The conversion rate is the percentage of how many visitors ‘convert’ – or answer a call to action.
A call to action is what a website owner wants visitors to do – like buy something, invest in their services, contact them for a consultation, sign up for their email list, etc.
A high conversion rate means a website is successful in attracting the attention of visitors and getting them to answer the call to action or ‘convert’. A low conversion rate indicate the opposite is happening and the webmaster should implement steps to rectify the situation. If you fail to do this, simply put, your website will fail. This is disastrous for your business, but there are ways to avoid this. It’s called CRO. Crazy Egg in the article The 13 Most Effective Ways to Increase your Conversion Rate tells us that ‘for every 100 visitors, you can expect to only get 2 customers. And honestly, that’s a pretty good conversion rate’.
CRO Works….it really does. Just imagine doubling your sales in a matter of weeks!
One of the best ways of increasing conversion rates is through Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). The CRO process is a systematic approach to making a website more appealing to visitors by enhancing user experience, streamlining the process of answering the call to action and making the most of the traffic the site already has. If your website is not performing, then it doesn’t have a CRO strategy.
Also Read: How to Increase the Sales Conversion Rate of My Website?
CRO is a multifacted approach that encompasses proven tactics for improving conversion rates.
Some of the most common tool used in CRO are:
- Site Analytics Monitoring
- Visitor Feedback Monitoring
- Usability Testing
- Traffic Analyisis
- Landing Page Optimisation
- Ecommerce Conversion Testing
- Heatmaps – check the best heatmap tools here
- Multivariate Testing
When done right, CRO can be an invaluable tool to have in your online marketing arsenal.
Some of the most notable benefits of CRO are:
Makes use of your current traffic
You’re likely already paying for the traffic you have via paid advertising, PPC campaigns or other methods of SEO. CRO makes use of the traffic you already have so that your advertising budget doesn’t increase.
Creates a stronger, more loyal customer base
More often than not, if you make a client happy, they will be back. Providing them with an enhanced user experience via CRO is one way to ensure repeat customers and build brand loyalty. Just imagine adding on a website and hating what you find? You’ll never return. Improving CRO rates means that customers are more likely to stay and engage with the site. The more they are on your site browsing between pages, the lower your bounce rates and in turn better SEO rankings.
Increases ROI
By default, sales increase as your conversion rate does. CRO allows you to generate more revenue by utilizing the sales platform you already have in place, instead of investing in new methods of attracting business.
Gives you a competitive edge in your industry
Despite the many benefits of CRO and the large profit margins, it can create, the vast majority of websites either have no idea it exists or simply fail to follow through with its implementation. Doing so can give your brand the edge it needs to outsell the competition.
The page snapshot below is a great example of how conversion rate optimisation has helped a divorce lawyer in Sydney; Doolan Wagner not only helps improve their Google rankings but inquiry rates with some simple on-page tweaks and adjustments. View the webpage here. The content was thin and there were few call to action but all that was required was a few simple amends and they are now seeing the benefits of how vital CRO is for attracting and engaging new clients.
Every website can benefit from CRO, regardless of how well the business is doing. There is always room for improvement so don’t assume just because your sales aren’t slow right now that they couldn’t be better. On the other hand, if your conversion rate isn’t as high as you would like it to be or you’re just not seeing the results you hoped for when creating your website, CRO is definitely something to consider.