What Is Click-Rate Optimization, and How Am I Doing It Wrong?

Click-rate optimization (CRO) is an all-important strategy for increasing conversions from the people who visit your site. With each extra conversion — such as a customer giving you their email, viewing your product page or actually making a purchase — your company stands a better chance at making more revenue. Add enough of these conversions on a regular basis and your cumulative profits could soar.

One important concept when dealing with CRO is to remember that the goal is to entice existing customers and current page visitors to do more on your site. You will not be worrying about bringing new traffic to the site or converting the unfamiliar like some sort of online missionary. After all, keeping your existing customers is more profitable than seeking newer ones.

Now that you understand what CRO is and why it is important, you should take the time to improve any site design elements that can enhance CRO. Salesforce recently covered the topic in a beautiful and informative infographic, which you can view here, but we are going to cover some of their most crucial points in greater detail below.

#1 Consider How Site Speed Affects User Experience

Do you know how long it takes for your webpage to load? You should. Just a one second increase in wait time can translate to a seven percent decrease in conversions.

Users start to get antsy if a page takes longer than four seconds to load, and they consider abandoning sites at the 10 second mark. Two to three seconds is a good target. One second is even better. At one second load times, users have uninterrupted thought flows and feel more in control of their navigation as opposed to being at the mercy of a server.

How do you make your page load faster? There are many solutions, including finding a faster host, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) or simply disabling plugins that your site loads but never uses. Google has more advice on the subject.

#2 Unclutter Your Homepage

A homepage should be simple and elegant while naturally directing the user to the information they will want to seek next. Giving clear, well-organized instructions is more important than any superfluous brand-reinforcing copy, which can always be saved for another page.

#3 Make Your Landing Page Shorter

If you think your homepage might be a bit long, then chances are that your landing pages are far too long. Keep your copy to a minimum and break up text into small groups of 25-75 words or less. Make sure that the value of your offer is being communicated clearly, and that the user knows precisely what you expect them to do next with a strong, visible call-to-action (CTA).

Action-oriented copy is also crucial for getting more conversions. Salesforce uses the example of a German deodorant company who saw 93 percent better page performance when they changed their copy from “Feel fresh without sweat marks” to “Put an end to sweat marks.”

#4 Give Your CTA Prime Real Estate

For many websites, the approach is to use the CTA as a form of “closing remark.” This approach can work well for informative content, but for page content the CTA must be more visible and accessible. Like putting the short person out front in a family photo, slide your CTA ahead of the screen-dominating copy and graphics so that users see it right after the main headers.

 

#5 Add the Things That Elevate Your Brand and Give Users Comfort

• User Reviews
• Social Media Widgets for quick “social proof” posting
• Endorsements from any Third Party Partners
• Security Seals, especially during checkout

Test, Tweak and Test Again

The key during the CRO transformation process is to not take anything for granted, even these bits of advice above. Approach the matter scientifically. Start with a hypothesis, such as “changing this button color to blue will lead to higher conversions,” test what happens and then make the change if you like the results. Even when you think you have gotten it perfect, test another button color to see if you can do even better.

Optimum Productions can help you with this process. We have years of experience improving websites and getting our clients the conversion rates they crave. Visit our video content marketing page to learn more about how we help transform user experience and make your brand look amazing online.

InfoGraphic Courtesy of SalesForce