Every business owner understands the importance of attracting visitors to their website. But once they’re there, how many of them actually convert into paying customers or leads? The stark reality is that the average website conversion rate is hovering at about 2.5%. That means that the vast majority of visitors leave without taking action. This is where conversion rate optimisation comes into play.
Here, we’ll take a look at the benefits of CRO, what it is, and why it’s a must-have for any business with an online presence.
What is Conversion Rate Optimisation?
CRO is the process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action. This might be anything from making a purchase to signing up for a newsletter or filling out a contact form. Basically, CRO focuses on understanding user behaviour and making changes based on data to boost the chances of actions.
The top goal is to maximise the value of your current traffic.
While making sure your copy maximises search engine visibility and gets new potential customers in is important, CRO helps you get more out of the visitors you already have. There are some pretty simple ways to do this, too, and it can bring big benefits.
How Conversion Rate Optimisation Can Help Your Business
It’s a great way to increase revenue.
The most obvious benefit of CRO is that it has a direct impact on your bottom line. By improving your conversion rate, you can increase your sales without needing to increase traffic.
It’s highly cost-efficient.
CRO is a great way of getting plenty of bang for your advertising buck. Because it’s so cost-effective, it’s a brilliant addition to a wider campaign like PPC or content marketing.
It gives you that competitive advantage.
Standing out is always crucial. CRO gives you an edge by making sure your website gives an excellent user experience (UX). A well-optimised site builds trust and credibility with your audience.
What Does an Effective CRO Strategy Look Like?
Think about what you want.
This is the starting point for any strategy, and CRO is no different. To make the most of the benefits of CRO, you need to have a really clear idea of what you want your customers to do.
Sometimes, this will be straightforward – if you run a hotel, you want a customer to make a booking. Or, maybe your aims are a bit more indirect.
Perhaps your organisation is in the tech sector, in which case presenting yourself as a thought leader with a newsletter or article engagement might better suit your needs.
Having a clear plan of whether you want your ideal customer to engage, get in touch, or make a purchase is vital.
You need a good UX design.
A user-friendly website layout is one of the foundations of a successful CRO strategy. If people can’t easily get to what they need, they’ll click off your site and head to one where they can.
To fully realise how CRO can help you, make sure your site is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and free from clutter.
Try A/B testing.
A/B testing involves comparing two versions of a webpage to determine which one performs better.
Let’s say you want people to sign up for a monthly newsletter for your recruitment business, but your current page isn’t cutting it. You’d make a second page with one variable change – let’s say a different title – and then measure which version performs better.
This helps you to identify and act on the shortcomings and advantages of your website.
Optimise your landing pages.
Landing pages are often the first point of contact for potential customers. Headings should be clear, informative, and targeted to the customer, while calls to action (CTAs) need to be appealing and actionable.
Relatable social proof helps a lot, too. Testimonials, case studies, and reviews give your offerings a legitimacy that can pump up your conversion rate.
Think carefully about CTAs.
Clear and compelling CTAs are essential to guide users towards conversion. Make sure they stand out visually and use action-oriented language to motivate users.
Knowing your customers is key here so that you can craft your CTAs to the right tone. Strong imperatives like ‘call our team’ or ‘get a quote’ might work best for sales-oriented businesses, while ‘reach out today’ or ‘find out more’ can have a better result in others.
Utilise data where you can.
Analytics and data help you understand your users’ behaviour and identify areas for improvement. Use tools like Google Analytics to track how long users are staying on pages, how often they’re clicking off, and whether they’re taking action.
Want to See How Conversion Rate Optimisation Can Help You?
Our CRO experts take the time to get to know your business, your customers, and the actions you want them to take. By analysing your website’s UX and asking crucial questions about your needs and preferred outcomes, we can keep your customers locked in and prevent them from clicking away.
From the outset, we’re focused on turning mere visits into valuable sales and engagements. If you want to find out more about how we can support you, get in touch with our team today or click here to learn more about the process.