Conversion Rate Optimization 101: How to Get More Conversions From Landing Pages

Oli Gardner from Unbounce stopped by #Bufferchat to share the essentials of conversion rate optimization.

Catch the full recap here! And continue reading for the best tips, tools, and strategies from Oli and the Bufferchat community.

What is conversion rate optimization?

From Oli:

• Technically speaking, CRO is about getting a higher percentage of people to complete the desired action on any given page.
• CRO is the act of increasing the performance of your marketing by uncovering ways to more accurately address your customers.
• On a higher level, CRO is more about business optimization that the conversion rate itself. (From @peeplaja)
• Every page can be better. CRO is what makes that happen, through research-driven, data-informed design and copywriting.
• True conversion is about designing an experience that delights your visitors & builds your brand as well as conversion rate.

More great insights:

• “Increasing the number of people who complete a specified task on your website through optimising features.” @jordielam
• “Testing, iterating and doing whatever you can to achieve the 1 goal you’ve set for a campaign, landing page, etc.” @hayley_mullen
• “CRO = Translating needs into an ongoing buying cycle. If a customer loves your products/services he will stay w/ your brand” @liliholl

What are some tips for someone starting out in conversion rate optimization?

From Oli:

• Understand that CRO is not about button colours. It’s about understanding your audience and developing a response to that.
• Religiously read the @Unbounce and @ConversionXL blogs http://unbounce.com/blog http://conversionxl.com/blog/
• Know that to be successful when testing/optimizing, you need to follow a process. There’s no failure in #CRO, only learning.
• Read the Begginer’s Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization by @QualarooInc >> https://qualaroo.com/beginners-guide-to-cro/what-is-conversion-rate-optimization/ …
• Most A/B tests fail. That’s okay, as long as you are testing based on a hypothesis that teaches you something if it fails.
• .@ContentVerve shares what a test hypothesis is in this video: http://unbounce.com/conversion-glossary/definition/test-hypothesis/ …

More great insights:

• “Build great content to get them on your site in the first place! I’m a firm believer in #inboundmarketing” @TylerNarducci_
• “If you’re just starting in Conversion Rate Optimization, look at your numbers & identify trends.” @robertoblake
• “Be ready to adapt and make changes – your customers need will vary & evolve. What worked today may not work next month” @lifeofaworkgirl

How can landing pages be used to increase the conversion rate of a campaign?

From Oli:

• Landing pages provide a focused destination for campaign traffic. Free from the distractions of your homepage.
• Standalone landing pages have an Attention Ratio of 1:1 compared to perhaps 40:1 on your homepage. http://unbounce.com/conversion-glossary/definition/attention-ratio/ …
• The NSAMCWADLP Principle: Never. Start. A. Marketing. Campaign. Without. A. Dedicated. Landing. Page.
• Also, never build a landing page before you have established a defined campaign goal.
• One of the most important things to remember with landing pages is >> Copy informs design, not the other way round.
• A great free resource is The Smart Marketer’s Landing Page Conversion Course >> http://do.thelandingpagecourse.com

More great insights:

• “Deleting navigation links and any other element causing visitor disturbance is a crucial point” @icisseseo
• “If a store doesn’t have a OPEN sign, no lights on, and no hours posted, how will I know to go in? Same w/ landing pages” @amandasabroad
• “Make it easy for the customer by not overwhelming them with options. Rather, provide easy steps towards desired action” @riacruz_

What are your favorite conversion rate optimization tools?

• Unbounce
• Gauges
• Optimizely
• Wingify
• Inspectlet
• Cyfe
• Moz
• Responster
• Crazy Egg
• Google Analytics
• Lead Liaison
• Hotjar
• MailChimp

What metrics do you track to measure conversion rate success?

From Oli:

• By funnel depth: Engagement. Click-thru rate. Conversion. Activation. Retention. Ave. revenue per customer. Lifetime value.
• Money.
• You might get higher conv rate on your pricing page, but if net result is more customers & less ideal customers you failed.

More great insights:

• “We have a customer service rep dedicated to calling people who have “abandoned cart” to find out why. Has helped a lot!” @lockers4schools
• “Depends on the goals of campaign but basics I review – revenue, click thru, time spend on page/website, bounce rate” @carolineousley
• “How do you track lifelong customers? They might be more important than 1,000 one-hit wonders.” @bukowski33

What are some of the biggest CRO myths?

From Oli:

• CRO myth #1: A/B testing is easy.
• CRO myth #2: Button colour matters. That’s bullshit. Button contrast is what matters.
• CRO myth #3: Best practices are silver bullet. BPs are good to get started, CRO is about data-informed change not formulas.
• CRO myth #4: Your Call to Action must be above the fold. Sometimes your form should be at the end of the page.

More great insights:

• “Myth – you have to make a choice between usability and aesthetics. You can be creative with subtle CRO elements. ” @UxDInsights
• “Believing that there is one formula to convert. Clientele changes, the digital landscape changes, remember that!” @BrightHausGroup
• “Myth: CRO is just swapping colors, text and images. Truth: CRO is about improving the value proposition.” @beymour

What are some resources for the latest on conversion rate optimization?

• Book: Master the Essentials of Conversion Optimization
• Unbounce Blog
• Conversion XL blog
• Twitter: Oli Gardner
• Twitter: Peep Laja
• Twitter: Michael Aagaard
• Twitter: Angie Schottmuller
• Twitter: Brian Massey
• Twitter: Bryan Eisenberg
• Twitter: Craig Sullivan
• Twitter: Larry Kim
• Twitter: Lance Loveday
• Toolkit from Unbounce

Thank you so much for everyone who joined in on this great chat!

Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern and join our Google+ community for the latest news.

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!