Boosting website traffic numbers is an objective most marketing teams are pushing to achieve. However, as they focus on meeting their ever-growing traffic goals, they miss opportunities to get more out of their existing traffic. This is where conversion rate optimization comes in.
What is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?
HubSpot defines CRO as “the process of enabling people to take an action when they visit a website. By designing and modifying certain elements of a webpage, a business can increase the chances that site visitors will “convert” into a lead or customer before they leave.”
In other words, conversion rate optimization is the process of improving your website’s ability to convert visitors into leads and customers.
It involves testing different pages, calls-to-action and content in order to find out what works best for your audience. It focuses on increasing revenue by reducing expenses, improving customer satisfaction and increasing market share.
Why is conversion rate optimization important?
Conversion rate optimization is important because it allows you to focus on what matters most: Getting results for your business. It helps you:
- Generate more leads from your website by making it easier for customers to take key actions such as filling out a form
- Increase revenue by driving more qualified traffic through specific channels via email campaigns and optimized landing pages
- Improve customer satisfaction by providing relevant information at every step of their journey
7 CRO tips to try now
As you work to improve your user experience, here are a few ways to amp up your CRO efforts:
1. Write compelling, customer-centric copy
When people reach your website, how do you speak to them? Do you engage them with well-crafted copy throughout their journey and highlight your USPs?
Ensure your website has the following:
- Compelling copy that tells a story and provides the audience with valuable information.
Tip: Give your audience enough information to establish your expertise while also making them curious enough to keep turning the pages until they take the action you want them to. - Persuasive headlines that inspire your audience to keep learning about your business and engaging with your website
- Trust badges/symbols and social proof such as testimonials, reviews, and sales notifications
2. Deliver a good mobile experience
Was your website designed mobile-first? Check out the pros and cons.
If you’re not optimizing for mobile devices, it’s time to start. Since a significant number of your visitors are likely to access your website through their smartphones, it’s something you’ll need to prioritize.
With a high-quality, smooth experience, users are more likely to stay the course and respond to your call to action.
Grow your business with good, responsive website design.
Mobile optimization is a must-have for any business that wants to reach customers on their phones and tablets.
First, create a mobile-friendly design. Make sure your website looks good on all screen sizes by using responsive design or creating separate versions of your site for different devices (e.g., desktop vs. mobile). You can also use tools like Google’s Mobile Friendly Test Tool to test how well your pages will display on various devices before they go live on the web!
For conversion rate optimization, ensure your website design has:
- Clear call-to-action buttons: Design prominent call-to-action buttons for seamless user engagement and improved conversion rates
- User-friendly page layouts: Ensure a well-structured, intuitive page layout for an enhanced user experience and easy navigation
- Up-to-date design: Stay on top of UI/UX design trends, including changes in technology, design processes, and user expectations
Tip: Use analytics to track conversions from mobile devices to identify opportunities for improvement through conversion rate optimization (CRO).
3. Reach for the tools
When it comes to targeting and analytics, there’s no shortage of tools to help you meet your goals. Google Analytics is free, and it’s one of the best options out there for CRO.
It offers valuable insights on how people reach you and what they do once they’re there. This can help you identify where the drop-offs are happening, and what you can do to prevent them. A few tips for testing and tracking for conversion rate optimization:
- Set up A/B testing
- Track user behavior
- Analyze and refine results
There are several tools that can help you with your CRO. Regardless of which you choose, the objective is to measure, track, tweak, and repeat!
4. Minimize your page load speed
Since the dawn of dial-up, we’ve dreaded a slow-loading page. What’s changed drastically, however, is our tolerance of them. Now, the slightest lag is enough to disrupt what could have been a successful conversion. Be sure to check every device for latency.
5. Emphasize your trustworthiness
Testimonials and trust badges let people know they can trust you, especially when the action you want them to take is a financial transaction. Case studies are a great way to provide both assurance and engaging content, and professional website content writing services can help you maximize the impact of your success stories.
What your audience needs to know is that the product and the provider they’re considering are both effective and reliable.
6. Optimize online forms
For sales and marketing campaigns, one of the most important elements on your website is the form. Forms are used to collect information from visitors, so it’s important that they be easy for users to fill out and complete. Here are some tips for optimizing forms:
- Reduce number of fields: The less work you ask your users to do, the more likely they will be to complete a form. For example, instead of asking users to read and answer a long, complex question, break it up into a few questions that are easier to understand and answer.
- Use pre-filled fields: Provide users with pre-filled information to reduce friction and encourage visitors to complete the desired action on your website.
- Use captchas: Captchas reduce spam submissions, as they only allow legitimate users to access and submit forms, making reviewing forms more efficient for you later on.
7. Use more videos
Videos are an excellent way to communicate complex concepts, but they can also be used to explain simple ideas. Videos that are short and to the point will help you drive conversions by providing visitors with all the information they need in one place, in an engaging format.
A good video should be relevant to your page and its purpose. For example, if you’re selling a product that helps businesses improve their customer service, create a video showing how one company has benefited from using your product.
Or, if you’re trying to promote something technical such as a software solution, consider creating an animated explainer video that illustrates how it works in simple terms so people understand its value without requiring any prior knowledge of what it does or how it works.
Putting together a conversion rate optimization strategy
Before you get started with these tips, take some time to consider how you will approach conversion rate optimization. Creating a conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy for your website is essential to drive more leads, sales, and overall engagement. Here are some suggested steps:
- Begin by defining your website’s primary goals, such as increasing newsletter sign-ups, product purchases, or contact form submissions.
- Next, analyze your website’s current performance using tools like Google Analytics to identify areas for improvement.
- Conduct thorough user research to understand your audience’s preferences and pain points.
- Implement A/B testing to experiment with different design elements, headlines, and call-to-action buttons.
- Continuously monitor your website’s performance, adjusting your strategy based on data-driven insights.
By focusing on user experience and data analysis, you’ll create a robust CRO strategy that leads to higher conversions and business growth.
A big part of conversion rate optimization is delivering exceptional and up-to-date website content and design. Engaging content captures visitors’ attention, while a visually appealing design ensures seamless navigation. Together, they create a positive user experience, encouraging visitors to complete desired actions such as purchases, sign-ups, or inquiries, ultimately boosting conversions.
To give your website visitors a top-notch experience from start to finish, reach out to us!
5. In addition to website conversions, what are some goals I can set for my website?
In addition to conversions, set goals like increasing user engagement, boosting organic traffic, reducing bounce rates, improving search engine rankings, fostering social media shares, enhancing brand awareness, and increasing average time spent on site. These goals contribute to a well-rounded digital strategy, driving overall business growth and success.
