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• CRO Audit : Increase Your Conversions in 10 Simple Steps

  25 mars 2024, par Erin

  You have two options if you’re unhappy with your website’s conversion rates.

  The first is to implement a couple of random tactics you heard on that marketing podcast, which worked for a business completely unrelated to yours. 

  The other is to take a more systematic, measured approach. An approach that finds specific problems with the pages on your site and fixes them one by one. 

  You’re choosing the second option, right ?

  Good, then let’s explain what a conversion rate optimisation audit is and how you can complete one using our step-by-step process.

  What is a CRO audit ?

  A conversion rate optimisation audit (CRO audit) systematically evaluates your website. It identifies opportunities to enhance your website’s performance and improve conversion rates. 

  During the audit, you’ll analyse your website’s entire customer journey, collect valuable user behaviour data and cross reference that with web analytics to find site elements (forms, calls-to-actions, etc.) that you can optimise.

  

  It’s one (and usually the first) part of a wider CRO strategy. 

  For example, an online retailer might run a CRO audit to discover why cart abandonment rates are high. The audit may throw up several potential problems (like a confusing checkout form and poor navigation), which the retailer can then spend time optimising using A/B tests. 

  Why run a CRO audit ?

  A CRO audit can be a lot of work, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are the benefits you can expect from running one.

  Generate targeted and relevant insights

  You’ve probably already tested some “best practice” conversion rate optimisations, like changing the colour of your CTA button, adding social proof or highlighting benefits to your headlines. 

  These are great, but they aren’t tailored to your audience. Running a CRO audit will ensure you find (and rectify) the conversion bottlenecks and barriers that impact your users, not someone else’s.

  Improve conversion rates

  Ultimately, CRO audits are about improving conversion rates and increasing revenue. Finding and eliminating barriers to conversion makes it much more likely that users will convert. 

  But that’s not all. CRO audits also improve the user experience and customer satisfaction. The audit process will help you understand how users behave on your website, allowing you to create a more user-friendly customer experience. 

  A 10-step process for running your first CRO audit 

  Want to conduct your first CRO audit ? Follow the ten-step process we outline below :

  

  1. Define your goals

  Start your CRO audit by setting conversion goals that marry with the wider goals of your business. The more clearly you define your goals, the easier it will be to evaluate your website for opportunities. 

  Your goals could include :

  • Booking more trials
  • Getting more email subscribers
  • Reducing cart abandonments

  You should also define the specific actions users need to take for you to achieve these goals. For example, users will have to click on your call-to-action and complete a form to book more trials. On the other hand, reducing cart abandonments requires users to add items to their cart and click through all of the forms during the checkout process. 

  If you’re unsure where to start, we recommend reading our CRO statistics roundup to see how your site compares to industry averages for metrics like conversion and click-through rates. 

  You’ll also want to ensure you track these conversion goals in your web analytics software. In Matomo, it only takes a few minutes to set up a new conversion goal, and the goals dashboard makes it easy to see your performance at a glance. 

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  2. Review your analytics

  With your goals in mind, the next step is to dive into your website analytics and identify pages that need improvement.

  Consider the following conversion metrics when analysing pages :

  • Conversion rate
  • Average time on page
  • Average order value
  • Click-through rate

  Ensure you’re analysing metrics aligning with the goals you set in step one. Average order value could be a great metric to track if you want to reduce cart abandonments, for example, but it’s unsuitable to get more email subscribers.

  3. Research the user experience

  Next, you’ll want to gather user experience data to better understand how potential customers use your website and why they aren’t converting as often as you’d like. 

  You can use several tools for user behaviour analysis, but we recommend heatmaps and session recordings.

  Heatmaps visually represent how users click, move and scroll your website. It will show where visitors place their attention and which page elements are ignored. 

  Take a look at this example below from our website. As you can see, the navigation, headline and CTA get the most attention. If we weren’t seeing as many conversions as we liked and our CTAs were getting ignored, that might be a sign to change their colour or placement. 

  

  Session recordings capture the actions users take as they browse your website. They let you watch a video playback of how visitors behave, capturing clicks and scrolls so you can see each visitor’s steps in order. 

  Session recordings will show you how users navigate and where they drop off. 

