Startups and others enjoy a moment of glory with conversion rate optimization (CRO). It’s about time. Why? Why?
CRO is essential to creating a marketing flywheel to drive your business forward. As the price of online advertising increases, it will only become more critical.
Even though CRO has gained momentum, many people still don’t understand what it is or why it’s essential.
Imagine collecting water using an analogy. If you are thirsty and want to collect water from a water source, you will likely use a funnel and bottle. You may have gaps or holes in your funnel that allow moisture to escape and reach your desired destination (the container). A perfect funnel will ensure no water escapes and your collection is efficient.
You have two options to fix a broken funnel: pour more water into the funnel or patch the holes so you don’t spill water on the ground.
Pouring more water into the funnel is like buying more traffic. You will get more water in the bottle, but it costs money and wastes a lot. Conversion rate optimization is an effort to fix the leaks so you don’t spill so much water.
This analogy reflects what is happening on your site in your conversion funnel. These leaks can be caused by slow loading times, friction within your user flow, or unclear calls to action.
Most people understand the idea of CRO, but selling within an organization cannot be easy. This requires a different mentality, many people working together, and a level of rigor sometimes lacking in marketing organizations.
Explaining to people who aren’t convinced that CRO is not just about quick fixes and a one-time approach is crucial. It’s the outcome of a conversion optimization culture. CRO is everyone’s priority. Each team member strives to remove barriers that prevent users from converting.
Here are six effective ways to build a CRO Culture in your company.
There’s always room to improve
It would be best if you first got your team to accept that there’s always a better solution, no matter how successful your business is. Changing how people do things can be difficult as they get used to a particular method. But markets are constantly evolving, and so are customers’ demands. What was influential in the past may not be effective today, and what is effective now might not always be.
Measure instead of guessing
The best optimization strategies are data-driven and strategic. Hunches can be an excellent place to start your investigation. However, each decision should be based on both quantitative and qualitative knowledge about your users.
Before making any changes, you should observe how your users interact with your website. What is your current conversion rate? What pages are performing best, and which must be optimized the most? This information is invaluable when you start testing. The importance of this step cannot be understated.
Commit to understanding CRO at its core, and forget about “best practices” and tricks
Critiquing “best practices” in a similar list may seem counterintuitive. You can’t expect to get massive results by simply following another person’s list. I hope you will see this list more as a suggestion for approaching CRO rather than a quick-fix list.
Each business faces unique challenges and needs. A strategic approach is needed to optimize your business based on these statistics. Micro conversions, such as changing the color of your button or your call to action to red, might increase conversions slightly, but they won’t make a difference for your business.
You’ll have to educate everyone in your team on what CRO is. Start with an essential yet comprehensive guide. We suggest the Beginning Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization.
Data, data, and more data
There is no excuse for not using data to guide your decisions, especially with the number of tools available. Every department should be responsible for collecting and recording data that will later be used to improve your website.
You can use three tools: user surveys, analytics, and user testing.
Analytics: You’re already using this tool to monitor and report on what is happening with your website every day. Google Analytics, KISSMetrics, and Mixpanel are among the options.
Survey Analytics only can tell you so many things. Surveys can be the answer to a specific problem. It can be beneficial to hear users’ own words when trying to solve a problem. You can choose from Qualaroo.io. Survey Gizmo and Survey Monkey, among other options.
Testing: You may need to see how your users interact with your website. You can use user testing software to monitor site functionality and observe interactions between users and the site. You can use CrazyEgg or heat mapping tools, depending on your needs. You can test different variations using A/B and multivariate testing tools. Among these tools are Optimizely Unbounce and Visual Web Optimiser.
Start optimizing conversions by focusing on the right users and stop trying to convert everyone
It’s not CRO if you use tricks or anti-patterns. If you promise something untrue, it will hurt your reputation. Dissatisfied customers won’t return and will tell their friends not to visit.
Conversion rate optimization is not about converting every single visitor to your site. Focus on the must-have experience and deliver it. You want the right users to convert: people who love your product and help you grow.
Last but not least, you should understand that optimization is cyclical
Change is inevitable, just as there is always room for improvement. CRO will ensure that you don’t fall behind. This is why I call it a CRO Culture: It’s something ongoing that informs all decisions made about your website or product.