Partner Article

Creating an effective user-experience through Conversion Rate Optimisation

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is the process of creating the optimal onsite experience for users; helping them to convert as painlessly and simply as possible.

We can all relate to an online experience that has been less than satisfactory – irrelevant page content, login requirements, difficult navigation etc. Understanding these issues enables us to address the real reasons as to why customers are not converting.

CRO is a science; a continuous cycle of testing, analysis and re-testing. Using CRO tools, tests can be carried out on areas such as usability and landing pages; always working towards increasing user engagement, site usability and ultimately ROI.

Why is it important?

We are working in an age where marketing budgets are being constantly squeezed, yet the space in which we operate is becoming increasingly more competitive and expensive. We share a common goal between client and agency; to spend the marketing budget as effectively as possible to achieve maximum ROI.

What if a brand’s marketing budget could stay the same, and still drive incremental sales? That is where conversion optimisation comes in. If brands can improve onsite conversion rate, even marginally, it can have a significant impact on their overall ROI, regardless of marketing channel.

Amazon.com is at the pinnacle of CRO testing. They are one of the most respected and visited brands in the world, yet they still test relentlessly to ensure that every marketing pound spent is converted to revenue.

On average, websites have just three seconds to engage with their users, meaning that they must be able to find what they came for almost immediately. Even when we consider those users who are far enough along the purchase cycle to have shown intent to purchase by adding items to a shopping basket – 66% of these still abandon! Imagine this in the offline world; high street retailers know they have what customers come in to their store to buy, but over half leave empty handed even after filling a basket or trolley. That would be a major concern, so why is it not such a concern online?

Who needs CRO?

The unfortunate truth is that no website is perfect, not even Amazon. They have invested thousands of pounds into building what is an exceptional user experience, but that does not mean there is no more room for improvement. Incremental gains can always be achieved and there will constantly be areas that can be improved upon.

It is for this reason that Amazon has built CRO into their always on marketing strategy and as such are future-proofing their position as market leaders.

The design and structure of a website is often borne out of a web design team either in-house or externally. For some brands these designs may have changed very little in the last five to ten years. Whilst these websites may be very attractive and functional, the simple fact is they are often not user friendly. Even if user experience has been at the heart of site design it does not guarantee that it cannot be improved upon.

Barriers to implementing

At present, 48% of clients believe they have no control over conversions due to lack of time and resource. Yet, if we think about distribution of resources from a strategic point of view, it is estimated that for every $92 spent driving website traffic, just $1 is spent on improving conversions. This may be because many brands believe there are numerous barriers to setting up CRO. However, the only requirement client-side, is to implement a single line of code. Tests are carried out on a carbon copy of the website and no physical or visible changes are made onsite at all. Likewise, this does not affect any of the existing tracking already in place so websites are unaffected during testing.

This simple set up allows brands to quickly and effectively deploy a CRO strategy, without the need to involve their web team, proving it has never been easier to start a program of onsite testing.

Don’t let your competitors steal the march

Whether it is increasing brand engagement, driving more sales or increasing usability; CRO is an opportunity to give the user what they want, whilst maximising ROI.

Price and product alone are not enough to keep users returning to your site. Ensure their experience is the best it can be, every time.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Howley,  ZenithOptimedia .