[Q&A] Why Don’t Brands Include CRO in Their Digital Marketing Plan?

Q. Compared to digital marketing channels like SEO & PPC, CRO gets very little attention. Why don’t more large organizations dedicate marketing resources to CRO?

A. It’s alarming how often organizations put the focus so completely on new traffic sources and increasing media spend while the website conversion rate is still embarrassing low. It’s like a bucket with holes in it, filling it with even more water isn’t what needs attention until the holes are plugged.

CRO requires making website changes, possibly working with marketing, UX, development, and design teams in collaboration. This is something many corporations cannot coordinate. There are also fewer CRO experts or service providers out there, it’s not a skill often thought to be needed even though it’s critical.

Q. What are businesses losing by NOT implementing CRO?

A. There are a number of CRO best practices out there but testing is the best way to really dial in conversion rates. Adding a benefit-oriented “call to action” in the center of the homepage, adding another button in the top right of the header navigation, smiling people, a simple checkout process, are all easy to test and can make a big impact.

HighRise did one of the most impressive case studies, just by adding a smiling person to the homepage they earned a 102% increase in signups! – https://signalvnoise.com/posts/2991-behind-the-scenes-ab-testing-part-3-final

Q. How would you convince executives at a large company that they should add a CRO program?

A. CRO is the final multiplier, so from a sheer impact perspective, improving conversion rates has the biggest impact on sales for brands that have a baseline of traffic. Going from just 2% to 3% conversion rate means 50% more sales! The impact is nearly immediate and the cost is minimal.

Executives understand these advantages when presented with them in an easy-to-grasp format. Pulling in case study examples is also compelling and there are quite a few case studies out there: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/100-conversion-optimization-case-studies/