The basics of what conversion rate optimisation (CRO) actually is

Optimisation/Conversion

What is conversion rate optimisation (CRO)?

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the process of increasing the number of people taking action on a website. This is usually called a ‘conversion’. Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) can be used for B2B companies as well as B2C. Optimising a site to increase conversions usually involves changing or creating elements of a website or webpage by looking at what isn’t performing well. You should explore these sections and create ideas for what the new website or webpage should look like to increase conversions. Instead of changing the page straight away, you should implement A/B testing or multivariate testing to make sure the new user journey is better than the original.

By following this process you’re eliminating any failed ideas as the content won’t be shown to every user. This way, you’ll save time by not reverting the whole test back to the original. On the other hand, if your changes are successful then you can roll it out fully and reap the rewards of the increased conversion rate.

What is a conversion?

If you’ve read all the above and are still wondering what a ‘conversion’ is, don’t worry. A conversion is simply the term used when a visitor is completing a goal on a website, whether that be a form completion or monetary sale.

How to use conversion rate optimisation (CRO) for your business

Take time for consideration before jumping on the bandwagon and creating loads of ideas to test out. First of all, make sure your site is consistently attracting visitors with a gradual upward lift. If this isn’t happening for your website, you should wait before wasting your efforts, great ideas and time. If you ignore this and start testing ideas with minimal traffic coming to the site, you’ll think it was the idea that failed when the conversion rate doesn’t improve, which isn’t necessarily the case.

If you’re gaining a great amount of traffic to site from visitors, then now is the time to go into the unknown and try conversion rate optimisation (CRO). When starting a CRO project or idea, ask yourself and your team the following questions:

1. What improvements can this test offer?

2. Have customers struggled with converting or is this idea someone’s opinion (not based on data)?

3. How valuable will this improvement be?

4. Will it have a direct impact on my customers in a positive way?

5 .How easy/complicated will it be to implement this improvement?

Hopefully these questions will have insightful answers for your business. You shouldn’t entertain an idea that:

1. Has very minimal improvements to offer

2. Customers actually haven’t struggled with converting

3. Won’t be a valuable improvement

4. Will have a negative impact to customers

5. Will be extremely complicated to implement

However, if the answers to these questions are the total opposite to the above, then you best start an A/B test sharpish! The only caveat is to the last question, because if the other answers prove that the test needs implementing but it will be complicated to actually build, it’s then a question of ‘do we have the manpower for this because the rewards will be brilliant’.