Pretty much any website can benefit from conversion rate optimisation. Blending copy, content, layout, and usability in the right way will encourage visitors to complete the goal you want them to complete, but finding the right blend comes from testing.
Whether CRO is new to you and your organisation, or you’ve already taken the plunge (good for you!) there are some common errors that even the best CRO consultants are susceptible to making. Avoid these potentially costly split testing mistakes and enjoy the revenue increases associated with an improved conversion rate.
1. Testing too much at once
Once you’ve started testing your site, it’s easy to get carried away! There’s so much you can be testing – copy, images, layout, buttons, navigation, the list goes on – but it’s important to be methodical and pace yourself.
Often, when I’m introduced to a new CRO client, and I’m taking my first look through their site, I spot loads of things I’d want to test. Loads. Now, we have a pretty robust CRO methodology at Browser Media, and so rather than just relying on gut instinct, we look at web analytics, gather user feedback, and conduct market research to formulate a test plan. The reason this is so important is because it prevents making too many changes at once. That’s not to say you can’t be bold with your tests, but if you change your headline and add a testimonial, you can’t really be sure which, if either, is having an effect on conversion rate. One variable at a time.
2. Disregarding seasonality
Many businesses experience peaks and troughs in website traffic, and conversions through the year. Christmas and New Year tend to be big ones, but there are many others. Mothering Sunday will be a busy time for florists, jewellers may see an increase in sales on the run up to Valentine’s Day and the beginning of the new academic year will be significant if you sell stationery. In order to really benefit from CRO testing, you need to be seeing a decent number of visitors so you can gather enough data to reach a statistically significant result.