Conversion Rate Optimization 101

Conversation Rate Optimization, or CRO, involves identifying the reason that website traffic isn’t converting into dollar signs, and fixing that problem at its roots. The higher your website’s conversion rate, the more money you make, the more effectively your advertising budget is spent, and the more repeat business you attain. But how can conversion rates be optimized to double or even triple?

Step 1: Step into the Customer’s Shoes

You can’t understand what may or may not be turning potential customers away until you experience the process as they would. Head to your website, browse the available information, and purchase a product. Take notes and screenshots to document your journey, and then reflect on what needs to be altered. This may sound like an obvious first step, but it is often forgotten!

Step 2: Stop Ignoring Google Analytics

Though Google Analytics takes some time to establish and understand, your time investment will be very worth it when you can immediately identify where you’re losing the most traffic and what opportunities exist to improve conversions. You can see everything about your website, right down to the most clicked areas on your pages and how far down viewers scroll before leaving.

Step 3: Ask the Customers!

What better way to identify the problem than to ask the people who don’t convert? Gather data via online surveys or phone calls to get to the source of the issue. Customers can provide feedback that you may not even have considered from the vantage point of the business operator.

Step 4: Brainstorm Solutions

Every great idea starts with a list, so create one with all of the issues you discovered and determine how each can be overcome. What hidden opportunities are out there to transform low conversion rates? Prioritize, develop, test, and track changes. Little by little, you will notice your conversion inching upward – right along with your profit margins.