In the sea of important online business factors, conversion rate stands as one that can boost sales with the smallest of changes. This is what one website found, according to a report by Forbes – by simply adding a smiling face to their website, they increased conversion rate by 100%. Conversion rate optimization is the process of accepting that first impressions matter, and moving onwards from there. Distinct factors are shaping the practice this year.
When optimizing your website, bear in mind that a successful layout should provide the tools that consumers need to get onto the system and provide their details. Ideally, this needs to be within 10 seconds of page load. However, what does that data do after it’s been provided? Data must be handled carefully, both on an ethical and legal level. However, according to Econsultancy, having the full range of user data will be absolutely crucial to generating high quality CRO tools and upping that rate. Businesses optimizing in 2019 should be judicious with their use of data, but also open and willing to make efforts to gain more.
There are still millions of users on other platforms, but the smartphone is looking like it will dominate online sales. According to Tech Crunch, software outlet Adobe saw Black Friday bring in a 7.6% higher conversion rate through their optimization efforts. Consumers spent 5% less time on their website, but a higher percentage ended up sticking around. This teaches an important lesson – cross platform compatibility is king, and is arguably where you should push development funds in.
The raft of apps and robo-advisers that can now advise on every aspect of your life have been received and the jury is out on their effectiveness. Increasingly, consumers are looking for the human touch. According to Search Engine Journal, one study found that 68% of online business had increased the personalization on their websites due to a finding that 80% of consumers were likely to spend on something that felt personal. Draw back any artificial setting and look for that human touch.
Conversion rate optimization is the next logical step after getting your website loading quickly and presenting data in a useful way. Ever-changing, CRO is one of those practices that relies heavily on the taste the market has in any given time. This year, go for data – lots of it – and appeal to the mobile, personal-touch market.
