Are your website visitors subscribing, filling out forms, or buying your products and services? Not as much as you’d like them to? You’re not alone. For some reason, conversion rate optimization isn’t discussed as much as search engine optimization. However, it’s infinitely more important. There are a lot of ways to get traffic today, but if you aren’t turning visitors into customers, it doesn’t matter how much traffic you get.
What is Conversion Rate Optimization?
Optimizing for conversion rates involves your whole sales funnel, not just on-page CRO.
- Are you targeting the right audience and using the platforms they use the most?
- Are your ads designed well and do they address what your potential customers want or need?
- Once they visit to your website, is your content written for them or for the search engines?
- Are there clear and compelling calls-to-action?
Think about it this way. If you are selling something, then you use a sales pitch. The typical sales pitch consists of an introduction, a body and a close. Your social media post, your ad, the article you wrote and CTA you used to get people to click through to your web page or landing page is the Introduction.
That message needs to be consistent because when they get to your web page, you are going to continue the conversation, the body of the pitch. The top of that page should assume the person read that message so you know what to say next. Don’t start over. Pick up where your post, ad or CTA left off.
You plan all of this in advance. It’s all one sales pitch or conversation.
Share This Section
https://chrismcelroyseo.com/cro-faq/#whatiscro
What is The P.R.O.O.F. Framework?
There are a lot of frameworks or systems that conversion rate optimization experts and salespeople swear by. I’ve been a salesman since I was 16, more than 50 years ago. So, of course I have my own framework. Just like standard operating procedures, your SOP doesn’t have to be better than everyone else’s, but the fact you have one improves your workflow. It’s the same for sales and conversion rate optimization. A repeatable system that you have had success with beats winging it every time.
Here is mine… (Note: Although I’m explicitly identifying each part of the framework, your text should look natural as it follows the structure. A friend suggested I make that distinction.)
P = Pain Point or Problem (The same as establishing a need. If your message that got them to your page filtered them to your page, you should already know why they are here.)
R = Risk of Not Fixing The Problem (What happens if they ignore the problem? Do they lose money, opportunity, something else? Without risk or fear of missing out, they have no motivation to take action.)
O = Our Solution (This is where you explain how your product or service solves the problem they have and eliminates the risk you mentioned.)
O = Our Differentiator (You aren’t the only one that sells that service or product. Why is your solution, service or product better than your competitor’s?)
F = Final Outcome for the Customer (You don’t end with focusing on selling your product or service or the benefits. You sell outcomes. Describe the outcome and use emotion.)
And then you put in a compelling Call-to-Action
Share This Section
https://chrismcelroyseo.com/cro-faq/#proof
Example Using My Own Services
P = You’re ranking well and you’re getting traffic but your phone isn’t ringing, no one is filling out your forms or buying your product?
R = That means your competition is getting the sales and the money you should be getting and that isn’t sustainable if you have bills to pay.
O = We audit your complete sales funnel to identify the reasons for the low performance and make recommendations that you can do yourself or have us do for you.
O = Experience Matters. Our founder, Chris McElroy has 50 years of real-world sales experience and 30 of those years helping business owners make more sales on the web.
F = Your website closing more sales means less stress, predictable income and a more profitable business, allowing you to focus on growth instead of just trying to survive.
More Frequently Asked Questions About CRO
Share This FAQ
https://chrismcelroyseo.com/cro-faq//#questionsaboutcro
With the affect AI is having on discovery, you read a lot about using customer-focused, conversational content. Proper sales and conversion optimization has always been done that way, so while you are optimizing for higher conversion rates, you are also improving your visibility in AI search.
Is Conversion Rate Optimization a one-time process?
No, CRO is an ongoing process. Continuous testing, analysis, and refinement are essential to adapt to changing user behaviors, market trends, and technological advancements. Regularly updating your strategies ensures sustained improvements in conversion rates over time.
How do I prioritize which pages to optimize first?
We recommend the whole sales funnel and all potential landing pages be optimized for higher conversion rates. If you only have the budget for one or a few pages, prioritization should be based on pages with high traffic but low conversion rates, or those critical to the user journey (like landing pages and checkout pages), are typically prioritized for optimization.
Does Competitive Research Play A Large Role in CRO?
Competitor research is the first step to any good conversion optimization strategy. You want to know what types of campaigns they are running, what platforms they are using, how they approach closing the sale on their website and more. We don’t recommend automated tools or AI to do this, but if you must use them, make sure an experienced CRO expert analyzes the data rather than trusting the judgement of an AI tool. An automated tool can’t spot what they aren’t doing, what gaps they left in their strategy that can give you a competitive advantage. An expert can identify which things are actually going to move the needle and that saves you time and money.
What tools are commonly used in Conversion Rate Optimization?
Common tools used in CRO include analytics tools like Google Analytics & Google Search Console, heatmap and session recording tools like Microsoft Clarity among others. These tools help analyze user behavior to inform optimization strategies.
How long does it take to see results from Conversion Rate Optimization?
The timeframe for observing results from CRO efforts can vary based on what kind of campaign you are running, the volume of traffic, and the specific strategies implemented. We continually test everything, and in many cases results can start being measured right away, especially if you have an active ad campaign.
Is CRO Mostly Just About Copywriting?
There is a lot more to conversion rate optimization than just expert copywriting. A good copywriter can write good ad copy, but that isn’t the same as understanding user or search intent and how the whole funnel works together. Good copywriting is important, but it’s only part of the process.
Why can’t I just use AI to write my content and optimize for conversions?
Because AI doesn’t have any sales experience to rely on. A salesperson has experienced what works and doesn’t work. AI has no instinct or true understanding of user behavior or search intent beyond keywords. It can’t build rapport, establish a need or tell stories and anecdotes like a human can. It doesn’t have the power of persuasion that a salesperson has. Would you hire a robot to go door to door selling for you? It could say all the words in your sales script, but part of sales is the causing of an emotion, which AI is unable to do.
Can CRO improve my search engine rankings?
While the primary goal of CRO is to enhance user experience and increase conversions, these improvements are likely to benefit your search engine rankings. Search engines favor websites that provide valuable content and a positive user experience, which are also key components of effective CRO.
