Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Tips & Best Practices

There is a wide range of conversion rate optimization tips to consider, but it all depends on your goals. Here are a few simple tips for boosting CRO rates.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of getting site visitors to complete an action on your website. These actions could range from micro-conversions, such as e-newsletter signups or white paper downloads, all the way to macro-conversions, such as buy or purchase now buttons. It all depends on your goals. When it comes to boosting conversion rates, here are a few simple tips to consider.

CRO Tip #1: Improve Content

Pages with a Purpose

Every page on your website should have a purpose. If the main goal of writing content is to generate revenue, only write articles that would potentially lead visitors down the funnel and eventually purchase from you.

For example, why write about what celebrities look like without makeup when your website is about fitness? Simple conversion points on article pages don’t necessarily have to be about selling, especially if a visitor is in the discovery phase. Consider using a soft conversion point such as download our white paper, and then include these new leads in a lead nurturing program.

Skimmable Content

The readability of a website can indirectly contribute to its success. In addition to what the content says, it’s important to focus on how the content looks, especially since there’s a chance you could lose a chunk of readers before they’ve even begun reading.

By making content easy to read, site visitors will be able to browse content faster and easier, which could help conversion rates. A few ways to help make content more skimmable include using bullet points, adding engaging headlines and sub-headlines, keeping paragraphs short, and using visuals.

Font Size & Type

There’s a silly formula I heard one time to know the best font size to use on a website: (audience age / 2) = font size. On a serious note, consider using larger font sizes for adult audiences (e.g. 14px), while it should be fine to use smaller fonts for younger audiences (e.g. 12px). Also, I would stick to well-known fonts such as Verdana and Arial since many people are already used to reading content in these formats.

CRO Tip #2: Improve Product & Article Pages

Conversion Text

If you’re an e-commerce site, test various types of button text, such as Customers Who Bought This Item Also BoughtFrequently Bought TogetherRelated Products, and We Recommend, to see which one works the best with potential customers. For article pages, consider testing different looks and text to encourage visitors to sign up for your e-newsletter and read your content in the future.

Social Share Buttons

Social share buttons are a great way to generate referral traffic and increase brand exposure since site visitors are sharing your amazing content with their social networks. SEO works harder and can go further when utilized with other marketing tactics such as social. Wherever there’s a search box, there’s SEO.

Enable Commenting

A successful blog or article section does not come without its readers. Allow visitors the opportunity to interact with the website and be heard if they choose to speak since their opinion matters. It’s also a way for you to connect and be more personable with your readers. Of course, enabling comments varies from website to website, so only consider this option if it works for you.

CRO Tip #3: Improve Checkout

Promote Additional Products

For e-commerce sites, think about adding a call-to-action area to potentially upsell products that customers didn’t know existed on your site. The type of products to highlight here first should be related to the product customers are about to purchase. If none exist, then test promoting other types of products to see what works best.

New & Returning Customers

Encourage customers to create an account before purchasing a product, that way you have the opportunity to connect with them again if they abandon their cart. This also creates the opportunity to promote other products in the future through email marketing campaigns.

Progress Indicators

Add a navigation tab at the top indicating where visitors are in their purchasing process so they know how much more they have left to fill out. An example could look like this:

If you’re ready to start or ramp up your conversion rate optimization strategies, let’s chat. While we tried to make it simple with the tips we’re providing, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Depending on your business goals and objectives, we might propose additional strategies not listed.

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