What is Conversion Rate Optimization?

OK so we have seen SEO, so what is Conversion Rate Optimization or CRO? In the language of Internet Marketing, the process of improving the experience of the visitor in order to convert them into a paying customer is called conversion optimization, or sometimes conversion rate optimization.

So when we have just managed to get our heads round the idea of SEO, why do we need to think about Conversion Rate Optimization? Remember, the primary purpose of web advertising is to get people who might be interested in buying something from you to visit your web site. In other words, to get the greatest number of visitors to email you or call you with their contact information, and ultimately to buy your products and services.

Conversion Rate Optimization is the process of increasing website leads and sales without spending money on attracting more visitors by reducing your visitor attrition or bounce rate. Another way to look at it is to make more use of the visitors to your site by turning them into customers. Conversion Rate is the ratio of visitors to committed customers, and we optimize our page or site to improve this ratio.

There are two main approaches to conversion optimization, the first focuses on testing as an approach to discover the best way to increase conversion rates for a landing page, website, or campaign. The second approach focuses on understanding the audience and then creating a targeted message that appeals to that particular demographic. Both approaches are equally valid, and some CRO Experts advise us to use both methods as part of our strategy to convert visitors to customers.

Look out for future marketing postings where we will be taking Conversion Rate Optimization a stage further, and looking at some simple tools to help you turn your visitors into paying customers.

Keylogger virus infects drone plane command centre

The hot news on the blogosphere at the moment is the revelation that a Keylogger virus has infected the drone plane command centre at Creech air force base in Nevada.

Keylogging (or Keystroke logging) is the action of tracking (or logging) the keys struck on the keyboard, typically in a covert manner so that the person using the keyboard is unaware. The Keylogger virus is used to capture users’ passwords, credit card details and bank account numbers as people type them in. The data is then sent over the web to fraudsters. Security officials are currently unable to completely remove the virus, as it keeps reinstalling itself, suggesting that the attack vector has not been plugged.

Creech air force base in Nevada is the command centre for the remotely piloted aircraft used in Afghanistan including the Predator drone spyplane-bomber. The Predator is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system which is used in Afghanistan and, more controversially, across the border in Pakistan.

This is the latest security breach for the hi-tech remotely piloted vehicle system; the US military has previously found out that Iraqi insurgents were able to capture and record the footage being sent to troops and back to the airbase by cameras on the drones. The insurgents hacked into video feeds, which were not encrypted, using a $26 piece of Russian software named SkyGrabber. Apparently The encryption for the feeds were removed for performance reasons.