What is conversion rate optimisation and how to incorporate it into your digital strategy

Like search engine optimisation, there’s a lot of noise out there about conversion rate optimisation (CRO). At Cyberlogical we like to keep it simple. In this article we outline four simple considerations for an effective CRO strategy.

Before we start, its worth considering:

What is Conversion Rate Optimisation?

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the process of increasing the number of people who perform a desired action on a website or app. The intended actions could be purchasing a product, signing up for a service, filling out a form, starting a web chat or clicking a specific link.

1. Goals - A vision of where you want to be 

If the digital strategy fairy waved their magic wand and turned your business into a cutting edge, perfect digital version of itself, what would it look like? If the fairy was a bit short on time, which bits would you get them to wave their wand at first to make the most difference?

2. Targets - to let you know when you’ve got there 

Every pound you spend on your website and every hour you spend on social media is money not spent elsewhere in your business. If you’re going to justify all that effort, you need to measure your success or lack of it. If something is not hitting its target - why not?

Anyone who tells you they are 100% certain their strategy will work (whether digital or otherwise), they are deluded, or they are trying to delude you. Whilst previous experience might indicate what is likely to happen, nothing is guaranteed and only tracking and testing will give you the answers your business should have.

Finding and connecting with your audience is critical

3 Audience – Who actually cares about what you’ve got to say? 

You might be selling the world’s finest saucepans at prices a student could afford, but if you are talking to somebody who never cooks even the smartest sales patter and marketing materials are likely to be wasted. Likewise, if you’re shouting about your products on Twitter, but your best customers are all on LinkedIn, you will struggle to connect.

4 Constraints – what will stand in your way 

All too often, the heady excitement generated during a digital strategy meeting is sadly dampened by that unwelcome guest: reality. Lack of budget, scepticism from other stakeholders, legacy software that is painful to use, but expensive to replace, could all put a spanner in the works. It's critical to quantify constraints and manage the likely disappointment early on in the process!

Next time – 5 things that shouldn’t be in your digital strategy (but every business should have)