Conversion rate optimization: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Concept in digital marketing}}

[[File:Conversion marketing example.svg|thumb|A bar chart showing three stages in a "[[Sales process engineering|sales funnel]]": "saw the advertisement" -> "clicked the advertisement" -> "bought the product". The three stages have two conversion rates to be optimized.]]

'''Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)''' is the systematic process of enhancing the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading an app, across various digital platforms, including websites, mobile apps, emails, and ads. It involves analyzing user behavior, identifying friction points in the user journey, formulating hypotheses, conducting A/B or multivariate tests, and implementing changes to maximize conversion rates.

'''Conversion rate optimization''' ('''CRO''') is the process of increasing the percentage of users or website visitors to take a desired action (such as buying a product or leaving contact details).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Saleh|first1=Khalid|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USIKL4celYcC|title=Conversion Optimization: The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers|last2=Shukairy|first2=Ayat|date=Nov 1, 2010|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]|isbn=9781449397692|___location=[[Sebastopol, California]]|pages=2|oclc=733752533|access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ash|first1=Tim|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7xvcnxYa1wC|title=Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions|last2=Ginty|first2=Maura|last3=Page|first3=Rich|date=April 24, 2012|publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]|isbn=9780470610121|edition=2nd, illustrated|___location=[[Indianapolis]]|pages=13|oclc=751127244|access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref>

CRO is applicable across multiple digital channels:

'''Conversion rate* optimization''' (Websites'''CRO'''): isOptimizing thelanding processpages, ofnavigation, increasingand thecalls-to-action percentageto of users or websiteguide visitors to take atoward desired action (such as buying a product or leaving contact details)actions.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Saleh |first1=Khalid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USIKL4celYcC |title=Conversion Optimization: The Art and Science of Converting Prospects to Customers |last2=Shukairy |first2=Ayat |date=Nov 1, 2010 |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |isbn=9781449397692 |___location=[[Sebastopol, California]] |pages=2 |oclc=733752533 |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ash |first1=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7xvcnxYa1wC |title=Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions |last2=Ginty |first2=Maura |last3=Page |first3=Rich |date=April 24, 2012 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |isbn=9780470610121 |edition=2nd, illustrated |___location=[[Indianapolis]] |pages=13 |oclc=751127244 |access-date=May 7, 2021}}</ref>

* '''Mobile Apps''': Enhancing user experience through intuitive design, fast loading times, and streamlined onboarding processes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stankovic |first=Jovana |date=2025-04-07 |title=How to increase your app store conversion rate: ASO strategies for success |url=https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/app-store-conversion-rate |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=AppTweak |language=en-US}}</ref>

* '''Email Campaigns''': Crafting compelling subject lines and content to encourage click-throughs and conversions.

* '''Digital Advertisements''': Designing ad creatives and targeting strategies that resonate with the intended audience to drive conversions.

== History ==

Online conversion rate optimization (or website optimization) was born out of the need of e-commerce marketers to improve their website's performance in the aftermath of the [[dot-com bubble]], when technology companies started to be more aware about their spending, investing more in website analytics. After the burst, with website creation being more accessible, tons of pages with bad user experience were created. As competition grew on the web during the early 2000s, website analysis tools became available, and awareness of website usability grew, internet marketers were prompted to produce measurables for their tactics and improve their website's [[user experience]].

In 2004, new tools enabled internet marketers to experiment with [[Web design|website design]] and content variations to determine which layouts, copy text, offers, and images perform best. Testing started to be more accessible and known. This form of optimization accelerated in 2007 with the introduction of the free tool [[Google Website Optimizer]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|last=Page|first=Rich|url=|title=Website Optimization: An Hour a Day|date=2012|publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]|isbn=9781118196519|language=English|oclc=940552907}}</ref> Today, optimization and conversion are key aspects of many [[digital marketing]] campaigns. A research study conducted among internet marketers in 2017, for example, showed that 50% of respondents thought that CRO was "crucial to their overall digital marketing strategy".<ref>{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Ben|date=October 11, 2017|title=Research shows fewer marketers see CRO as 'crucial' in 2017, but is the discipline misunderstood?|url=https://econsultancy.com/research-shows-fewer-marketers-see-cro-as-crucial-in-2017-but-is-the-discipline-misunderstood/|url-status=live|access-date=May 7, 2021|website=[[Econsultancy]]|publisher=[[Centaur Media]]|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728153240/https://econsultancy.com/research-shows-fewer-marketers-see-cro-as-crucial-in-2017-but-is-the-discipline-misunderstood/}}</ref>