Today, most businesses are focused on driving traffic towards their websites in hopes that the traffic will convert into qualified leads for sale representatives to close in on. The cycle continues and business continues to grow as well. Although this is an oversimplified look at the standard marketing trope, it is relevant in the case of most businesses. But there's something missing -a tactic that few businesses focus on. The one that actually propels businesses towards long-term, sustainable success and growth. That's where conversion rate optimization (CRO) comes into play.
In this article, you will learn much more about conversion rate optimization and how it plays an important role in gaining sustainable success for businesses in the long run.
What is Conversion Rate Optimization?
Conversion rate optimization(CRO) is defined as the systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a particular desired action. It also allows you to improve your websites, maximize the results of your advertisements and acquire high-quality leads that have more potential of turning into customers. It is particularly useful for e-commerce websites, where competition is quite intense and enhanced user experiences matter more than anything else. A good conversion rate is one that is steadily growing. The starting point does not really matter as long as the evolution is positive and constant.
CRO is an important part of online marketing strategies. In an environment that offers so many choices and distractions, it is the art of captivating attention and leading audiences closer to the desired goal. It is a marketing strategy, created with the purpose of maximizing revenue but it’s also a strategy that improves overall user experience. As an effect, websites become more effective and helps audiences navigate through the website in a much faster and easier manner. A page is considered well-optimized when a significantly high amount of visitors are converted into customers.
CRO means focusing on your potential customers and their needs. Thus, the importance of conversion rate optimization lies in the masterful way you combine technical elements with the psychology of your consumers. Regardless of your industry, your business will benefit from your conversion rate optimization efforts.
How to Create an Effective Conversion Rate Optimization Strategy
First of all, it is absolutely imperative to know that CRO is not some sort of magic trick that you can use to boost your sales. It is a technical process in which assumptions don’t play a significant part. CRO is data-driven, which means that you must use data-backed insights in order to make improvements.
Here are a few steps to creating an effective CRO strategy:
1. Build a team of professionals
You will have to build a team that includes a CRO manager, a data analyst, a web developer, a web graphic designer and a good copywriter. They will develop content, design strategies and will also monitor the results as they appear. In this way, they will be able to provide you with useful insight regarding what works best and what requires further improvement.
2. Set up a CRO infrastructure
There are a variety of CRO programs that can be used. Analytics can help you track the current conversion rate across your website which will highlight problematic areas like the point where users completely stop engaging with your website. They are also useful for post-test analysis which allows you to see the type of content that works best among audiences.
3. Set up your website’s conversion funnel and understand how it works
Visitors don’t come to your website to buy right away. They require multiple interactions with you in order to make a decision. There’s an awareness stage with the audiences and leads, a consideration stage with qualified leads and a decision stage when qualified leads turn into new customers. Understanding these stages that audiences go through will help you make relevant improvements by optimizing each different stage of their journey.
4. Conduct a CRO audit
Familiarize yourself with the industry’s benchmarks in order to see how well your website is performing. This will help you set realistic, achievable conversion goals. Then you should also focus on your current conversion rate and other website metrics such as the time it takes for the page to load, bounce rate, cross-device and cross-browser functionality, etc. People may visit your website from their computers, laptops, mobile phones or any other electronic devices. You need to make sure it is correctly optimized in all these areas.
5. Make a few quick adjustments
Improve your copy and make your CTA more visible and easier to understand. Find opportunities to guide your visitors through their on-site journey, by eliminating unnecessary steps. Make discounts, coupons or giveaways more obvious in order to be able to enhance engagement. ASK FOR A UI/UX AUDIT
6. Analyze results and keep implementing changes
You need to measure conversions for various versions of results in order to see which performs best. This test will reveal a winning or a losing variation. If a winning variation is discovered, implement the change and use the results as the basis for your future optimization efforts. If a losing variation is identified, this may be due to the fact that something may have gone wrong during the experiment. Keep looking at the figures, check your analytics and if necessary, repeat the whole process with a reconstructed outlook in mind.
Benefits of Conversion Rate Optimization:
A few benefits of conversion rate optimization have been listed down below as follows:
1. Improved Customer Insight
CRO can help you understand your key audience better and find what language or messaging appeals to their needs the most. It also helps you find the right customers for your business.
2. Better ROI
A higher conversion rate means making more of the resources you have. By studying how to get the most out of your acquisition efforts, you will get more conversions without having to bring in more potential customers.
3. Better Scalability
While the size of your audience may not scale higher as your business grows, CRO lets you grow without running out of resources and prospective customers. By converting more leads into buyers, you will be able to grow your business without running out of potential customers.
4. Better User Experience
When users feel smart and sophisticated on your website, they tend to feel appreciated. By taking what works and expanding on it, you will make a better user experience. Users who feel empowered by your site will engage with it much more often and some may even become evangelists for your brand.
5. Enhanced Loyalty
In order for customers to share their credit card, email or any sort of personal information, they have to be able to genuinely trust the site. Just like an internal sales team, your site needs to be courteous, professional and ready to answer all of your customer's questions. Creating a transparent ecosystem will help validate their safety concerns and enhance loyalty.
Final Thoughts
In today’s day and age, conversion rate optimization has become a mainstream effort. It not only enables businesses to understand how customers think, use and perceive their offerings, but also sheds light on an incredible amount of data to shape their future business strategies. It is a tricky business but if done right, the advantages go way beyond improving your conversion rate.
CRO is not just another tool to enhance your online performance, it is the tool to make you stand out!