. The move marks the first time in 25 years it has been pulled away from its pier. (See Video)

➤ A new plaque in Danville will mark Sacred Heart Catholic School as the first in the city to integrate. It opened in 1953 and enrolled black students just six years later. (More)

➤ Two Virginia college students, Imre Huss of UVA and Imani Laird of Hampton University, were among 11 national winners in the Democracy Defenders Fund’s Future of Democracy anthology, writing about media’s role in democracy and civics education. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Jurors from the Lindsay Clancy trial are breaking their silence about what really derailed a verdict. (Hear Breakdown)

➤ Today marks one year since Charlie Kirk's assassination, as his wife Erika reflects on a year of grief. (Hear Details)

➤ Newly released disclosures show that President Trump gave tens of thousands of dollars in holiday cash gifts to four White House aides. (Listen Now)