What Is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?

Conversion Rate Optimization - activities aimed at optimizing the conversion rate, meaning increasing the percentage of users who perform actions that matter to us (filling out a contact form, subscribing to a newsletter, making a purchase).

The definition above is very general because CRO is a broad concept that encompasses a variety of strategies whose effectiveness depends on the specific needs of each case. Conversion rate optimization primarily depends on what our website currently looks like and what our business does - every situation requires an individual approach, which is why a different strategy should be adopted for an online store versus a website presenting a specific service offering.

What is worth paying attention to when planning website optimization?

Optimization itself can include many elements, such as:

• Content marketing: The quality of the content on the website has a huge impact on how it is perceived by both users and search engines - so it is worth paying attention to the topical relevance and readability of the published content, as well as the timeliness and credibility of the information provided.
• Payment methods offered: A fast and convenient way to complete a purchase increases the chances of conversion, and offering various payment methods leads to more users deciding to make a purchase.
• Website UX and UI: A complicated website operation and too many steps between entering the site and achieving the desired outcome, e.g., making a purchase, can discourage users. Therefore, it is important to ensure the site is intuitive and properly adapted for mobile devices.
• Form functionality: Forms on the site give users the opportunity to get in touch and ask questions about the offer - so their seamless operation is an important factor affecting the perceived quality of the service.
• Website speed: Page loading speed affects both its position in search results and the satisfaction level of the users visiting it. Waiting too long for a page to load completely will cause some users to simply switch to a competitor's site.
• Competitiveness and appeal of the offer: Once potential customers land on the site, whether they decide to use it depends on how the offer is presented. It is therefore worth ensuring the site is appealing and checking how it compares to the competition.

As you can see, there are many areas where we have the opportunity to improve our website and make it more user-friendly. From improving the quality of our content, to changes in contact forms, all the way to advanced updates in the payment systems offered. It is best to start optimization efforts with those that are easiest and quickest to implement. If improving the site's UX requires a graphic designer's work, other changes can be introduced while waiting for the finished design. Such changes might include content optimization or adding a button/form to selected subpages.

Effective optimization - what should be analyzed?

For activities aimed at conversion rate optimization to be effective, they must be based on concrete data. However, keep in mind that analyzing user behavior is a very complex process. The results of our store may vary significantly, for example, due to the seasonality of the offer, so when analyzing data we should also take into account that some factors are beyond our control. If we cannot clearly determine the direction of upcoming actions, running appropriate A/B tests is a good solution, as it allows us to split users into two groups - those who will see the modified version of the page and those for whom these changes will not be visible.

Among the important issues that need to be analyzed are the answers to the following questions:

• Where do we acquire users from? How do they find our website?
• Which subpages do users land on?
• What devices do visitors use? Is it worth analyzing the site more thoroughly for mobile devices?
• Which subpages do visitors spend the most time on?
• Where do our users live? If our offer is targeted at people from a specific region, it is worth checking whether they make up the majority of visitors.
• How fast does our website load? According to recent statistics, just 1 extra second of page load time leads to a 7% drop in conversions.

Using available analytics tools such as Google Analytics will help us get answers to the questions above, and the gathered insights will allow us to develop a strategy and set a goal to focus on in the near future.

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