Most businesses know their website creates a bunch of data. The problem? They’re often looking at the wrong kind.
Don’t get us wrong, traffic, conversions, and bounce rates all have their place, but the picture is much broader than that. So, they tell you what’s happening with your site, but not why it happened. If you don’t know why, how are you meant to replicate success or prevent repeating mistakes?
That’s where CRO data comes in.
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is the process of understanding how people interact with your website. It gives you a gem of insight, the difference of knowing someone left an item in the checkout then closed the tab, and understanding what caused them to change their mind. With CRO data, you have insight and can make evidence-based improvements without assumptions.
Looking beyond the headline data
Tools like Google Analytics are no doubt incredibly useful, but they tend to scratch the surface. You need more than traffic reports to understand the behaviours behind your next sale and the missed opportunities. Some of the most valuable CRO data you can accumulate is from tools that tell you how visitors use your site, including:
- Heatmaps that show where your visitors click and scroll even where they lose interest.
- Session recordings that help you find customer hesitation or frustration.
- Form analytics highlighting where enquiries or checkouts are abandoned.
- Micro-conversions like newsletter sign-ups or product comparisons.
When you combine a range of CRO data, these insights allow you to develop a much clearer picture of what’s helping and also what’s hindering users from moving forward.
Data is only useful if you actually use it
There are so, so many businesses out there that assume collecting data is enough. You’d be wise to avoid making this mistake. You can install tracking tools and have a quick look at your dashboard from time to time, but the information you gain won’t necessarily offer value.
Good CRO data always has value and it helps you to answer some practical questions. Like, why are users giving up on form entries? Why does landing page A always outperform landing page B? And why oh why does our wonderfully designed CTA seem to have zero impact on sales?
You won’t get the answers if you’re bogged down in guesswork, you’ll find what you need by paying attention to high-quality data that tells you how people behave.
Small changes tend to have a big impact
Assumptions can be expensive for businesses, for example, if you were to assume that the only way to improve conversions is to rebuild your website. The reality is that some of the biggest wins often come from much smaller and subtle changes.
The little things. Like moving important, needle-moving content further up a page. Or simplifying a contact form to make it less complex for users. Oh, and a big one, don’t make the checkout process clunky with too many steps, no one needs that. Alone, these changes are far from revolutionary, but together, they are the building blocks of smoother and more productive experience for customers. That’s why CRO isn’t something you revisit every few years, it’s an ongoing process of learning, tweaking, and testing.
Build a website that continues to improve
Your company website or ecommerce website shouldn’t just stand still once it’s live, even if it’s gaining traffic and hitting conversion targets. Everything is an opportunity to learn more about your business and its customers, which means every visitor, click, and even those abandoned journeys matter.
It’s those businesses, the ones at the top of their industries, that review and learn from their CRO data. They don’t just improve their conversion rates (massively), but they ultimately create a much better experience for the people who use their website.
Web design and CRO data work together
Have you looked at your CRO data and found that you’re in need of some web design support, or a rebuild, or some new branding for a refresh? Studio Illicit has the perfect team of creatives for the job.
Our services can benefit your CRO data in many ways – take a look…
Want to learn more? Get in touch with our team today!