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.