{"id":85813,"date":"2020-10-22T10:29:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T17:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/?p=85813"},"modified":"2023-11-14T00:18:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T08:18:04","slug":"cmo-guide-to-conversion-rate-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/cmo-guide-to-conversion-rate-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"A CMO\u2019s Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) in 5 Minutes or Less"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
SEO without CRO is like running a race but never crossing the finish line. Sure, you have traffic, but are they converting into leads and revenue?<\/p>\n
The ultimate goal of a successful digital marketing program is sales. It starts with driving traffic through many digital channels, like organic search, and ends with more revenue. If you\u2019re a CMO interested in conversion rate optimization, keep reading.<\/p>\n
In this post:<\/p>\n
A conversion is when a visitor to a website completes a desired action that either brings them closer to a sale or to an actual sale. Micro conversions include small steps, like downloading an ebook, while macro conversions create revenue, like purchasing a product.<\/p>\n
Examples of a micro conversion:<\/p>\n
Examples of a macro conversion:<\/p>\n
In the SEO world, we want to know what conversions happened as a result of the organic search channel. This could be newsletter sign-ups, revenue from sales, or others. Whatever the desired action, SEOs need to quantify how much the organic search channel contributed.<\/p>\n
By the way, according to BrightEdge research<\/a>, the average share of revenue from the organic channel is now more than 50% for B2Bs and tech companies and 36% to 41% for others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No matter how much companies invest in building websites, no matter how many engineers they hire, no matter how much money they invest in driving visitors to the website \u2026 if visitors do not convert, none of that matters.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2013Khalid Saleh, CEO of Invesp<\/a> and Bruce Clay Inc. CRO partner<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors that have completed the desired action out of the total number of visitors.<\/p>\n To calculate a conversion rate, take the total number of conversions divided by total website visitors. So, say you had 100 visitors, and 10 of them bought a pair of jeans. You\u2019d calculate the conversion rate as 10 \/ 100 = 0.10, or 10%.<\/p>\n A good conversion rate varies based on the type of marketing channel and industry. My sources at Invesp shared data that shows the following conversion rates on average per marketing channel for enterprise ecommerce sites:<\/p>\n Conversion rate optimization, or CRO, is the practice of optimizing websites so that more visitors convert.<\/p>\n SEO and CRO have a symbiotic and cyclical relationship. Conversion optimization can help SEOs:<\/p>\n Wait, did I just say CRO can actually improve search rankings? Let me explain. When you drive organic traffic to a webpage that does not offer a good user experience<\/a>, your chances of converting those visitors are slim to none. What you do have is a good chance of their leaving your site rather quickly.<\/p>\n This high bounce rate, in turn, may cause search rankings to suffer, thanks in part to Google\u2019s RankBrain<\/a>. RankBrain applies machine learning to determine the best search results based on a variety of factors.<\/p>\n And clicks to a webpage along with engagement on that page, could, over time, impact rankings. The question Google is trying to solve is: If no one is clicking on a result or not many people are staying on the site, is it a good search result worthy of top rankings?<\/p>\n So SEOs are concerned with driving clicks and keeping people on a webpage, too. That\u2019s where having a whole-SERP SEO strategy<\/a> to get more visibility in the results (more chances for clicks) or optimizing meta tags<\/a> for a better click-through rate can help.<\/p>\n A good place to get started with CRO is by looking at your most important or high-performing pages. Which pages drive the most traffic? Which pages are key to conversions?<\/p>\n Then you\u2019re going to dive into a four-step process that you can read more about in our conversion rate optimization tutorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like this post? Please share it! We also invite you to subscribe to the Bruce Clay Blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) work in tandem to improve digital marketing sales.<\/p>\n The SEO Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n To enhance your digital marketing sales, starting with a strong SEO foundation is essential. SEO ensures that your website ranks higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), driving organic traffic. This means optimizing your website’s content metatags, ensuring mobile-friendliness, improving visibility, and attracting a more targeted audience.<\/p>\n The CRO Edge<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you’ve laid the SEO groundwork, it’s time to leverage Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). CRO optimizes your website’s design and user experience to convert that organic traffic into paying customers. A\/B testing, compelling CTAs, and intuitive navigation are just a few CRO techniques that can significantly boost your conversion rates.<\/p>\n The Synergy Unleashed<\/strong><\/p>\n The real magic happens when you combine SEO and CRO strategies. You can maximize your conversion potential by driving more relevant traffic to your site through SEO and then fine-tuning the user experience with CRO. For instance, understanding the keywords that lead to high conversion rates allows you to tailor your content and design accordingly.<\/p>\n Measuring Success<\/strong><\/p>\n To continuously enhance your digital marketing sales, you need to monitor and analyze the results of your efforts. Tools like Google Analytics help track traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. Regularly review these metrics and adjust your strategies to ensure you’re staying on the path to success.<\/p>\n Staying Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Staying updated with the latest SEO and CRO trends is crucial. SEO algorithms change, and user preferences shift, so a proactive approach to adapting your strategies is key to long-term success.<\/p>\n By integrating SEO and CRO effectively, you can enhance your digital marketing sales and establish a strong online presence that resonates with your target audience, ultimately leading to sustainable growth.<\/p>\n Step-by-Step Procedure: Enhancing Digital Marketing Sales with SEO and CRO<\/strong><\/p>\n By following these steps, you can effectively enhance your digital marketing sales using the synergy of SEO and CRO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SEO without CRO is like running a race but never crossing the finish line. Sure, you have traffic, but are they converting into leads and revenue? The ultimate goal of a successful digital marketing program is sales. It starts with driving traffic through many digital channels, like organic search, and ends with more revenue. If […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":85815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[398,1847,1232,1848,1477],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<\/a>What Is a Conversion Rate?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>What Is Conversion Rate Optimization & How Does CRO Relate to SEO?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>How to Get Started with CRO<\/h2>\n
<\/a>FAQ: How can I enhance my digital marketing sales using SEO and CRO?<\/h3>\n
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