If you’re in eCommerce and haven’t given any thought to CRO, or conversion rate optimization yet, it might just be that you’re bringing customers in the virtual doors who are leaving right away after not getting anything. In essence, you may have converted your website’s digital doors into revolving doors.
Naturally, you would understand that this is in some way or other tied to conversion rate; well, the “CRO” implicated stands for conversion rate optimization, and constitutes a series of practices that reduce barriers to conversion on a given website.
Conversion rate optimization is also central to an eCommerce strategy services provider’s efforts, given that without optimizing for conversions, all else is naught. Here are a few things to know.
What Is CRO?
As stated, CRO stands for conversion rate optimization and to keep things as basic as possible, it refers to a collection of practices that eliminate barriers to conversion. If some website feature or facet is causing bounce or preventing conversions, then that’s going to be right in the crosshairs of a CRO specialist’s efforts.
How Does It Work?
There are numerous ways in which CRO helps break down barriers to conversions. Some of these common ones are:
- Improving website security to make users feel the website is more legitimate.
- Boosting website speed to help reduce bounce rate.
- Making the cart icon more accessible on a website.
- Eliminating hiccups in the checkout process.
- Improving branding to give a website a more professional polish and overall feel.
- Optimizing a website for mobile users, and improving overall responsive design.
- Integrating calls to action in website copy.
- Improving on-site and other technical ranking factors in order to improve website visibility.
- Offering suggestions to make messaging across other channels consistent.
- Removing clutter and distractions from all aspects of the website design.
- Improving navigation features, such as the mega menu or search bars, to make it easier for online shoppers to find what they need.
- Prominently displaying reviews, testimonials, and social proof to boost the brand’s credibility.
- Potentially utilizing pop-up forms to capture leads that can be used for remarketing (which can ultimately improve conversion rates).
Other Aspects of Digital Marketing
As a business strategy, a data-driven conversion rate optimization campaign, implemented by eCommerce experts, can be indispensable to the long-term success, profitability, and overall viability of an online business.
Conversion rate optimization can also bring about a digital transformation of your eCommerce business not only by overhauling the user experience, but by supporting your other marketing strategies.
For SEO, PPC, and social media marketing, CRO helps improve the bottom line by breaking down the barriers to conversion that result in lower returns on those strategies. As a result, more visitors to your website will be likely to convert, not only improving ROI but cash flows in general.
Even for other digital marketing strategies, like content marketing and email marketing, engaging in conversion rate optimization strategies will improve the chances that users that eventually get to your website will buy.
Moreover, compounding the benefits of an effective, holistic content marketing strategy, CRO leverages that credibility to improve overall profitability.
Getting Started with eCommerce Strategy Services
A brand without a vision is like a retail joint without a POS. Not literally, but you get the picture.
The value is in the strategy, and without a strategy to assemble a cohesive online store that converts, you’re quite literally leaving money on the (albeit proverbial) table.
Get started looking for an eCommerce strategy services provider in your niche today and see how they might be able to help you turn around the performance of your website.
