If your goal is to increase your web page conversion rate, engage in the practice of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). There is a science and art to becoming a CRO expert. Take a close look at these ten traits of CRO and website testing experts to learn more.
Conversion Experts Know Consumer Psychology
To improve your conversion rate, you have to know your customers. Figure out what makes them click and you are golden. This involves consumer psychology. Your customers are visiting your site because they need or want something.
How well you relay your message via your content makes all the difference in the sale. A conversion expert knows how to implement concepts of consumer psychology to get to this stage. They understand how to best position calls to action to respond to consumer urgency, and it all starts with a solid design.
Conversion Experts Strive To Understand Your Customers
If you understand your customers, you are doing better than 59 percent of the rest of the marketing executives in the US. Being able to market to your customers starts with putting yourself in your customer’s shopping shoes. You have to know who they are and what they like. But this is only the beginning.
Once you develop a loyal following of customers, it is time to evaluate their website engagement. Follow through the buying process to best understand how well you are currently engaging your customers. A website testing expert will evaluate analytical data about your customers. They will use this data to predict how your buyers will interact with your company in the future.
Conversion Experts Use Data, Not Emotions
Speaking of data, conversion experts know how to do more than creating a customer satisfaction survey or setting up a user information poll. Sure, they can do that, but they have the statistical knowledge to generate customer data using user behavior tracking tools. A conversion expert will take this customer interaction data and use it to build a better experience for them.
Rather than getting upset personally because a website does not engage buyers, bounce rates and stronger UX is the focus. The quantitative, as well as qualitative, data that comes from data collection forms the decisions for conversion experts, not personal bias or opinions.
Conversion Experts Are Certified By Industry Institutions
In the internet marketing sphere, there are industry certifications that can distinguish you as a conversion expert. Website testing pros who are Google Analytics Certified know how to use Google Analytics data to their advantage. In addition, the CXL Institute offers dozens of CRO, UX, marketing, and analytics certifications.
Conversion experts have received their training and certification in website testing best practices with CRO certification in courses, such as Statistics for A/B Testing or Building and Scaling CRO Programs. The CXL Institute also offers the CRO agency masterclass for CRO agencies and consultants, which is something that industry-level conversion experts will likely pursue.
In addition, you will discover that website testing pros will be certified in tools that match their preferences. This can include tools like Visual Website Optimizer, Convert, or Optimizely for all-in-one services.
Conversion Experts Use Best In Class Tools
Whichever tools a conversion expert chooses, these are guaranteed to be the top of the line. These include Google Analytics for collecting consumer data and monitoring website traffic. Hotjar is the optimal tool for generating visuals, such as heatmaps or click maps.
You can capture real-time recordings of user activity on your site, as well as create user feedback polls that are customized according to user behavior. In addition, VWO and Optimizely are the top platform providers for website testing. Both are highly recommended among conversion experts and website testing professionals.
Conversion Experts Create Ongoing Testing Strategies
A testing strategy focuses on three areas—goals, timelines, and the actual testing. A conversion expert knows how to hone in on web marketing goals for clients. They will develop a feasible website testing schedule followed by a timeline for completion.
For each test conducted, there will be a concise and realistic hypothesis. This will be tested specifically to ensure clearcut results. This information is provided to you as the client so there is total transparency in the testing process. This, in turn, helps you to gain confidence in your own website testing expert's capabilities.
Conversion Experts Learn Something New From Each Test
A test is exactly that, a chance to test out a feature on your website. A conversion ace will take a failed test and work on creating a solution. Successful tests allow conversion pros to move on to another aspect of your site. It is a continual process that is always in flux since your business needs and marketing goals are constantly evolving.
Conversion Experts Love To Experiment
The key to a successful job as a conversion expert is experimentation. There are constantly new technologies and techniques available, which encourage this kind of activity. As a business owner or marketing manager, you benefit from staying up-to-date with the latest website features. This also positions your website to be a pioneer in a certain style or technique.
Conversion Experts Are Creative And Collaborate
Any true expert knows that experts are not formed in a bubble. To be a conversion expert, you have the triple threat of being a copywriter, a UX designer, and a team player. Collaboration with other web developers and online marketers is paramount for creating the ideal user experience.
At the same time, conversion experts are stylized on their professional creativity. They have a unique eye for web and user design that helps them, as well as your own website, stand out. A lot of this has to do with the actual content of the style, and writing great web copy doesn’t come easily to everyone.
Conversion Experts Have Great Case Studies To Show Their Work
All of this energy put into testing and optimizing your website for better user experience will be in vain if you don’t have access to testing data. A professional website tester will share test results with you and explain how they took the data and developed a UX strategy for further testing. They are also ready to move on from old test results and reevaluate design based on a clean slate.
It's important that you look for a Conversion Rate Optimization expert into consideration, it's important to ensure they are doing more than simply running tests. Make sure that they are qualified by asking their process behind testing strategies, what accreditations they have, and what tools they use to drive their work. Remember, CRO isn't just a marketing tactic, it's a digital marketing discipline that requires expertise in multiple areas in order to be successful.
Conversion Rate Optimization
About the author
Tom Kelly
Tom has worked in digital marketing since he started his career over a decade ago, working across the project and account side of the business.