10 Conversion Optimization Tips You Shouldn't Take Seriously
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 6:20 am
No marketing practice is easy. In this article, Atamyrat Hangeldiyev , founder of Hangeldiyev digital advertising agency , talks about some popular CRO (conversion rate optimization) misconceptions and their unusual truths.
There is a lot of content out there about conversion rate optimization . Some of it is pretty good, but unfortunately a lot of it is just the same nonsense. Let’s take a closer look at this nonsense.
First of all, let me say this, conversion rate optimization is not an easy thing, you also need to be knowledgeable about sales and marketing. If you can't even sell a pen on your desk, I definitely recommend that you stay away from digital marketing, because amateurs can never be successful in this business, or you can step into digital marketing after you have developed yourself enough in sales by going from house to house and selling things.
So let’s take a look at some of the misconceptions about conversion rate optimization and their unusual truths.
Misconception: Anyone can do it
To achieve good results in conversion optimization, you need skilled pakistan mobile phone numbers database people on your team. A conversion rate optimization team should typically include:
Two or three conversion optimization experts
UX designer
Front-end developer
Customer research specialist (can be part-time)
Analyst (can be part-time)
Data analyst (can be part-time)
Product or program manager, it depends on your job.
With all these different types of jobs and responsibilities, how can one person do them all? Not everyone is Chuck Norris.
Myth: There are CRO best practices
Everyone wants best practices, but there is no such thing as a best practice in conversion optimization because what works on one website may not work on another.
For example, CaffeineInformer and Booking.com both tested the same navigation menus, and what worked in CaffeineInformer did not work well in Booking.com.
CaffeineInformer has published detailed results testing the hamburger menu (three-bar icon) against a traditional word menu with and without borders. You can see that the boxed menu results are clicked more often than the borderless menu, and the hamburger menu doesn’t show any usage.
10 Conversion Optimization Tips You Shouldn't Take Seriously
When Booking.com ran the test results, they found no difference in the number of clicks for their menu options:
10 Conversion Optimization Tips You Shouldn’t Take Seriously booking-comWhile your competitors may inspire you, what they use on their site often won’t work on yours. In the example above, it’s a small change, but companies have been seen betting on a change that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and has a negative impact on their site.
My advice is to follow your industry and get inspiration from other sites, but be sure to do some research, prototyping, and usability testing before making a change to your site (especially if the project is large). If it’s something small like a hamburger menu, jump in and test it, but ask yourself, what am I really trying to achieve with this change? Think about the validity of the concept to start with and see if it fits into the overall roadmap you have for your site.
Myth: Conversion rate optimization is A/B testing
A/B testing is just one part of the conversion rate optimization process.
The methodology we use for conversion rate optimization is as follows:
Scrutinize,
To make assumptions,
To apply,
Radiate.
More than 70 percent of the time we spend doing conversion rate optimization is carefully considering (planning) the stage of the process. An unplanned test that is not supported by data usually does not yield good results.
When we talk about conversion optimization, we need to focus on design thinking, innovation, and creativity. After all, you are optimizing an experience and taking that experience to a new level for the site visitor. You are solving complex problems to make sure that the visitor not only converts into a customer, but has a memorable, enjoyable experience that they will remember.
This is definitely not easy to achieve!
Myth: Even a simple change can affect your results
Sometimes a simple change can make a difference. But let's not kid ourselves: this is the exception, not the rule.
It’s not a good idea to assume that a color change on your site will increase conversions by 40 to 50 percent. When someone argues with me about this, I immediately wonder, “ How long did the test last? ” and “ Did it reach statistical power? ”
Allen Burt of BlueStout.com had this to say on Shane Barker's blog:
“I love talking about how to increase conversion rate and how to optimize, because a lot of sites, especially e-commerce ones, get it wrong. They think conversion optimization is all about A/B testing and trying different colors. In fact, for 90% of small and medium businesses, the number one change you can make to your site to increase conversion rate is your messaging.”
Avoid shortcuts; usability issues need to be addressed, and testing critical call-to-actions and colors like “ Proceed to Checkout ” is a good idea. But don’t expect simple changes to make a big impact on your results.
A key component of a successful conversion rate optimization program is the creativity behind it. Test and push the boundaries, try new things, and excite visitors who are used to mediocrity.
Myth: A/B testing is everything
In the past, there was a strong emphasis on A/B testing everything from the smallest button to the main image. But now, things have changed and we see A/B testing differently.
Some things just need to be fixed on the site. There’s no need to run an A/B test to see if conversions increase if a usability issue is addressed or common problems are fixed. A simple research may be all that’s needed to determine if an A /B test is needed.
When evaluating a site, we find problems and classify solutions to those problems into groups to help determine further action. Here are four basic groups:
Areas and issues are considered for testing. Once we find them, we place them in the research opportunities group .
Some areas do not need to be tested because they suffer from inconsistency and simply need to be fixed. We place these issues in the immediate fix group .
Other areas may require us to know and understand more about the problem before placing it in one of the two groups above, so we place it in the more research group .
