From Browser to Buyer: An Essential Guide to Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) - A working definition
The ultimate aim of CRO is for businesses to onboard as many potential prospects as possible, with the use of less resources. The rewards are; a higher profit margin, a greater number of brand ambassadors for your products and services, and a sustainable business model which is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its customers.
Through the successful implementation of CRO, the quality of prospects who arrive at your website is increased, meaning that right-from-the-off, they stand a better chance of being converted, even before they are met with carefully targeted messaging.
Back to basics
The practice of conversion rate optimisation incorporates a number of marketing efforts, but should begin with a deep understanding of who your customers are so that you can accurately identify and target your ideal prospect. Today there’s a great deal of data out there which we can leverage to help us define our customer base. Using a popular solution such as Google Analytics, all standard customer metrics can be analysed, along with purchasing histories and behaviours. With this data you should be able to clearly define a buyer persona. If you own a startup, or have little in the way of existing data to draw on you can engage with surveys and interviews for further insights into your ideal customer.
Test, test, and test again!
Split testing (or, A/B testing) is a key component of conversion rate optimisation. With your ideal buyer persona defined, you can craft consistent messaging on key web pages that’s aimed directly at them. CTAs (calls-to-actions) can be created which stand the best chance of resonating with your ideal client, and the great thing with split testing is that you can change your messaging as you go.
Performance tracking
Of course, in order to review performance and establish which activities are having a positive impact on CRO, data must be tracked and monitored with analytics tools. Look for trends which indicate the right direction of travel, but it must be stated that CRO is an evolving process as your goals may change, markets may change, and customers themselves may even change. Your ambitions should be towards continual improvement and increased engagement. It should also be acknowledged that there is no magic number in terms of a precise conversion rate figure. It goes without saying that a higher conversion rate is more desirable, but whilst 5% may be considered very high in one sector, 1% may be thought of as very good in another.
Areas to focus on
When it comes to your website there are a number of key pages which can yield the best CRO results, and these are:
- Your Homepage - Have a clear, concise description of your offering
- The Pricing page - Utilise time-limited deals to create urgency
- Blog pages - Create content which targets your ideal customer
- Landing pages - Solve pain-points and point to brand ambassadors
These four sections of your site have the best potential for capturing and converting leads. They also are the best pages to track customer data, which can be used to further influence your messaging.
CRO Delivers sustainable growth
By successfully adopting CRO strategies, businesses have the potential to attract more organic visitors, which in turn drives a virtuous circle. Through continual testing and increased engagement, messaging will become even more refined. Retention can be further increased too, as more time is spent establishing the needs and pain-points of existing customers.
As we’ve illustrated here, there is a great deal to be gained through the practice of conversion rate optimisation, and it’s a strategy which can be adopted by each and every business, without exception.
