Two Guys on Your Website: The Different Conversion Optimization Techniques You Should Consider

Conversion Sciences

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is important at every stage of your business. But if you have a low-volume site, you may not be able to do the A/B testing that is the hallmark of so many CRO projects. Here are conversion optimization techniques that work no matter where you are on the CRO spectrum. Subscribe to the Podcast iTunes | Spotify | RSS All Episodes TLDR Summary Different types of CRO: Pre-post testing vs. A/B testing (00:00 - 5:03) Challenges with low traffic sites and optimizing for them (5:03 - 11:55) Importance of understanding your data and setting expectations (11:55 - 18:31) Role of heuristic analysis and its limitations (18:31 - 24:06) Value of session recordings and heatmaps (24:06 - 28:37) Knowing what and where to test (28:37 - 32:05) Importance of having a conversion strategist and the right team (32:05 - 37:07) Emphasis on systematic experimentation and continuous improvement (37:07 - 45:04) Download the Transcript *** Conversion rate optimization is the process of improving your website to increase the percentage of visitors who take a desired action. Whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter, effective CRO can dramatically enhance your online performance. Here are your best options for optimizing your website. The Spectrum of Optimization Brian and Joel explain that conversion rate optimization can be viewed on a spectrum, ranging from low-volume sites to advanced data-driven strategies. Each stage requires different approaches and considerations. In this podcast, they explore the different conversion optimization techniques that work for each stage of the spectrum. Optimizing a Low-Volume Site On one end of the spectrum is the lower volume website. To optimize these sites, you have to turn up your risk tolerance dial. Since you don’t have a big enough sample size to run accurate tests, you run into the optimization paradox: you have less data to understand how to bring about meaningful change, but you have to drive meaningful change in order to find detectable change. The conversion rate is essentially a ratio. The smaller your sample size, the more subject the ratio is to fluctuation. The truth is, it’s very difficult to make changes that win on any website. Even for the best in the business, the batting average is three out of ten. Four out of ten are winners to the dollar. Nobody knows exactly what's going to work. That's the puzzle of it. You have to fail systematically to uncover what’s going to work. For smaller websites, that’s even more challenging. Conversion Optimization Techniques for Low-Volume Sites Before and After Testing (BA Testing): Change something on the website and wait to see whether it improves results. It’s important to know which tools are needed for the occasion and how many tools you can be using at the same time. And, of course, if you aren’t measuring results, it’s not really optimization. Home Run Testing: Also known as big swings, where you run an A/B test but apply your results to before and after testing. With this approach, you’re looking for signature wins of 50% to 70% lift. With a relatively small sample size, the math works out because the lift is so big. But you have to be willing to make an optimization error, calling a test a loser because it only had 20 or 30% lift — even if it could have improved things if you had been able to run the test long enough to get the right sample size. Data-Informed Gut Decisions: On a lower volume website, you have to know your customers. You can have 40 to 30 conversions with the conversion rate showing a delta, but it's still low volume. You don’t have statistical significance, but if there is no evidence that this is going to hurt you and there is evidence that the change will help you, then do it. Do it and move on. Choosing an Agency for Low-Volume Sites