  4. Analyse your forms

  Whether your forms are too confusing or too long, there are plenty of reasons for users to abandon your forms. 

  But how many forms are they abandoning exactly and which forms are there ?

  That’s what form analysis is for. 

  Running a form analysis will highlight which forms need work and reveal whether forms could be contributing to a page’s poor conversion rate. It’s how Concrete CMS tripled its leads in just a few days.

  Matomo’s Form Analytics feature makes running form analysis easy.

  

  Just open up the forms dashboard to get a snapshot of your forms’ key metrics, including average hesitation time, starter rate and submission rates. 

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  5. Analyse your conversion funnel

  Next, analyse the conversion funnel to see if there’s an obvious bottleneck or several pages where visitors abandon your desired action. Common conversion abandonment points are shopping carts and forms.

  

  For example, you could find there is a drop-off in conversions between checking out and making a purchase or between booking a demo and signing up for a subscription. Understanding where these drop-offs occur lets you dig deeper and make targeted improvements.

  Don’t worry if you’ve got a very long funnel. Start at the bottom and work backward. Problems with the pages at the very end of your funnel tasked with converting customers (landing pages, checkout pages, etc.) will have the biggest impact on your conversion rate. So, it makes sense to start there. 

  6. Analyse campaigns and traffic sources (marketing attribution)

  It’s now time to analyse traffic quality to ensure you’re powering your conversion optimisation efforts with the best traffic possible. 

  This can also help you find your best customers so you can focus on acquiring more of them and tailoring your optimisation efforts to their preferences. 

  Run a marketing attribution report to see which traffic sources generate the most conversions and have the highest conversion rates. 

  

  Using marketing attribution is crucial here because it gives a fuller picture of how customers move through their journey, recognising the impact of various touchpoints in making a decision, unlike last-click attribution, which only credits the final touchpoint before a conversion.

  7. Use surveys and other qualitative data sources

  Increase the amount of qualitative data you have access to by speaking directly to customers. Surveys, interviews and other user feedback methods add depth and context to your user behaviour research.

  Sure, you aren’t getting feedback from hundreds of customers like you do with heatmaps or session recordings, but the information can sometimes be much richer. Users will often tell you outright why they didn’t take a specific action in a survey response (or what convinced them to convert). 

  Running surveys is now even easier in Matomo, thanks to the Matomo Surveys third-party plugin. This lets you add a customisable survey popup to your site, the data from which is automatically added to Matomo and can be combined with Matomo segments.

  8. Develop a conversion hypothesis

  Using all of the insights you’ve gathered up to this point, you can now hypothesise what’s wrong and how you can fix it. 

  Here’s a template you can use :

  

  This could end up looking something like the following :

  Based on evidence gathered from web analytics and heatmaps, moving our signup form above the fold will fix our lack of free trial signups, improving signups by 50%.

  

  Make sure you write your hypothesis down somewhere. Matomo lets you document your hypothesis when creating an A/B test, so it’s easy to reflect on when the test finishes. 

  9. Run A/B tests

  Now, it’s time to put your theory into practice by running an A/B test.

  Create an experiment using a platform like Matomo that creates two different versions of your page : the original and one with the change you mentioned in your hypothesis. 

  There’s no set time for you to run an A/B test. Just keep running it until the outcome is statistically significant. This is something your A/B testing platform should do automatically. 

  A statistically significant result means it would be very unlikely the outcome doesn’t happen in the long term.

  

  As you can see in the image above, the wide header variation has significantly outperformed both the original and the other variation. So we can be pretty confident about making the change permanent. 

  If the outcome of your A/B test also validates your conversion hypothesis, you can implement the change. If not, analyse the data, brainstorm another hypothesis and run another A/B test. 

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  10. Monitor and iterate

  You need to develop a culture of continuous improvement to succeed with conversion rate optimisation. That means constantly monitoring your conversion goals and running tests to improve your metrics. 

  While you don’t need to run a conversion audit every month, you should run audits regularly throughout the year.

  How often should you conduct a CRO audit ? 

  You should conduct a CRO audit fairly regularly. 

  We recommend creating a CRO schedule that sees you run a CRO audit every six to 12 months. That will ensure you continue identifying problem pages and keeping your conversion rates competitive. 

