Conversion Optimization Services: Get More with Less

Are digital marketing efforts failing to generate the leads or sales you need?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most businesses struggle to convert customers from social media, web pages, email marketing, and other digital channels.

This post is your guide to getting better results from digital marketing. We’ll explore the most common conversion problems and how conversion optimization services can be the solution.

We won’t only diagnose the problem—we’ll also give you actionable strategies you can start implementing immediately.

You’ll discover how to leverage a systematic CRO process that will help your company:

• Attract the perfect audience.

• Streamline the customer journey.

• Build trust and credibility.

• Harness the power of data.

• Break down internal silos.

Let’s get started.

What is conversion optimization?

Before we go any further, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what conversion optimization (sometimes shortened to CRO) is.

CRO is a process used to get potential customers in your target audience to take a desired action.

There are too many optimization techniques to count, much less include in this post. Sometimes, marketers will suggest overhauling an entire website to improve conversions, but this is rare. In most cases, even minor adjustments can significantly improve results.

Conversion optimization is most often associated with websites and digital marketing campaigns and their ability to generate leads. However, you can use optimization strategies for anything related to online business marketing. Emails, newsletter sign-ups, and directory listings are examples. Conversion optimization can also apply to traditional campaigns, such as print and TV ads.

Search engine optimization vs. conversion optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) are two essential components of digital marketing. Both aim to improve website performance, however, they focus on different aspects of the user experience.

SEO improves website search engine performance. Technical diagnostics, and on- and off-page keyword optimization are examples of SEO tactics. The goal of SEO is to increase visibility online and drive organic traffic to a website.

While SEO focuses on building website traffic, CRO focuses on turning that traffic into leads and customers. Both are important because they work together to increase sales and additional revenue.

Conversion optimization is a strategy

Though CRO can be complex, the concept is simple. Conversion rate consultants make a series of minor changes and record the effects of each. Over time, you’ll see what prompts your customers to respond—either positively or negatively.

To make the task a little easier, CRO consultants study user behavior data and other conversion analytics. This information helps them understand the conversion process for a particular product or service, the target audience’s psychology, and which optimization tactics they might respond to most.

For example, some studies suggest that certain colors (such as red) generate higher clicks when used for website buttons. That doesn’t mean all websites should use red for buttons. The color selection comes down to several considerations, such as your brand’s color palette, industry, customer preferences, and other factors.

What are conversion optimization services?

Conversion optimization services give clients access to expert insight.

CRO consultants understand user behavior and trends. They also have experience with multivariate testing and testing tools that improve accuracy.

Specialists use testing tools to build CRO strategies based on analytics and other data, such as page views, website form submissions, or ad clicks.

A CRO consultant looks at every aspect of a marketing strategy to ensure performance at the highest level. While the list of marketing conversions is extensive, we’ll review some of the most common in the following sections.

Websites and landing pages

Consultants will perform a conversion analysis to uncover any problems with a website’s (or landing page’s) user experience and correct them. Broken links and slow page loading times are examples of issues that prevent websites and landing pages from converting more customers.

A CRO consultant can also tell you what website visitors do when they land on web pages. With this information, a consultant can make recommendations to improve the website’s conversion funnel. This is especially helpful for ecommerce businesses.

The customer journey experience

The customer journey plays a critical role in a digital marketing strategy. CRO services help companies build out their customer journey, from awareness to advocacy. Customer journey mapping includes testing the sales funnel, revising content for SEO copywriting standards, and evaluating the customer experience.

Pay-per-click advertising

Conversion optimization services can help companies optimize pay-per-click ads (PPC). They do this by testing ad groups, keywords, and other components of advertising campaigns to find out which ones have the greatest influence on conversion rates.

Sales and service processes

A company’s sales and service processes should align. CRO services leverage sales analytics, CRM data, and other information to find disconnects between the sales and service departments. Then, brands can fill the gaps (i.e., improvements to quality assurance) to increase customer satisfaction, retention, and overall sales conversions.

A/B tests

It’s difficult to optimize a marketing strategy without testing. A conversion rate optimization consultant has extensive experience with testing.

A/B testing and multivariate testing are used to figure out which variation of a marketing asset performs best. While they may seem similar, there are some key differences between the two testing methods.

A/B testing (split testing) involves testing two different versions of an asset against each other to see which one performs better. Consultants randomly “split” traffic between the two versions and measure which one has a higher conversion rate. A/B testing is a great way to discover the impact of minor changes, such as button colors or the wording of a headline.

Multivariate testing compares multiple versions of unique elements of an asset at the same time. This allows you to test a larger number of variations to see how different combinations perform. Control webpages are used to test combinations of headlines, images, and calls to action. The results show which version of a page gets the highest conversion rate.

Who provides conversion optimization services?

Digital marketing agencies and specialized consulting firms usually offer CRO services. These experts analyze website data, conduct customer research, and implement conversion strategies to maximize the effectiveness of online marketing efforts.

