What is CRO?
CRO, or conversion rate optimization, is the practice of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action on a website. Desired actions may include purchasing a product, clicking "add to cart," signing up for a service, filling out a form, or clicking a link.
The current conversion rate on a page can be calculated by dividing the total number of users who had a chance to perform an action by the number of performed actions and multiplying that by 100 percent.
The formula for calculating CRO:
(A ÷ C) x 100% = CR
A - actions (number of actions performed by users)
C - clicks (number of clicks by users)
CR - conversion rate
Based on the concept of CRO, a completely separate type of marketing has emerged, namely CRO Marketing, which focuses on increasing conversion rate.
The basic question driving professionals working in this industry is:
What can be done to increase the number of shares without increasing the cost of traffic acquisition?
Different approaches to the topic of CRO
There are two fundamentally different approaches to conversion optimization. Both carry some value and are worth knowing in order to potentially choose the most appropriate system for your business.
Traditional
Based primarily on numerical values, it has been known and consistently used in marketing for many years. It is ruled by conversion percentages, averages, and benchmarks. This emphasis on a numerical approach has its drawbacks, of course.
One is that the more you look at spreadsheets full of data points and conversion actions, the less you think about the people behind them. It's an undesirable approach because focusing on the users' approach and tailoring your business to them should be a priority.
Holistic
This way is more user-centric and it's worth looking into in the long run. First of all, it highlights the fact that, in reality, there are many obstacles independent of CRO's actions before achieving conversions. Simply focusing on the end goal, conversions, is important of course, but you should also pay attention to all the steps between the entrance to the site and the final purchase by the customer.
In our opinion, a holistic approach is much more natural and closer to solving real problems, although of course, it is still worth relying on data analysis and some calculations.
Where to start with conversion optimization?
The key is to realize that there are specific elements and reasons that are preventing you from achieving a higher level of achieved conversions. Do not approach these issues one-dimensionally and generalize the problem.
These are the tangible aspects that attract, retain and convince customers to convert and the goal of the CRO person is to find, analyze and improve these aspects.
Not every problem is quantifiable, backed by hard numbers and a clear answer. Sometimes an obvious technical error by a store standing in a customer's path to purchase blocks the lion's share of users from doing something, and fixing that error will fix the whole situation.
Sometimes, however, a site works perfectly and yet traffic still doesn't convert. In such cases, it remains to delve deeper into data analysis (such as from Google Analytics or heat maps). This allows you to deduce the behavior of your users and draw conclusions.
However, there are questions that are always worth answering before starting specific conversion optimization tasks:
- Is the site designed taking UX issues into account?
- Is the site technologically optimized and does it meet the conditions of responsiveness (it's worth paying attention to Core Web Vitals)?
- Are the instructions explaining how to navigate the site worded unambiguously and in a simple way?
- Was the shopping process on the site designed according to proven solutions or through data analysis?
- Does the site answer all the questions a user may have in the conversion process?
- Does the site inspire trust by including full company contact information, return policy, terms and conditions, safety certifications, positive and real customer reviews?
If some of these conditions are not met by a particular website, then these are the issues to be addressed first. If all the issues are resolved, then further analysis through specific tools should follow.
There are also universal Quick Wins style methods that are ideal for increasing conversion rates. These are worth implementing whenever possible, as they can make a big difference with little cost and commitment. Examples include:
- Using distinctive, eye-catching colors for all CTA buttons (calls to action like "Check it out!", "Explore the offer")
- Placing additional CTAs in the part of the page that is visible on the screen as soon as it loads
- Use temporal methods (e.g. limited time offers, promotions, sales) to increase sales
- Displaying collected positive feedback about an offer, service, or other specific benefits of a page
- Speeding up the purchase process (reducing the steps needed to complete an order)
- Using fewer fields in the forms available on the website (in the shopping cart, when creating an account)
- Allowing purchases without an account
Tools to help optimize conversions
Before choosing the right tool, it's worth spending some time on your own analysis based on intuition, experience, and most importantly: interaction with the creators of the site or potential customers, by:
- Getting to know the real opinions of users about the website
- Immersing yourself in the market (getting to know your competitors and their solutions)
- Talking to the creator of the website
- Talking to the employees who sell and support your product/service
- Combining information from different sources and drawing conclusions
It's hard to formulate specific questions you should ask to get the desired results. However, it is certainly worth trying, because there is a chance to find an anchor point for further analysis.
Quantitative tools
These enable you to collect quantitative (numerical) data to track what's happening on your site, based on real-world results
- General analytics tools that track site traffic (e.g. Google Analytics)
- Site heatmap tools that collect the number of clicks, scrolls, and traffic to your site (e.g. HotJar, Yandex.Metrica)
- Path tools that measure when users leave the sales path (e.g. HotJar)
- Customer satisfaction tools (CSAT) that measure customer satisfaction (on a scale of 1 to 10, e.g. Nicereply)
- Tools that use the Net Promoter System to measure the likelihood that people will recommend your site/product to someone else (on a scale of 0 to 10)
- Form analysis tools that track form submission data (e.g. Zuko)
Non-numeric tools
They help gather non-numeric data showing how site visitors behave:
- Site feedback tools (on-page surveys and external links) where visitors are asked questions about their experience (e.g. Mopinion or Hotjar)
- Online reviews where you can read more about how people view your brand and product (e.g. LocalClarity, Google My Business)
- Site session recording/playback tools that show how individual users navigate your site (e.g. HotJar)
- Usability testing tools where potential or existing customers can express their thoughts and opinions about the site (e.g. Maze)
- Form analysis tool (e.g. Zuko)
Tools for testing changes and potential improvements
Once you've collected quantitative and non-numerical data and developed conclusions about what's happening on your site, it's time to use testing tools. They allow you to make changes, as well as report on them, to see if your specific conversion optimization efforts are going in the right direction.
- A/B testing tools that help you test different versions of your site to find the most effective one (especially recommended for high traffic sites to make sure the results are statistically valid. We can use, for example, the free Google Optimize tool for this, or VMO, Optimizely, etc.)
- Conversion tracking analytics tools that track and monitor conversions (Google Analytics with an e-commerce module implemented)
- Site heat map + session recording tools that allow you to compare different variations of your site and user behavior (e.g. HotJar)
- Site feedback tools (such as visual feedback widgets or NPS dashboards like Userback)
