You’ve likely heard of conversion rate optimisation, but possibly still wondering what is conversion rate optimisation (CRO) and how can it benefit your business? If you’re looking to turn more website visitors into customers, leads, or whatever your key performance indicators (KPIs) may be, then understanding and implementing CRO can be crucial to success. In this article, we will provide clear recommendations on how to get started & how to begin optimising your conversion rates effectively.
Essentially, conversion rate optimisation is the systematic process of improving your website or landing pages to increase the chance of a visitor completing a desired action.
So where do you begin in this process? Here’s how the Modo25 team would recommend you get started.
Table of Contents
Understand your current conversion rates
Before starting to improve your conversion rates, it is important to know what the baseline statistics of your website are. By using tools such as Google Analytics/GA4, you can find a large percentage of metrics which you will be looking to optimise towards such as conversions, revenue, bounce rate and others.
At the same time, it is important to clearly define your goals for your conversion rate optimisation work. What do you want to achieve? Is there an increase in conversion rate which will help to strengthen your business objectives? Or is there a particular revenue goal that you are looking to achieve? CRO marketing can help achieve these goals.
Take a deep-dive into user behaviour
Understanding why your visitors aren’t converting is key to a successful CRO campaign. This involves various research methodologies such as:
Quantitative data capture:
- Gathering numerical data typically from tools such as Google Analytics through looking at bounce rates on landing pages, devices, browsers and channel performance can help to identify where on a website needs improvement.
Qualitative data capture:
- Understanding user behaviour from quantitative data helps us to identify where issues happen but qualitative data, is beneficial to examining what is wrong in a specific area of the website. Using heatmaps, scroll maps and session recordings shows us where users are finding issues or conversion blocks which could be leading to problems with the websites overall performance.
Purchase an a/b testing tool for Conversion Rate Optimisation testing
The best way to truly optimise your website is through a/b testing. This can be done through 2 types of testing defined as client side or server-side testing. There are pros and cons to both strategies however installing a a/b testing tool on your website can help to statistically validate concepts and proof your optimisations are not down to random chance and help to confirm that your conversion rate optimisation program is working correctly.
Tools such as Webtrends Optimize, Optimizely, Symplfiy and A/B Tasty are all good software providers who help with these services, we’ve previously shared insights into development in a/b testing tools.
Prioritise your optimisation efforts
You’ll likely have many ideas for potential changes. To avoid getting overwhelmed, prioritize your efforts based on potential impact and ease of implementation. Focus on changes that address significant user pain points or target high-traffic, low-conversion pages. A simple framework to use is the ICE score (Impact, Confidence, Ease) to help you rank your optimisation ideas.
ASK BOSCO® also has the landing page optimisation tool with its conversion rate optimisation reports, which can also help identify which landing pages need work on your website
Implement your hypotheses (a/b testing)
The cornerstone of effective CRO marketing is testing. Never make changes to your website based on gut feeling alone. Implement your proposed changes as variations and conduct A/B tests (also known as split tests). This involves showing different versions of a page or element to different segments of your website traffic and measuring which version performs better in terms of your defined conversion goal.
Use reliable A/B testing tools to ensure accurate results. Test one element at a time to isolate the impact of the change. Allow your tests to run for a sufficient period to gather statistically significant data.
Iterate and continue to optimise.
Conversion rate optimization is not a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process of continuous improvement. Based on your test results and ongoing user research, continue to iterate on your website and landing pages. Small, incremental changes can lead to significant improvements in your overall conversion rates over time.
Getting started with CRO might seem daunting, but by following these recommendations, you can begin to systematically optimize conversion rates and unlock the full potential of your website traffic. Remember to focus on understanding your users, forming data-backed hypotheses, and rigorously testing your changes. Embrace the iterative nature of CRO, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your business goals.
FAQs
What exactly is conversion rate optimisation?
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the systematic process of improving your website or landing page to increase the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter.
Why is Conversion Rate Optimisation important for my business?
CRO helps you make the most of your existing website traffic by turning more visitors into customers or leads. This is a cost-effective way to grow your business without necessarily needing to increase your marketing spend on acquiring more traffic.
Where should I start with Conversion Rate Optimisation on my website?
Begin by understanding your current conversion rates using analytics tools. Identify high-traffic pages with low conversion rates, as these are often the best places to start your optimisation efforts.
What kind of research do I need to do for Conversion Rate Optimisation?
You need to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research involves understanding user motivations and pain points through surveys and user testing. Quantitative research involves analysing website data like heat-maps, bounce rates, and conversion funnels to identify areas of friction.
What is A/B testing, and why is it important for Conversion Rate Optimisation?
A/B testing (or split testing) is a method of comparing two or more versions of a webpage or element to see which one performs better in terms of your conversion goals. It’s crucial for CRO because it allows you to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on guesswork.
How do I know what changes to test on my website?
Formulate hypotheses based on your user research. For example, if your research shows users are missing a key call-to-action, your hypothesis might be to make it more prominent and test if that improves click-through rates.
How long should I run an A/B test?
Run your A/B tests for a sufficient period to gather statistically significant data. The duration will depend on your website traffic and the conversion rate of the action you’re testing. You need enough conversions to be confident in the results.
How many a/b tests have Modo25 ran?
Modo25 have delivered over 3000 a/b tests for our clients across multiple industries, here we have worked in b2c, b2b businesses with a win rate of 64%. All the research above, helps Modo25 to be successful at conversion rate optimisation with its clients. Find out more through our case studies page.
For more information on this story or for support with your CRO strategy or in-housing. Get in touch with our team, send us an email to team@modo25.com
