Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): 13 Ways To Get Started

Many businesses focus on attracting new leads in the race to sell successfully. You're more likely to accomplish your conversion goals if you have more potential clients.

It's no longer only about increasing website traffic to promote revenue. To truly grow revenue and convert more visitors, you must optimize your website's user experience. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a new method that has yielded positive results for several websites.

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is a continuous process of analyzing data and responding to customer feedback to maximize the percentage of visitors who take the desired action on your website. For example, completing a purchase, clicking 'add to basket,' signing up for an email list, or clicking a link are all examples of desired activities. The goal of CRO is to improve the site's user experience.

What is Conversion Rate Optimization? 

The act of altering your website so that visitors are more likely to perform what you want them to is known as conversion rate optimization. This can range from joining up for your email newsletter to purchasing something.Conversion percentages, averages, and benchmarks are critical to standard definitions of Conversion Rate Optimization, such as the one we just mentioned. ‍

However, this focus on numbers has a drawback: the more you look at spreadsheets full of conversion data points and activities, the less you think about the people who created them.

Consider this alternative, more holistic and user-centric definition of CRO: think of it as the process of focusing on understanding what motivates, discourages, and persuades your users so that you can provide them with the best possible user experience—which, in turn, encourages them to convert and improves your website conversion rate.

Not every issue is quantifiable, backed by facts, and has an obvious solution for increasing conversions. Yes, sometimes an evident fault is preventing 80% of your customers from completing a task. Correcting that one bug will save your entire business; other times, your website performs flawlessly, but users are still not converting. 

Instead, begin by concentrating on micro-conversions. These are the conversions that get potential customers closer to achieving your end goal. For example, your eventual goal would be something along the lines of making a purchase, which is sometimes referred to as a macro-conversion.

13 ways to build a successful CRO strategy

There are a variety of reasons to develop a CRO plan for your online business. To begin with, your conversion rate is related to your return on investment. It also helps to combat your visitors' short attention spans by allowing them to swiftly identify the things they need before hitting the back button and moving on to other possibilities.

Before you build a CRO plan for your online business, there are a few things to think about.

• Make sure your CTA is clear and prominent on your home page and landing sites.
• Distracting and unclear graphics should be avoided.
• Pay special attention to the site's usability. The goal is to give your website visitors the best possible user experience (UX).
• Implement the best SEO tactics to improve your website's visibility in search engines.
• Customer testimonials should be prominently displayed on your website to increase trust and conversions.
  

Now, before moving on to developing competitive CRO strategy methods, let’s talk a little about budgeting your CRO strategy.

CRO strategy budgeting and finance

It’s no surprise that investments in conversion rate optimization software and services are rapidly expanding. However, website conversion professionals and business owners disagree on how much money should be spent on CRO.

But one thing is sure: experts believe that businesses that want to enhance their conversion rates should invest more in CRO than they do now.

According to web analytics leader Omniture, employing a campaign-specific, standalone landing page instead of sending users to the homepage can increase conversion rates by 25%. 

It is also crucial to secure all the transactions through your business' website and ensure website security, building a sense of trust with customers. 

Keep in mind that the sole purpose of conversion rate optimization is to lower your cost per acquisition or CPA. You do it by allocating a portion of your monthly marketing budget to CRO goods and services to increase your conversion rate. To put it another way, you're not investing money to get new customers. Instead, you want to turn your current visitors into paying clients (acquired through your present marketing activities).

If you haven't developed a conversion rate optimization strategy for your company yet, now is the time to do so. Without one, it will be difficult for your company to generate trust and drive conversions.

1. Use Influential CTAs and Headlines

Whether you are a product discovery platform or an online services platform, the headlines on your home page and landing pages are the first things visitors see when they enter your store.

A headline is a single-line sentence that summarises your entire sales pitch. The goal of fascinating headlines is to grab the interest of potential customers while also providing a solution to their problems.

Minor tweaks to your headlines can make a big difference in your conversion rates. Create a few headlines that are clear, concise, and, most importantly, original (Needless to say, the ease in which these elements can be configured will vary significantly based on the type of website building platform you choose).

Hosting or being a part of relatable podcasts is another way to understand what headlines appeal to the niche. If you're a podcast producer, you should always stay up to date on current podcast trends so you can respond to viral material.

Furthermore, internet headline analyzing tools can assist you in fast improving and optimizing your headlines.

CTAs that are intriguing, like headlines, motivate buyers to take action. Therefore, your website's CTAs should be strategic. You should also make sure they're visible to your visitors by placing them correctly on your sites.

