Conversion Rate Optimization has taught me that the insights gained through research and testing – whether a win or loss – always lead to another opportunity to improve both in business and in everyday life. Small changes can create a big impact, especially if you continue to iterate off of your learnings over time.
Often company stakeholders have a specific vision for how they want their brand or website to look – and rightfully so. Website design and branding takes a lot of time, money, and resources. However, there are times when design and functionality/user experience don’t always see eye to eye, and CRO experimentation allows the data and visitors to speak for themselves. Experimentation has definitely humbled me over the years since people can behave very differently from one website experience to another.
Whenever I get asked what I do for work, I always take a moment to think about how I want to respond because replying with, “Conversion Rate Optimization”, typically leads people into asking the follow-up question, “What’s that?”
The Value of CRO
In short, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the practice of research and experimentation to help increase the conversion rate(s) of a website or landing page over time. However, there’s more to it than that. CRO is all about aligning businesses with their target demographic(s) and helping them communicate their value proposition in a way that compels their visitors to take action. It’s a blend of psychology with a scientific testing methodology to back it up.
Unoptimized sites not only create a bad user experience but can affect the performance of paid media efforts. Sending paid traffic to unoptimized websites and landing pages is basically the equivalent to throwing money into a firepit. Including Conversion Rate Optimization into your marketing mix is one of the best ways to ensure you are spending your paid media dollars wisely.
What many people don’t realize is that CRO is equivalent to the “Little Black Dress (LBD)” of Digital Marketing. It’s timeless, necessary to have around, and will always make sure you or your website are looking good. It’s a practice that will never go out of style — just like that good old LBD you can keep in your closet for years on end (if dresses aren’t your thing, think of really versatile pants that make every outfit better).
For any CRO related questions, please feel free to reach out to our Tinuiti CRO team at [email protected]
If you have found yourself exhausted from increasing spend but seeing no returns or feel that you have tunnel vision from looking at your website 24/7 trying to identify what could be affecting your conversion rates, you may be a great candidate for a Conversion Rate Optimization program. From Conversion Research Audits with actionable insights and takeaways to a full Research and A/B Testing program, there is a Conversion Rate Optimization program out there for everyone — just like that little black dress…or pants (whatever floats your boat).
Outside of the workplace, Cristi enjoys spending time with her dog, Lady, exercise, skiing, practicing yoga + mindfulness, traveling, hiking, and anything that gets her outdoors in nature. She has a fascination with anything related to space, the sciences (especially neuroscience), and self-development and you can often find her listening to podcasts or audiobooks on these subjects.
About the Author:
“What I personally love about CRO is how much it’s about solving business problems in a holistic way that gets down to the root issues going on. We are able to look at our client’s websites and landing pages through a different lens that helps us identify these conversion barriers that they may have missed.”
Cristi is based in San Diego, CA and has over 2 years of experience in Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) with an emphasis in conversion research, strategy, and A/B testing. Her curious mindset and goal-oriented nature help breed innovative test concepts and fuels her passion for testing and solving business problems and website conversion issues. Prior to her career in CRO, she worked in sales and business development across multiple industries which helped her gain a keen understanding of human behavior and a fascination in psychology.
