5 Reasons Why Conversion Rate Optimization Is Important

We’re always surprised when we learn that businesses haven’t heard about Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), but we’re even more surprised when we hear that those who have heard of CRO aren’t taking advantage of it in their digital marketing strategy. That’s concerning to us as trusted business advisors because it’s an incredible advantage to find pain points on your website and then test ideas to fix them for better user engagement.

Every website and webpage has a goal, a purpose, or a reason for existing. Usually, the goal of a website or webpage is to assist the users in taking an action or converting, or moving them down the funnel to do so. Sometimes web pages simply do not achieve these goals, and CRO is a service that can be leveraged to help your website convert at a higher rate. It’s also a service that:

• Shows you how users are actually using your site
• Eliminates guesswork about if changes will work
• Shows real ROI
• Can be used forever in your digital marketing

But that’s not the only reasons why CRO is an important asset to add to your digital marketing toolbox. Below are some more reasons!

If You're Not Doing It, You're Leaving Money On The Table (Or Throwing It Away)

It’s interesting to hear from customers that the main goal for their digital marketing strategy is “more traffic to our site”, usually because “more traffic” is a means to an end. What we mean by this is that when a client or customer says that they want “more traffic”, what they really want is more conversions, revenue, signups, etc. But it’s important to separate the two; more traffic coming to your website doesn’t automatically mean more conversions. 

In fact, this is a very dangerous mode of thinking, because it could mean that you are inadvertently “dumping” more marketing budget into more traffic, when all you need is to test moving buttons or new copy. This is where the beauty of Conversion Rate Optimization comes in. Sometimes the main reason that users do not convert is because there is no clear direction and Conversion Rate Optimization allows you to test ideas and layouts that give users a clear sense of direction; a next step if you will.

Blindly implementing changes to your website or webpages could potentially deter users more from taking action on your site. It could also potentially leave money on the table, or worse, throw it off the table completely. CRO eliminates those dangers and puts you in control of how your website performs, implementing changes that you know will work through thorough testing.

CRO Is An Integral Part Of Digital Marketing Moving Forward

The digital marketing landscape, whatever industry you are in, is constantly changing. Not only that, your audience and their preferences are changing as well. These changes run the gamut:

• How we browse the internet
• How we find content
• How we digest content
• How we convert on a website
• New technologies that make our sites work easier

While new technologies and preferences come and go, it’s important that you let data be your guide and test any new assumptions before pushing them live on your website. With CRO you are able to:

• Gather data
• Make a hypothesis
• Create a design
• Run an A/B test with a new variation vs a control (present site)
• Measure which version outperforms the other
• Implement the winning variation

Not only is this process fundamental moving forward, but having it as part of your CRO strategy is the only sure shot way to know that changes to your website will work, saving you time, effort, money, and most importantly, users. One bad experience on your website, and chances are those users are gone for good. Eliminate that possibility with CRO.

Give Your Audience What They Really Want

CRO is a data driven service pulling from multiple resources, meaning you use not only Google Analytics to guide your testing, but surveys, feedback from customers, heat mapping, user testing, and more! The information you gather from these data sets is invaluable, because it’s directly from your website’s users and you can see where the biggest obstacles are.

Through careful analyzation and research of these resources, you’ll be able to pinpoint what your users are looking for on your website, where they are clicking, what issues they are having, and what information may be needed for them to stay on your website, or continue down the funnel. With a proper eye on these data points, you begin to get a more clear picture of how your website could convert better moving forward, not just now, but long term.

Just Because It Worked For Them, Doesn't Mean It Will Work For You

When it comes to making changes on your website, best practices aren’t universal. What this means is that what may have worked for one company or competitor in their case study, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you and your website, or more importantly, your audience. This is why utilizing CRO is extremely important in making changes to your website.

When you see pain points on your website, whether it be through your Google Analytics data, heatmapping, or feedback from a customer, you need to make a list of hypothesis on why the issue is occurring. From there, you can prioritize the issues that are hindering your users most, and attack them in order. While case studies and articles will tell you what changes worked for other companies in their testing, always make sure that you are thinking of YOUR audience, and what changes would make them the most happy when browsing your website. No two audiences are the same and no two audiences needs are necessarily the same either.

CRO gives you the ability to test changes you think will work best. Use it before you make sweeping changes that may not have an effect on, or worse,decrease user engagement!

CRO Puts You Leaps And Bounds In Front Of The Competition

CRO is an incredible competitive advantage for your website and brand. When you optimize your website in a way that get users information they need to make decisions faster or more easier, it gives you the competitive edge in your industry. Leveraging CRO ongoing in your digital marketing campaigns gives you invaluable insights to how users are engaging with your website and your brand online, something that the competition would love to know as well! It builds your brand as a brand that listens, that gets users what they are wanting, and consistently delivers a stellar user experience.

Even the smallest increases in page load times, or a button being moved slightly up, could be the bump your website needs to overtake the competition. Remember, winning is winning, whether by inches or feet, and with CRO, you have the competitive edge to win the competition every single time.

Conclusion

When it comes to making changes on your website, don’t leave it to chance. The benefits of CRO continue well past the points that we have listed above, but the idea stays the: the ability to test ideas and changes to your website that will give users a better overall experience is an incredible advantage in the digital marketing landscape. Properly researching data, prioritizing findings, testing remedies to issues on your site, and implementing variations that testing shows to be successful will not only see your website convert better as a result, but will also help build your brand into a consistent and streamlined asset. Don't get left behind, focus on conversion rate optimization and make it a part of your digital marketing strategy today!

If you have any questions for Marcel Digital and our team of CRO experts, feel free to contact us, find us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or shoot us an email - we’re more than happy to help in whatever we can and answer whatever questions you may have! Good luck!