According to a study, the best spot to put CTAs is directly above the fold. But, again, there are various internet tools that you can use to improve your website's buttons, sales pops, price tables, and other forms of CTAs.

2. Provide simple navigation

Given the level of competition in the online world, you should improve every component of your website design to provide the most significant possible user experience. To put it another way, the easier your website navigation is, the more likely you are to attract sales.

When it comes to eCommerce businesses, simple navigation

Avoid using navigation links on your website and A/B test alternative designs to discover which one converts the best. 

Create a personalized menu with straightforward content. You may also enhance traffic to your landing pages by employing the best internal linking methods. Test out the prototype before making them live. If you are wondering how to make a prototype, go step by step, starting from understanding the demands of SEO to the strength of the reach of the internal links. 

If you're unsure about developing your website, go with a theme that takes care of everything for you. There are numerous feature-rich themes for eCommerce systems that provide users with personalized design possibilities.

3. Optimize Fast Loading Time

While many people do not believe website loading speed is a significant conversion element, how can you expect conversions if clients abandon your store before it loads?

According to Google research, more than 53% of buyers quit an eCommerce website if it takes longer than three seconds to load.

As a result, it should come as no surprise that a quick loading time is critical to the success of your online business.

There are various things you can do to increase the speed of your website. First, make sure to test your website's speed using one of the many internet tools accessible, such as GTmetrix.

The following stage is to resolve the issues using the appropriate solutions after you've effectively recognized them.

4. Think of Verified Payments, Trust Badges, and Free Shipping

Customers like to buy from reputable and trustworthy brands. Building rapport and trust are some of the most effective strategies to improve your brand's reputation.

You can accomplish this by displaying your trust seals, quality certifications, and verification tags. 

Display this information prominently on your checkout page so that customers can trust your brand and make their purchases.

Display any other reward you're offering to your customers in addition to verified badges and trust seals. For example, if your company has a 50% off discount or you offer free shipping across the country, be sure to highlight this information with a CTA at several locations so that buyers can feel assured and make a purchase swiftly.

5. Don’t forget about optimization for mobile devices

It goes without saying that in 2021, the mobile optimization of your eCommerce site will be more vital than ever.

Almost everyone nowadays owns a smartphone. With a mobile-responsive website, you can reach out to clients who are constantly on the move. If you sell products primarily aimed at millennials, you must guarantee that your store can easily reach out to them via a mobile-friendly website. So, while working on a CRO strategy, make sure your project manager understands the importance of mobile friendliness and can implement it efficiently. 

6. Create content of the Highest Quality

To begin, we recommend developing content towards the top of the funnel to appeal to a bigger audience. When customers return to your website and become more engaging, you may produce content that assists them in moving through the contemplation and conclusion stages. Use SaaS renewal email templates to keep your eCommerce business responses afresh to individual customer needs and guiding them through the buying process.

Brands that spend time and money creating high-quality content will see more remarkable results than those who plagiarise content from other sites.

Make sure your social media management team provides excellent information to your socials and website visitors, whether in the form of blog entries, product descriptions, or long-form how-tos or tutorials.

When consumers read your content on your website or other platforms, they begin to think of your brand as a trustworthy source.

The procedure begins with keyword research. You can find the optimal blend of high-volume, medium-volume, and low-volume keywords using Google Keyword Planner. 

While SEO is an essential part of any content strategy, you shouldn't fill your material with keywords. Remember that you're writing for people, not search engines.

7. Create landing pages that are optimized

The most common error made by online sellers when developing a CRO strategy is directing all of their traffic to their Homepage.

Because Homepage is a generic page, your visitors will have to spend more time searching for the products they need.

Rather than directing visitors to your home page, you should send them to optimized and focused landing pages. For example, create distinct landing pages for each product category on your website so that potential buyers can quickly locate what they're looking for without having to go out of their way.

Add relevant CTAs to encourage action and boost sales.

8. Showcase customer testimonials and reviews

Testimonials and customer reviews are other effective means of establishing trust and rapport. These reviews are usually shown shortly after the product specifics so that potential clients may verify that the information is correct. This is more than an effective way of increasing customers, as one would feel a sense of trust and appeal while going through such reviews or testimonials. 

According to Nielsen research, more than 92% of customers will believe a referral from a friend or family member, and more than 70% will trust a review from someone they don't know.

The idea is that if others are happy with your products and services, they may use their authentic reviews and testimonials to help other prospects convert.

