However, some companies find that short-form landing pages work better for their audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, about 75 percent of businesses who responded to another study stated that they struggled to find experts to help them optimize their landing pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, 84 percent of landing pages have navigation bars, while studies show that removing navigation can boost conversions by up to 100 percent<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These numbers all illustrate why we need to focus on CRO if we want our businesses to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s look at some of the most important things you need to know about CRO. I\u2019ll walk you through the definition of CRO, the options you have for testing and iterating, and the strategies I\u2019ve used to grow my own websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Run your CRO strategy using Crazy Egg tools<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion rate optimization is the process of increasing the percentage of website visitors that convert on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if you have a 25 percent conversion rate, that means 25 percent of people who visit your website actually convert<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s kind of like running a retail store. Lots of people might enter and browse, but some leave without actually spending money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conve<\/span>rsion optimization process focuses on two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion rate is a ratio. It tells you what percentage of visitors to your website actually convert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The equation is pretty simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say 100,000 people visited your website last month. Of those visitors, 3,000 bought a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your conversion rate would be 3 percent (3,000\/100,000*100).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If 10,000 people converted, your conversion rate would jump to 10 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on your site, you’ll usually have one of these conversion actions as your primary goal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This primary conversion goals are also called macro conversions. They’re the main goal of your entire site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your site might also have micro conversions<\/a>, these are small steps that a visitor takes towards the larger conversion goal. They include things like social media shares, viewing specific pages, adding products to a shopping cart, downloading PDFs, watching videos, and that sort of thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We focus on the primary goal (the macro conversion) of the site when talking about the overall conversions rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at the impact from having a better conversion rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For our fictional business, we\u2019ll say that the company is selling just one product worth $300.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our first calculation, we came up with a conversion rate of just 3 percent. Three thousand people bought the product, which produced gross revenue of $900,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That sounds great. But what if we boosted that conversion rate<\/b> to our second equation, which quantified conversions at 10 percent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, revenue jumps to $3 million (10,000 people bought a product worth $300). Big difference, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion rate optimization really comes down to one major benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll get more customers from the same amount of traffic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This has a huge impact on most businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You probably have a monthly marketing budget that you use to maintain your traffic volume. Maybe it’s in paid marketing, maybe it’s in content or social. Either way, traffic costs money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion optimization, after it’s live, gives you more customers from the same amount of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In turn, you’ll see several great changes in your business:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending a few weeks or months on conversion optimization can unlock the next step in your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion rate optimization has a lot of moving parts. Here’s what they all mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell your customers exactly what you want them to do with a large, attention-grabbing CTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you searching for conversion rate optimization tips?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at the list of metrics above. You need to know your starting metrics \u2014 a baseline, if you will \u2014 so you\u2019ll know whether your CRO methods<\/b> actually work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can get lots of information for free via Google Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, let\u2019s say you want to start by focusing on bounce rate and time on page<\/a>. Other metrics that might influence those numbers could include page load time and UX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with a strategy that looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a good starting strategy. Test every one of them using both A\/B testing and multivariate testing to see how you come out, then repeat the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the ecommerce world, conversions often happen at prodigious paces. That\u2019s especially true if you sell inexpensive products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You have to make the purchase as simple and easy as possible. Shorten the checkout process<\/a>, offer more forms of payment, and allow customers to buy products as \u201cguests\u201d rather than having to create an account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion rate optimization best practices can help you improve your results from the very beginning. In other words, you won\u2019t have to start from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following are some of the tried-and-true best practices I\u2019ve used to accelerate my websites\u2019 growth. You’ll learn how to do conversion rate optimization:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who belongs in your target market. And, sometimes more importantly, who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want every marketing message to find its target. It must be so specific and compelling that your ideal customer can\u2019t refuse it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask your users to complete surveys or polls<\/a>. Keep the questions brief and few so you get more responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid repetitive or boring questions. You\u2019re looking for insights into your target customers\u2019 specific wants and needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember those metrics I mentioned earlier? Start tracking them. You can use conversion rate optimization tools like Crazy Egg<\/a>, Hello Bar<\/a>, and Google Analytics<\/a> to make sure you cover all your bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you gather more data, look for patterns. Maybe most of your customers find you via Twitter, for instance, or read your about page before looking at your products. You can use that information to boost conversion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t stress enough how important it is to run A\/B tests<\/a>. I\u2019m always testing every aspect of my offers because I don\u2019t want to leave money on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tools like Crazy Egg have built-in A\/B testing functionality. This means you don\u2019t have to comb through the data yourself and develop a pounding headache. Instead, you know the \u201cwinner\u201d and the winning variant gets the majority of the traffic even before the test concludes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mapping your buyers\u2019 journey can yield lots of tasty nuggets of data. Do they read lots of your blog posts? Do they follow you on social media? How far do they scroll down each page?