Whether you’re in property, coaching or finance, this scenario might hit a little close to home.
As a letting agent showcasing properties, a coach offering programmes or a financial expert providing invaluable advice, there’s one key question: why aren’t more visitors taking the next step? This is where Conversion Rate Optimisation comes in. In this insight, we will cover what CRO is, why it is so important, how it works for your business and some common challenges you may be facing but the benefits CRO can bring.
What is conversion rate optimisation?
CRO is not just about traffic; it’s about traction– getting prospects to take that next step.
It is the process of improving your website or landing pages to encourage more visitors to take specific actions. A conversion could be anything from filling out a contact form to book a consultation, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. If you are in property, CRO is turning visitors into qualified leads or viewings. For Coaches, getting bookings for consultations or sign-ups and if you’re in the finance sector this will be encouraging enquiries about bespoke services.
Why is conversion rate optimisation important?
Instead of constantly spending time and money on attracting new visitors, CRO focuses on maximising the potential of the traffic you already have.
CRO boosts ROI on marketing efforts. Every pound spent driving traffic goes further when more visitors convert into leads or customers. However, it is not just about numbers; it’s about creating a smoother and more intuitive experience for your audience.
Property in particular is a very competitive market. How can you stand out from your competitors? Your listings, services, or portfolio need to stand out with strong CTA’s that make people want to take action. Have you got enough trust signals?
For Coaches and Finance experts, credibility really is key. A well-optimised site with lots of trust signals and strong and clear calls-to-actions that explain the next steps, guides clients to trust you and in turn contact you.
How CRO works for your business
- Analyse
It is so important before you do anything else, to understand your current conversion rate, and identify where leads drop off. Your conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to your site who take the desired action. There are multiple tools out there to help with measuring conversion. We use Hotjar as it gives us an in-depth review of the journey that our website visitors take on our site. Do people leave on the contact page- is it a confusing enquiry process or too long of a form to fill out? Maybe your call to action isn’t strong enough. Are they leaving your landing page straight away?
- Testing
Once you’ve spotted your problem, you need to come up with a hypothesis. For example, if we make a change to our checkout process, people will purchase more often. You should run A/B tests to compare different methods. For example, for a property website, you could test if users prefer properties in a grid view or a list view. If you are in the coaching sector you can test where your trust signals are in the best places. For example, if testimonials are up higher, is the journey to conversion shorter?
- Optimise
CRO is a marathon, not a print- small changes compound into big results so be patient. After implementing changes, you monitor your results to see if there’s an actual improvement in your conversion rate. However, remember it is a continuous process!
Considering CRO isn’t just about tweaking a few elements on your website for fun. It is about addressing key business problems that you have with backed-up data that can directly impact your bottom line. Here are a few common issues that should make you seriously consider conversion rate optimisation.
High traffic, low conversions
Unclear Customer Journey
Lack of trust signals
Ineffective calls-to-actions
Low-quality leads
Difficulty measuring ROI
In terms of the property sector, you might be experiencing long lead times. Conversion Rate Optimisation focuses on nurturing interest over time.
If you’re in coaching and consultancy maybe you are overcoming scepticism from your clients. Conversion Rate Optimisation will focus on building credibility at every step.
And if you are in the financial sector, CRO can help simplify jargon-heavy services without oversimplifying value!
Benefits of CRO
Increase in booked consultations
Conversion rate optimisation ensures your website is designed to guide visitors through an ideal journey and toward specific actions- like booking a consultation. By offering a free consultation and optimising your calls to action e.g. “book your free consultation”, removes barriers such as lengthy forms. It makes it easy and almost too good to miss which helps visitors take that next step. It is also clear what the next steps are if you carry out an action. This builds trust in your visitor who knows what they expect.
Higher-quality leads
By tweaking your messaging, forms, and landing pages, your site will speak directly to your ideal audience. For example, clear benefits and targeted content can resonate with serious buyers in property or high-net-worth clients. Higher quality leads mean you spend less time chasing unqualified prospects and more time focusing on clients who are ready to pay.
More revenue without spending more on ads
This is where CRO really shines. Instead of throwing money at an ad campaign for extra traffic, conversion rate optimisation focuses on squeezing maximum value out of the traffic you already have. For example, turning 3% of your visitors into pay customers instead of 1% can triple your revenue without spending an extra penny on ads. If you are spending money on ads and haven’t considered CRO, you are essentially sending more people to your site with no clear journey of where to go
Conclusion
Whether you’re selling homes, changing lives, or managing finances, CRO makes sure your website is working as hard as you do. If you are struggling with some of the issues above, try some of our tips and get in touch if you need help!