  Regular CRO audits will also account for evolving consumer behaviours, changes in your industry and your own business goals, all of which can impact your approach conversion rate optimisation. 

  Run your CRO audit with Matomo

  A CRO audit process is the only way you can identify conversion optimisation methods that will work for your site and your target audience. It’s a methodical, data-backed strategy for making targeted improvements to send conversion rates soaring. 

  There are a lot of steps to complete, but you don’t need dozens of tools to run a CRO audit process. 

  Just one : Matomo.

  Unlike other web analytics platforms, like Google Analytics, Matomo has the built-in tools and plugins to help with every step of the CRO audit process, from web analytics to conversion funnel analysis and A/B testing. With its accurate, unsampled data and privacy-friendly tracking, Matomo is the ideal choice for optimising conversions. 

  Learn how to increase your conversions with Matomo, and start a free 21-day trial today. No credit card required.

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• Conversion Funnel Optimisation : 10 Ways to Convert More

  24 janvier 2024, par Erin

  Converting leads into happy customers is the ultimate goal of any sales and marketing team. But there are many steps in between those two events, or in other words, funnel stages. 

  Your sales funnel includes all the steps you take to make your audience aware of your product or services and convince them to purchase. Conversion funnel optimisation strategies can help you move users through the stages of your sales funnel. 

  This article will show you how to optimise your conversion funnel and boost sales — no matter how your funnel looks. We’ll go over practical tips you can implement and how you can analyse and measure results.

  Let’s get started.

  What is conversion funnel optimisation ? 

  Conversion funnel optimisation is the strategic and ongoing process of refining and improving the different stages of a sales or marketing funnel to increase the rate at which users complete desired actions.

  A sales funnel represents the stages a potential customer goes through before purchasing. 

  The typical stages of a sales funnel include :

  • Awareness : At the top of the funnel, potential customers become aware of your product or service. 
  • Consideration : In this stage, prospects evaluate the product or service against alternatives. They may compare features, prices and customer reviews to make an informed decision.
  • Conversion : The prospect completes the transaction and becomes an actual customer by purchasing.
  • Loyalty : You can turn one-time buyers into repeat customers and brand advocates. 

  It’s called a “funnel” because, similar to the shape of a funnel, the number of potential customers decreases as they progress through the various stages of the sales process — as you can see illustrated below.

  

  Sales funnels can vary across industries and business models, but the general concept remains the same. The goal is to guide potential customers through each funnel stage, addressing their needs and concerns at each step, ultimately leading to a successful conversion. 

  You can create and monitor a custom funnel for your site’s user journey with a web analytics solution like Matomo.

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  The importance of conversion funnel optimisation 

  At the heart of conversion funnel optimisation is the quest for higher conversion rates. 

  Refining the customer journey can increase the chances of turning visitors into customers who return repeatedly.

  Specifically, here’s how conversion funnel optimisation can benefit your business :

  • Increased conversions : Marketers can increase the likelihood of turning website visitors into customers by making the user journey more user-friendly and persuasive.
  • Higher revenue : Improved conversion rates aren’t just numbers on a chart ; they translate to tangible revenue. 
  • Increased ROI (return on investment) : By optimising the conversion funnel, you can get more value from your marketing and sales efforts. 
  • Improved customer satisfaction : When customers find it easy and enjoyable to interact with a website or service, it positively influences their satisfaction and likelihood of returning.
  • Data-driven decision-making : Businesses can make informed decisions on budgets and resources based on user behaviour and performance metrics by analysing and optimising conversion funnels.

  ​​Ultimately, conversion funnel optimisation efforts align the entire funnel with overarching business goals.

  10 ways to optimise your conversion funnel 

  Here are 10 ways to optimise your conversion funnel.

  1. Identify and segment your target audience

  The key to a successful conversion funnel begins with a deep understanding of your target audience. 

  Identifying and segmenting your audience lets you speak directly to their pain points, desires and motivations.

  One effective way to know your audience better is by creating detailed buyer personas. These are fictional representations of your ideal customers based on thorough market research and real data. Dive into demographics and behavioural patterns to craft personas that resonate with your audience.

  

  Note that consumer preferences are not static. They evolve, influenced by trends, technological advancements and shifts in societal values. Staying attuned to these changes is crucial as part of optimising your conversion funnel.