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important pages on your website, such as your landing pages and product pages, deserve special attention. Run heatmap analysis<\/a> on those pages to see where people click and how they use the page. You can then optimize it for maximum conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/B testing doesn\u2019t stop after just one test. In fact, you might need dozens of tests before you craft the perfect page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Test your headline, body copy, hero image, CTA, CTA button color<\/a>, font size, font color, and anything else that might impact conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone starts out with a guess, but that\u2019s where the guesswork should stop. Once you\u2019re actively collecting data, make decisions based on what the numbers tell you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CTAs<\/a> and directional indicators can help you guide your customers where you want them to go. Be strategic about where you place CTAs, arrows, navigational panels, and other elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remove any elements that give the user pause or promote objections. For instance, if you don\u2019t need a paragraph of copy on your sales page, delete it. Or, if you want to make the information more digestible, turn it into bullet points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, even with lots of information circulating the Internet, business owners still make mistakes when it comes to conversion rate optimization. I\u2019d like to help you avoid the three most common pitfalls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your copywriting, include positive storytelling to help convey benefits. Help your reader envision himself benefiting from your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than half of consumers use their mobile devices to surf the Internet<\/a>. If your store isn\u2019t mobile-ready, you\u2019ll turn off prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your pages need to load fast. Consumers expect a page to fully load in fewer than 2 seconds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve already touched on multivariate and A\/B testing. They\u2019re both highly useful conversion rate optimization tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\/B testing<\/a> (also called split testing) is useful when you want to take a granular approach. You want to know how a CTA button\u2019s color impacts conversions, but you don\u2019t want anything else to contribute to the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Multivariate testing, on the other hand, works great when you have two very different versions of the same page or asset. Which one appeals most to your target audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can run A\/B and multivariate testing manually, but I don\u2019t recommend it. Use a tool to automate the process and get your results faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crazy Egg, for instance, allows you to set up a split test<\/a> and run it automatically. Crazy Egg will divide traffic evenly between the two versions, then hand you a \u201cwinner\u201d once the test has reached statistical significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have your results, record and analyze them. Why did your target audience prefer Version B, for instance? What aspect of the color red or the font Georgia or the wording of the CTA appealed to them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use this information for later without running an identical A\/B test<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve chosen a tool, such as Crazy Egg<\/a>, you can run lots of different experiments. Each tells you something unique about your website and its visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve nailed the basics, you can drill down on more specific aspects of your website\u2019s design, format, and copy to take conversion rate optimization to the next level. I recommend testing all of these facets of your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEO and conversion rate optimization might seem like two sides of a coin. One is designed to attract more traffic (SEO), while the other optimizes content for existing traffic <\/b>(conversion rate optimization).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So which matters more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my opinion, they\u2019re equally important. Without SEO, you can\u2019t get traffic in the first place. Without CRO, your traffic will produce fewer sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say you have a pretty good baseline for SEO, but it could use some improvement. First, though, you focus on conversion rate optimization. After a few months of hard work, your conversion rate jumps from 10 percent to 25 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Great work! But it\u2019s not over yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you have a good CRO baseline, how do you grow your sales even further? You drive more traffic to your site and get even more conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m a big fan of CRO and growth hacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through conversion rate optimization, I\u2019ve vastly improved my businesses\u2019 conversion rates, and I\u2019ve helped my clients do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, it takes work. But once you have the data, you can generate more sales and dominate your industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by understanding the definition of CRO and how it works. Focus on following the CRO best practices and avoiding the most common mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use the best conversion rate optimization tools in the business. Crazy Egg offers an ideal tool. Then keep testing. The more data you have, the better your chances of converting visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Is Conversion Rate (CRO) and How Do You Calculate It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/28152654\/conversion-rate-optimization-7.png\")
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The Biggest Benefit of Conversion Rate Optimization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Understanding the Parts of Conversion Optimization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Building an Effective Conversion Optimization Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/28152701\/conversion-rate-optimization-9.png\")
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Ecommerce Conversion Optimization<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"ecommerce](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/28152710\/conversion-rate-optimization-11.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep-by-Step Process to Double Your Conversion Rate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Identify your potential customer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Survey users<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Collect and analyze data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Run A\/B tests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"conversion](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/28152636\/conversion-rate-optimization-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Discover the exact journey visitors take through your site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Focus on the content that matters using heatmap analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Create the perfect page with A\/B testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Don’t “guess”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Guide your customers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
10. Reduce friction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Conversion Optimization Rate Mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Not adding positive emotional response<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Not adopting a mobile-first strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Not caring about the site speed <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Multivariate, or A\/B Testing? Find out How to Test and Optimize Conversions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Choose a testing platform<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Analyze A\/B test results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Top Conversion Rate Optimization Tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"top](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/28152652\/conversion-rate-optimization-6.jpg\")
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Advanced CRO Techniques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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SEO vs. Conversion Rate Optimization: Should You Focus on Increasing Traffic or Converting your Existing Traffic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n