Benefits of conversion optimization services

In simplest terms, businesses can optimize ROI by increasing revenue and lowering expenses. Marketing is one of the largest expenses for small businesses and big brands alike. Conversion optimization services can save companies thousands of dollars.

The amount of money allocated to marketing varies from one type of business to another. But according to recent data, companies spend an average of 8-15% of their revenue on marketing and advertising. B2C companies spend more, on average, than those in the B2B sector. Likewise, marketing accounts for 11-17% of the total annual budget for businesses across the board.

Conversion optimization keeps costs under control because it works on both sides of the ROI equation.

How to measure the results of conversion optimization services

There is no way to know if a CRO strategy works unless you track it. Conversion optimization services companies can help clients develop relevant KPIs (key performance indicators) that will help them track short-and long-term results.

The key is to examine the cause-and-effect relationship between a CRO tactic and the result. We recommend changing and testing one element at a time. Then, you can observe it over a set period (i.e., 30 or 90 days) to measure the overall impact.

For example, let’s assume we want to see the effect of changing the color of your website’s call-to-action button. We would wait at least 30 days after the change to evaluate it, depending on website traffic levels.

Conversion optimization example

In this section, we’ll look at one example of conversion optimization to illustrate the value of the process.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is one of the most telling factors businesses can use to assess an optimization strategy. You can calculate CAC using the total dollars spent and the total number of new customers gained within a specified period.

Here is the CAC calculation formula:

Here is the CAC calculation formula:

Customer Acquisition Cost Total Cost of Sales /
Number of Customers Acquired

With this formula, a conversion optimization consultant can see how efficient your marketing investments are.

To illustrate, let’s assume your company spends $1,500 to get one customer (CAC), and your monthly marketing budget is $10,000. Based on these numbers, your business should get six or seven new customers each month. If the annual revenue generated per customer is $3,500, then your business will net over $140,000 each year on those new customers.

Here is the math:

6 new customers per month x 12 months = 72 new customer per year x $3,500 generated per customer = $252,000

Of course, the total acquisition cost is $108,000 (72 customers gained at $1,500 each). This yields a net profit (before COGS) of $144,000.

Now, let’s look at how conversion rate optimization can shake things up (or should I say, down).

If you can reduce CAC to $1,200 (from $1,500), the same budget of $10,000 should yield eight or nine new customers. That’s an average of two more new customers each month with the same investment.

It gets better.

If the annual revenue per customer is $3,500, then your company has turned an additional profit of approximately $84,000 per year.

Again, let’s look at the math:

2 additional new customers per month x 12 months = 24 new customers per year x $3,500 = $84,000

This means optimization can increase ROI for your brand by 58%.

You can also break down CAC for each sales funnel channel to make a comparison. From there, you can decide which channels yield the highest ROI. Then, you can allocate more resources toward those that perform best and cut back on the ones that don’t.

This is the type of data-driven information brand executives need to make informed decisions about their business goals and growth strategy.

You might need conversion optimization consulting if…

Conversion rate optimization services can help you break through growth barriers and reduce expenses. Here’s why you might hire experts:

You want an objective perspective.

Conversion consultants can give you and your team an objective, unbiased analysis of your brand’s performance. Most companies have a difficult time making an honest assessment because they’re too close to the business.

For example, if someone on your team has contributed to the company’s website design, they probably feel good about the final result. But what if some of your website’s design elements are to blame for low conversion rates?

It happens all the time.

A CRO expert can give you the unbiased feedback you need.

You’ve run out of ideas.

Paid ads. Discounts and promotions. Marketing agencies. You’ve tried them all, but no results. If this sounds familiar, then it might be time to get help. Optimization consulting could be exactly what you need to get the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

Revenue is flat.

Sometimes, revenue flatlines because the decrease seems so insignificant. But conversion optimization can help you uncover even the smallest details that could be handcuffing your brand’s income-generating potential.

You’re struggling to compete.

Are you slowly falling behind the competition? If so, it might be time to get help from a professional CRO consultant. A consultant can help your company reduce expenses and increase profit. This means your company will have more resources available to improve its competitive positioning.

You want to optimize the business’s operating costs.

Companies are always looking to improve the bottom line. One of the best ways to do that is through conversion optimization. A CRO consultant analyzes a company’s digital strategy and shows them what to do to lower expenses while getting better results.

The Brand Auditors: Boost profit with conversion optimization services

Many companies struggle to meet their growth goals because they need to convert more potential buyers into paying customers. Yet, they aren’t how to make that happen.

At The Brand Auditors, we have a proven track record of getting results. Using our conversion optimization services, clients have been able to:

• Boost sales

• Improve the user experience

• Target the right audiences

• Turn data into growth

• Stay ahead of the competition

Connect with a strategist to learn more.