  Thus, you must regularly update your buyer personas and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly.

  2. Create content for every stage of the funnel

  Each funnel stage represents a different mindset and needs for your potential customers. Tailoring your content ensures you deliver the right message at the right time to the right audience. 

  Here’s how to tailor your content to fit prospective customers at every conversion funnel stage.

  Awareness-stage content

  Prospects here are seeking information. Your content should be educational and focused on addressing their pain points. Create blog posts, infographics and videos introducing them to your industry, product or service.

  This video we created at Matomo is a prime example of awareness-stage content, grabbing attention and educating viewers about Matomo.

  Consideration-stage content

  Prospects are evaluating their options. Provide content highlighting your product’s unique selling points, such as case studies, product demonstrations and customer testimonials.

  Here’s how we use a versus landing page at Matomo to persuade prospects at this funnel stage.

  

  Conversion-stage content

  This is the final push. Ensure a smooth transition to conversion with content like promotional offers, limited-time discounts and clear calls to action (CTA).

  Loyalty-stage content

  In this stage, you might express gratitude for the purchase through personalised thank-you emails. Follow up with additional resources, tips or exclusive offers to reinforce a positive post-purchase experience. This also positions your brand as a helpful resource beyond the initial sale.

  Reward customer loyalty with exclusive offers, discounts or membership in a loyalty program.

  3. Capture leads

  Lead magnets are incentives offered to potential customers in exchange for their contact information, typically their email addresses. 

  Examples of lead magnets include :

  • Ebooks and whitepapers : In-depth resources that delve into specific topics of interest to your target audience.
  • Webinars and workshops : Live or recorded sessions that offer valuable insights, training or demonstrations.
  • Free trials and demos : Opportunities for potential customers to experience your product or service firsthand.
  • Checklists and templates : Practical tools that help your audience solve specific challenges.
  • Exclusive offers and discounts : Special promotions are available to those who subscribe or provide their contact information.

  For instance, here’s how HubSpot uses templates as lead magnets.

  

  Similarly, you can incorporate your lead magnets into relevant articles or social media posts, email campaigns and other marketing channels.

  4. Optimise your landing pages

  Understanding how visitors interact with your landing pages is a game-changer. So, the first step in optimising your landing pages is to analyse them.

  Enter Matomo’s heatmaps — the secret weapon in landing page optimisation. They visually represent how users interact with your pages, revealing where they linger, what catches their attention and where they may encounter friction. 

  

  Here are a few landing page elements you should pay attention to :

  • Strategic visual elements : Integrate high-quality images, videos and graphics that support your message and guide visitors through the content.
  • Compelling copy : Develop concise and persuasive copy that emphasises the benefits of your offering, addressing user pain points.
  • Effective CTA : Ensure your CTA is prominently displayed, using compelling language and colours that stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness : Optimise your landing pages for various devices, especially considering the prevalence of mobile users.
  • Minimal form fields : Reduce friction by keeping form fields to a minimum, requesting only essential information.
  • ​​Leverage social proof : Integrate testimonials, reviews and trust badges to build trust and credibility.
  • A/B testing : Experiment with variations in design, copy and CTAs through A/B testing, allowing data to guide your decisions.

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  5. ​​Use compelling Calls to Action (CTAs)

  Crafting compelling CTAs is an art that involves a careful balance of persuasion, clarity and relevance.

  Here are a few tips you can implement to write CTAs that support your goals :

  • Use language that compels action. Instead of generic phrases like “Click Here,” opt for more persuasive alternatives such as “Unlock Exclusive Access” or “Start Your Free Trial.”
  • Make sure your CTAs are clear and straightforward. Visitors should instantly understand what action you want them to take. 
  • Tailor CTAs to the specific content on the page. Whether it’s a blog post, landing page or email, the CTA should seamlessly connect with the surrounding context.
  • Position your CTAs strategically. They should be prominently displayed and easily noticeable, guiding visitors without intruding.
  • Create a sense of urgency. Encourage immediate action by incorporating language that instils a sense of urgency. Phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Act Now” can prompt quicker responses.

