Once a visitor arrives on your site, it all comes down to how easily they can find what they are looking for. This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes in. CRO refers to the art and science of getting more visitors to perform a specific action on your site – a conversion.
A conversion may be a download or viewing of a certain page. Usually this includes encouraging people to fill out a form on your site to receive more information or make a purchase straight from the site.
Conversion Rate Optimization deals with 5 main areas: Design, Content, Usability, Testing, and Actionable Insights.
The first thing someone notices when they come to your site is the design. Does this website look professional? The design on your site could mean the difference between having your visitors immediately click the back button and making a phone call or a purchase. The look and feel of your site should invoke feelings of trust and credibility.
The next thing people notice when they come to your site is the content – the language, sentence structure, and voice. Content should be easy to read. Things like organizing copy by using headers and bullet points can go a long way. Grammar is another critical factor. If your site is filled with errors and misspellings, visitors are less likely to trust the information.
Usability refers to the navigation and overall architecture of your site. Is information organized properly? Are categories set up in a logical manor? If your site is difficult to navigate, visitors will quickly abandon ship and move on to the next website.
It’s best for smaller sites to keep all information 1 or 2 clicks away from the home page. Larger sites may need to go for 3 or 4 clicks but any more than 4 and you run the risk of making your visitors work too hard to find the information they need.
As a general rule, you want to have the main category pages (Computers, Televisions, etc.) on the top level of your site. Next, if you’re a larger site, you may want sub-category pages (Dell Computers, Sony Televisions). Finally, you want to have the individual product pages (23" Inspiron One Non-Touch, Sony BRAVIA XBR - 55HX929 - 55" Class). Search engines and humans will appreciate a well thought out and organized site architecture.
Testing allows you to determine which content, images, or layouts are working the best. There are two types of testing: multivariate testing and what’s commonly referred to as A/B testing.
Multivariate testing compares complex combinations of graphics, titles, and designs to determine which individual factors add or detract from the user experience. A/B testing compares only two main combinations – combination A versus combination B.
Actionable insights from your website analytics are the key to success. Actionable insights are specific tasks that you can implement throughout your online marketing campaign. Everything circles back to what’s working and what’s not. Which networks are driving the most qualified traffic? Which search terms are making the most money? Which content is getting the most attention? The answers to these questions are often moving targets so continuous testing and evaluation are a critical part of every marketing campaign.
A successful online marketing campaign depends on a well-developed strategy and a competent marketing team to put that strategy in place.
