In an increasingly digital world, more people than ever are doing business online. That’s exactly why conversion rate optimization (CRO) has become a secret weapon for brands to capture more value that’s being left on the table. CRO is an iterative process that optimizes every aspect of your digital efforts, enabling you to maximize conversions. Today, we’re going to explore seven actionable methods that you can leverage to augment your online game — let’s dive right in!

Understand Your Audience

Before diving headfirst into CRO tactics, it’s important to first take a step back and really get to know your audience. After all, they are the lifeblood of your brand. So, do some research. Analyze the needs and behaviors of your audience, construct buyer personas to organize and stratify the whole, and try to get into the minds of your customers.

Picking the right tool can really level-up your research, since it sets your entire digital endeavor up for success. It’ll uncover any glaring shortcomings that may already exist but will further unlock hidden opportunities to better meet your consumers’ needs and earn their business.

Streamline Website Navigation

A cluttered and confusing website is undoubtedly going to kill your conversion rates — why? Simply because it tarnishes the experience a user has with your brand. From the moment they enter your site, your customer wants everything to go perfectly; after all, they’re about to spend their hard-earned money with you.

To address this problem, simplify your website’s layout and structure. Make the user journey intuitive and frictionless by implementing clear navigation and menus. Don’t put too many buttons on one screen to ensure your users can effortlessly find what they’re looking for. Also, don’t forget to build for multiple devices — mobile, tablet, and desktop — to ensure the same seamless experience across all devices.

Create Compelling Content

There’s an age-old saying in digital marketing: Content is king, and this adage remains true even in the CRO game, too. As we mentioned earlier, prospective customers want to be convinced to do business with you. They want it to be a no-brainer, and that’s where content can play a major role in securing conversions.

Start by examining the existing content tied to your brand; is it powerful? Does it stick when it’s read, and more importantly, does it move the reader closer to a conversion? Once you’ve identified what needs to be changed, revamp it all. Rewrite headlines, craft high-quality product descriptions, and use engaging visual content like images, videos, and infographics to cement your digital journey.

Optimize Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons

Your call to action (CTA) buttons are like bridges: They connect your users to your products, turning mere browsing into revenue-generating conversions. To optimize your CTAs, start by tweaking your phrasing to incorporate action-oriented language.

Once you’ve aligned the actual content of your CTAs, by which we mean the words you use, move towards improving the visual impact and context of each CTA. This could involve various elements, but here are some solid starting points:

• Use engaging colors
• Optimize the sizing of your CTAs
• Experiment with different placements to move more prospects toward conversion

Implement A/B Testing

Data-driven decision-making is a powerful source of improvement for any digital endeavor, and A/B testing offers it in spades. A/B testing, also known as split testing, is your laboratory for refining elements using real user data. It enables you to test and compare different digital facets, like CTAs, headlines, and images, to single out the most effective combination for conversion.

Pick a tool that enables split testing to gauge the efficacy of your existing digital framework; then, iteratively change out one or two elements and analyze the results! This process empowers continuous improvements that ultimately drive your conversion rates higher.

Improve Website Loading Speed

In an age of instant gratification, prospective users will give up and bounce when faced with a slow-loading website. That’s why speed matters, especially in the context of closing sales and winning business online.

To give your brand the highest odds of success, optimize your site’s loading speed using image compression, caching, content delivery networks, and more. These are a handful of typical solutions for optimizing site speed, but the perfect ones for your site may vary. Regularly monitor and fine-tune performance after making changes to ensure users are engaged.

Leverage Social Proof

Social proof is often held as the most effective method of converting a customer in this day and age. People trust others, which is why social proof can activate conversions like wildfire. To start implementing this strategy in your own business, secure social proof from previous customers you’ve had who truly loved your product.

Capture reviews, testimonials, case studies, and more to display them on your site to win more customers. Display this social proof strategically to showcase to potential customers why your brand is the best.

Personalize The Experience

The final way you can optimize your conversion rate is via personalization. While dozens of brands might be able to showcase their generic value to a user, personalization takes it a step further. It adapts to a specific user’s unique set of needs and connects your brand as the perfect solution — and this directly improves your bottom-line.

Start by scattering elements of personalized copy throughout your user journey; this could be as simple as mentioning their name when they enter your site. Next, find more complex ways to personalize the experience, such as recommending custom products based on their location, purchase history, and more.

Implement AI Chatbots

Another effective way to boost your brand’s conversion rates lies in technology, namely that of chatbots and AI assistants. These helpful tools live right on your brand’s website, and can provide round-the-clock support to anyone who visits. They’re able to answer common questions, provide product recommendations, and even guide users through the conversion process when your team is offline or unable to help.

Find a chatbot service that enables your brand to build an assistant and deploy it on your site. Make sure you personalize the chatbot’s protocols with tailored questions and answers specific to your use-case. It could be helpful to analyze common queries and challenges that existing customers have faced in the past and training your AI assistant to solve these.

Implement Exit-Intent Messaging

The final method we’ll share for improving conversion rates lies in exit-intent pop-ups, a strong method of retaining website visitors. These are interactive dialog boxes that get triggered when a user is about to leave your site. They display an enticing offer — it could be discounts, free resources, or incentives — to encourage visitors to stay and complete a conversion.

These pop-ups can be implemented with very little hassle, and could translate into substantial improvements in bounce rate and conversions. Craft a handful of irresistible offers to scatter throughout your exit-intent messages; test their efficacy after some time has passed and double-down on the offerings that work best. 

Wrapping Up

In today’s hyper-digital world, where nearly everyone is doing business online, every click matters. Success is found in conversions, which is why conversion rate optimization (CRO) is an important field to master within your business. By implementing these seven practical strategies, you are well on your way to winning more customers and boosting your online conversion rate.

Remember, CRO will never be a one-time solution; it’s an ongoing journey that you must continuously address and implement. So, take action, test, refine, and be patient!