In any site assessment, you may find that a tag or event is missing and does not provide enough information about a particular page or element. This is placed in the taxonomy tool group .
There is a lot of content out there about conversion rate optimization . Some of it is pretty good, but unfortunately a lot of it is just the same nonsense. Let’s take a closer look at this nonsense.
First of all, let me say this, conversion rate optimization is not an easy thing, you also need to be knowledgeable about sales and marketing. If you can't even sell a pen on your desk, I definitely recommend that you stay away from digital marketing, because amateurs can never be successful in this business, or you can step into digital marketing after you have developed yourself enough in sales by going from house to house and selling things.
So let’s take a look at some of the misconceptions about conversion rate optimization and their unusual truths.
Misconception: Anyone can do it
To achieve good results in conversion optimization, you need skilled pakistan mobile phone numbers database people on your team. A conversion rate optimization team should typically include:
Two or three conversion optimization experts
UX designer
Front-end developer
Customer research specialist (can be part-time)
Analyst (can be part-time)
Data analyst (can be part-time)
Product or program manager, it depends on your job.
With all these different types of jobs and responsibilities, how can one person do them all? Not everyone is Chuck Norris.
Myth: There are CRO best practices
Everyone wants best practices, but there is no such thing as a best practice in conversion optimization because what works on one website may not work on another.
For example, CaffeineInformer and Booking.com both tested the same navigation menus, and what worked in CaffeineInformer did not work well in Booking.com.
CaffeineInformer has published detailed results testing the hamburger menu (three-bar icon) against a traditional word menu with and without borders. You can see that the boxed menu results are clicked more often than the borderless menu, and the hamburger menu doesn’t show any usage.
10 Conversion Optimization Tips You Shouldn't Take Seriously
When Booking.com ran the test results, they found no difference in the number of clicks for their menu options:
10 Conversion Optimization Tips You Shouldn’t Take Seriously booking-comWhile your competitors may inspire you, what they use on their site often won’t work on yours. In the example above, it’s a small change, but companies have been seen betting on a change that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and has a negative impact on their site.
My advice is to follow your industry and get inspiration from other sites, but be sure to do some research, prototyping, and usability testing before making a change to your site (especially if the project is large). If it’s something small like a hamburger menu, jump in and test it, but ask yourself, what am I really trying to achieve with this change? Think about the validity of the concept to start with and see if it fits into the overall roadmap you have for your site.
Myth: Conversion rate optimization is A/B testing
A/B testing is just one part of the conversion rate optimization process.
The methodology we use for conversion rate optimization is as follows:
Scrutinize,
To make assumptions,
To apply,
Radiate.
More than 70 percent of the time we spend doing conversion rate optimization is carefully considering (planning) the stage of the process. An unplanned test that is not supported by data usually does not yield good results.
When we talk about conversion optimization, we need to focus on design thinking, innovation, and creativity. After all, you are optimizing an experience and taking that experience to a new level for the site visitor. You are solving complex problems to make sure that the visitor not only converts into a customer, but has a memorable, enjoyable experience that they will remember.
This is definitely not easy to achieve!
Myth: Even a simple change can affect your results
Sometimes a simple change can make a difference. But let's not kid ourselves: this is the exception, not the rule.
It’s not a good idea to assume that a color change on your site will increase conversions by 40 to 50 percent. When someone argues with me about this, I immediately wonder, “ How long did the test last? ” and “ Did it reach statistical power? ”
Allen Burt of BlueStout.com had this to say on Shane Barker's blog:
“I love talking about how to increase conversion rate and how to optimize, because a lot of sites, especially e-commerce ones, get it wrong. They think conversion optimization is all about A/B testing and trying different colors. In fact, for 90% of small and medium businesses, the number one change you can make to your site to increase conversion rate is your messaging.”
Avoid shortcuts; usability issues need to be addressed, and testing critical call-to-actions and colors like “ Proceed to Checkout ” is a good idea. But don’t expect simple changes to make a big impact on your results.
A key component of a successful conversion rate optimization program is the creativity behind it. Test and push the boundaries, try new things, and excite visitors who are used to mediocrity.
Myth: A/B testing is everything
In the past, there was a strong emphasis on A/B testing everything from the smallest button to the main image. But now, things have changed and we see A/B testing differently.
Some things just need to be fixed on the site. There’s no need to run an A/B test to see if conversions increase if a usability issue is addressed or common problems are fixed. A simple research may be all that’s needed to determine if an A /B test is needed.
When evaluating a site, we find problems and classify solutions to those problems into groups to help determine further action. Here are four basic groups:
Areas and issues are considered for testing. Once we find them, we place them in the research opportunities group .
Some areas do not need to be tested because they suffer from inconsistency and simply need to be fixed. We place these issues in the immediate fix group .
Other areas may require us to know and understand more about the problem before placing it in one of the two groups above, so we place it in the more research group .
In any site assessment, you may find that a tag or event is missing and does not provide enough information about a particular page or element. This is placed in the taxonomy tool group .