What is Conversion Rate Optimization?
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of increasing the percentage of visitors getting converted into paid users or customers to a website where a desired action is supposed to happen, such as making a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter. The desired action is known as a conversion, and the conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take the desired action.
CRO begins with a hypothesis about how a change to the website will impact conversion rates. This change is then implemented and tested against the original version of the site to see if it results in a higher conversion rate. If the results are positive, the change is implemented permanently. If the results are negative, the change is reverted and a new hypothesis is tested.
It is an ongoing process that should be incorporated into the regular maintenance of a website. By constantly testing and tweaking the user experience, businesses can ensure that they are providing the best possible experience for their visitors, which will lead to more conversions. Generally, sales, marketing, and UX teams run such hypotheses and track the results in a loop.
Characteristics of Conversion Rate Optimization
There are a number of characteristics that are associated with successful conversion rate optimization. Here are some of them:
- A clear understanding of what constitutes a conversion: In order to optimize conversion rates, it is essential to have a clear understanding of what constitutes a conversion. This will vary depending on the business and the product or service being offered.
- A focus on the customer: Conversion rate optimization should be focused on the customer and their needs. It is important to understand what motivates customers and what they are looking for.
- A willingness to experiment: Conversion rate optimization requires a willingness to experiment. This means trying different things and seeing what works best.
- A commitment to continuous improvement: Conversion rate optimization should be an ongoing process. This means constantly testing and tweaking the conversion process in order to improve results.
What is the Importance of Conversion Rate Optimization?
Conversion rate optimization is important because it helps you to increase the number of visitors to your website who take the desired action and generate more revenue. The desired action could be anything from signing up for a newsletter to making a purchase.
Here are some benefits of Conversion Rate Optimization:
- You will understand your customers better
- Improvement in acquisition costs
- Ability to leverage current website traffic
- Making UX more functional
- Improve LTV (Customer lifetime value)
- Helps you improving your brand reputation
Limitations of CRO
Improved CRO can help brands achieve their marketing goals faster, Though, there are some shortcomings for CRO as well.
- CRO will give you a limited picture for branding
- You can never optimize your digital properties for each and every users/visitor
- A higher conversion rate doesn’t mean improved revenue
- Higher web traffic will decrease conversion rate