  6. Have an active social presence

  Social media platforms are bustling hubs of activity where your target audience spends a significant portion of their online time. Cultivating a social media presence allows you to meet your audience where they are, fostering a direct line of communication.

  Moreover, the integration of shopping features directly into social media platforms transforms them into seamless shopping experiences. Nearly half of Instagram users shop weekly through the platform. 

  Also, the US social commerce sales continue to grow each year and are expected to reach $79.64 billion by 2025.

  

  7. Build a brand community

  Four in five customers consider communities important to how engaged they are with a brand.

  A strong community fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty among members. When customers feel connected to your brand and each other, they are more likely to remain loyal over the long term. 

  Also, satisfied community members often share their positive experiences with others, expanding your brand’s reach without additional marketing efforts.

  For example, Nike’s community for runners is a digital space where individuals share their running journeys, accomplishments and challenges. 

  

  By strategically building and nurturing a community, you not only enhance retention and spur referrals but also create a space where your brand becomes an integral part of your customers’ lives. 

  8. Conduct A/B tests

  A/B testing systematically compares two versions of a webpage, email or other content to determine which performs better.

  Examples of elements to A/B test :

  • CTAs : The language, colour, size and placement of CTAs can significantly impact user engagement. A/B testing allows you to discover which variations prompt the desired actions.
  • Headlines : Crafting compelling headlines is an art. Test different versions to identify which headlines resonate best with your audience, whether they are more drawn to clarity, humour, urgency or curiosity.
  • Images : Test different images to understand your audience’s visual preferences. This could include product images, lifestyle shots or graphics.

  

  With Matomo’s A/B testing feature, you can test various elements to see which is successful in converting visitors or moving them to the next stage of the conversion funnel.

  9. Leverage social proof

  In an era where consumers are inundated with choices, the opinions, reviews and endorsements of others serve as beacons, guiding potential customers through the decision-making process. 

  Simply put — when people see that others have had positive experiences with your brand, it instils trust and confidence.

  

  You can proactively gather social proof and display it prominently across your marketing channels. Here are some examples of social proof you can leverage :

  • Customer reviews : Positive reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers serve as authentic endorsements of your products or services. 
  • Case studies : In-depth case studies that showcase successful collaborations or solutions provided to clients offer a detailed narrative of your brand’s capabilities. These are particularly effective in B2B scenarios or for complex products and services.
  • User-generated content : Encourage customers to share their experiences. This could include photos, videos or posts on social media platforms, providing a dynamic and genuine portrayal of your brand.
  • Influencer endorsements : Collaborating with influencers in your industry or niche can amplify your social proof. When influencers vouch for your products or services, their followers are more likely to take notice.

  10. Measure and analyse performance

  This is a continuous loop of refinement, where you should use analysis and data-driven insights to guide your conversion funnel optimisation efforts.

  Here’s a systematic approach you can take :

  1. Identify the path users take on your site using a feature like Users Flow.
  2. Map the customer journey using a Funnels feature like the one in Matomo. 
  3. Identify the metrics that align with your conversion goals at each stage of the funnel, such as website traffic, conversion rates, click-through rates and customer acquisition costs.
  4. Assess conversion rates at different stages of the funnel. Identify areas with significant drop-offs and investigate factors that might contribute to the decline.
  5. Use heatmaps and session recordings to see first-hand how users interact with your site.
  6. Create an experiment to test and improve a specific area within your funnel using insights from the heatmaps and session recordings.
  7. A/B test, analyse the results to understand which variations performed better. Use this data to refine elements within your funnel.

  See how Concrete CMS 3x their leads with conversion optimisation.

  Conclusion 

  The customer journey is not linear. However, it involves a few specific stages your audience will go through — from first learning about your product or services to considering whether to try it. The goal is to turn them into happy and loyal customers.

  In this article, we went over strategies and practical tips you can use to guide customers through the conversion funnel. From segmenting your audience to capturing leads, optimising landing pages and running A/B tests, there are steps you can take to ensure your audience will move to the next stage.

  And of course, you have to continuously measure and analyse your performance. That’s how you know whether you’re heading in the right direction and, if not, where to correct your course. 

  For that, you need a robust web analytics solution with conversion optimisation features. Try Matomo free for 21 days and start optimising your conversion funnel—no credit card required. 

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