To boost conversions, encourage your consumers to make a personalized product review video that you can upload to your website. You can even ask them to upload the review to YouTube as user-generated content (UGC).

9. Build a Sense of Scarcity/Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is one of the most effective strategies to increase conversions. For example, you may entice clients by offering a bargain like "Get 70% off chosen products for the next 24-hours."

Whether you are selling electric skateboards or the latest range of fashion products, the 'Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)' will drive purchasers to make a quick purchase decision, and your conversion rate will rise noticeably.

Similarly, you can create a sense of scarcity by stating that the stock of your best-sellers is running low.

10. Be Open and Honest

This is one of the most important yet frequently neglected conversion elements that can help you double your sales in a matter of days. It involves the customers and the employees, as they should be made aware of changes up to date to avoid any confusion. 

Keeping the employees involved in decision-making is increasingly gaining traction as one of the most crucial job satisfaction metrics. With active employee engagement, your organization will enhance productivity, retain top personnel, and work quality. All this, in turn, will drive the company towards better conversions. This is why it’s important to include your company culture in the onboarding checklist to integrate employees beforehand. 

Throughout the process, be open and honest. Avoid surprising your customers with hidden fees during the checkout process. To help consumers understand what they may expect, be very explicit about your pricing and convey the entire upfront cost, including delivery.

Consider email marketing tools, as optimizing email communication can improve trust between the business and customers. Moreover, check your SPF records and keep high email deliverability for best results. Make sure to include links to your social media profiles in your company's email signature. It's simple to prepare. It will only take a few minutes if you use Sender tools or other email marketing solutions.

Transparency helps you enhance conversions and enables you to establish a loyal client base that will stick with you for a long time.

11. Make use of images and videos

Capture images and create product videos for your potential customers to see what they can expect from your offer, no matter your business niche. 

Customers can't touch or see things online as they can in a real-time buying experience; therefore, providing the best user experience is more important than ever. Select high-resolution pictures and optimize them for increased conversions.

Consider influencer marketing strategies by using images or videos, as it is a proven promoter of businesses. CreatorIQ is one such infamous tool to get the job done and improve conversions. 

12. Protect User Privacy

Users are typically required to submit personal information, such as a credit card number and address, or just a phone number, to convert.

Users are typically hesitant to enter personal information online, especially if they are unfamiliar with a brand or organization, due to widespread news of data breaches and other privacy issues.

As a result, businesses must build confidence and ensure users that their data will be safe, so never compromise on website protection. 

Make it obvious why you need the information you're requesting above your contact form, during your checkout process, or elsewhere on your site.

Don't ask for information that isn't required. Instead, make it clear to people what you plan to do with their knowledge and data. Have a privacy policy in place and, more importantly, follow it.

13. Engage & Entertain

You should be constantly working on customer lifecycle and retention strategy, once they've arrived on your site. Users will not stay on your site long enough to convert if you do not mark them engaged.

Users nowadays have learned to expect engaging websites and fun online experiences. This poses a problem for marketers. How can we keep people entertained while also providing important information?

One strategy is to use animation to supplement the text. The addition of movement to the page gives a new dimension that draws the eye in. As a result, animation and gifs are simple strategies to increase the level of engagement on your website.

In addition, video is a powerful tool to use on landing pages and throughout your website. Make a video that conveys information about your product, service, or brand as a whole. Ensure it's captioned for deaf or hard of hearing individuals and for others who are watching without sound.

Also, show off your brand's personality. Demonstrate your sense of humor. Be true to yourself. Discuss your values. Allow users to get to know you, and they'll appreciate it.

Meanwhile, remember to direct users to take action. Please clarify what you want the user to do, whether to sign up to be part of the email database, seek a quote, or make a purchase.

Visitors are more likely to follow through on your call to action and convert if you've presented your value amusingly and engagingly.

Conclusion

Raw data alone can't tell you everything you need to know about what drove a user to your site or how to improve their experience. However, when you combine this data with your analytics data, you may get a far better idea of which pages on your site offer the most opportunity to optimize and engage the audience you want to reach.

Conversion optimization strategies are systematic and can be implemented on individual pages or across an entire website. They use a combination of creativity and data analysis to achieve their goals. Some arbitrary figure doesn't determine success; instead, you define your objectives based on measures that make sense for your business.

"What does CRO mean?" you might wonder at the end of the day. The solution does not have to be complicated. The design of your website or landing page isn't set in stone for conversion optimization. You should constantly be testing it and comparing its results to the data. Google Analytics and UserTesting are two of your best pals. In the world of CRO marketing, guesses are too expensive.

‍