Is it time to embrace Conversion Rate Optimisation?

By Owain Powell

18th December 2019

While SEO and PPC remain the key cogs that spin the wheel of brand awareness for organisations across the web, what happens when your business website achieves visibility in Google’s search index, and has subsequent visits but few conversions?

For years, designers and digital marketers have been left scratching their heads and perhaps wondering which way to turn in their bid to increase website conversions; often making decisions based on assumptions and opinion rather than fact.

CRO eliminates guesswork with fact-based, actionable insights.

Back in 2015, conversion rate optimisation (CRO) became the #buzzword of the digital industry. Now, many working within the digital industry are starting to understand the true value of CRO not just as a concept, but as a practice. The typical 3-step process is as follows:

• Analytics – pull problem data to analyse
• Gather insights – generate hypothesis for improvements
• Testing – user testing, A/B testing etc.

Without following these steps, those holding senior positions such as directors, experienced designers or senior digital marketers risk taking it upon themselves to make rash website changes based on their seniority, experience and opinion. Whilst experience is invaluable to every organisation, CRO helps to develop informed “insight”. Experience coupled with insight can prove to be an effective mix, which can lead towards positive outcomes if a more measured approach is taken.

An example of a heatmap using our ADAO homepage. The most activity (clicks) shows up in the red-yellow colours, while fewer clicks appear as a green-blue colour. Clever.

How to choose a conversion rate optimisation agency

Key attributes to look for in a CRO agency:

• User experience (UX) – choose an agency that also specialises in UX design and has experience of using tools beyond traditional Google Analytics (GA), as you may even know how to navigate and interpret GA data
• Tools of the trade – always check which tools the agency has adopted. Is the agency using tools beyond GA such as Google Optimise or Hotjar?
• Strategic approach – there needs to be time to attain data for insights/testing, then for analysis and repeated testing. Steer clear of any agency promising quick wins within weeks or instant success (if any agency promises anything that sounds too good to be true – including but not limited to “We can get you ranking on the first page of Google by next week”, then it usually is.)
• The ability to listen and understand – it is important for agencies to be open to divulging their approach to CRO with full transparency. Be wary of agencies that don’t take the time to research and understand your business, your competitors, sales funnel, KPIs, conversion goals etc.

Client-side web developers need to be alerted in advance of any CRO campaign running, and should be prepared to make website changes in good time to help prevent bottlenecks in the testing stages.

Look for an agency willing to listen to concerns around why your website isn’t converting, and one which is prepared to be proactive in walking you and your colleagues through findings.

Finally, full transparency is key from both parties, as this will help to support an effective working relationship and should lead to effective outcomes with a welcome boost in website conversions. Bingo.

Want to find out more about ADAO’s services for CRO and more? Contact us!