Optimizing the conversion rate: the alliance of CRO and SEO

Optimizing the conversion rate is a marketing practice that has grown in importance over the years. In the past, many businesses focused on relevant but incomplete data, such as the number of visitors over a given period of time. As we explain below, the Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) depends on several factors, and it requires the adoption of relevant tools to analyze strengths and weaknesses of a website.

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Definition of conversion rate optimization

Conversion is the fact that a website visitor does what is expected of them. In the field of e-commerce, a conversion is most of the time similar to a sale, but depending on the type of site or field of activity, it can take on other aspects: starting a free trial if you are selling a subscription, filling out a fact sheet, subscribing to a newsletter, watching a video... The conversion rate is the ratio between the number of people who perform the action you are looking for in relation to the total number of visitors. Multiply the result by 100 to get a percentage. If, for example, you want your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, and this happens 25 times out of a total of 400 visits, your conversion rate is (25/400) x 100 = 6.25%.

During each stage of a customer journey, users leave your site, according to the conversion tunnel process. With the optimization of the conversion rate, the loss of visitors during each of these key moments is reduced to a minimum, which makes it possible to have as many people as possible at the time of the purchase, when the prospect becomes a customer. To use a numerical example, if your site has 200,000 monthly visitors for a conversion rate of 3%, the number of conversions is 6,000. Thanks to the efforts of your marketing team, you are able to improve your conversion rate, which now stands at 4%. With this new rate, the volume of your sales skyrockets and now stands at 8,000...

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The benefits of CRO

• Increase in ROI
• Reduction in the costs of acquiring new customers
• Lower bounce rate
• Improving the user experience
• Better knowledge of your customers
• Customer Loyalty
• Advantage over the competition

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SEO and conversion rate, two correlated concepts

Natural referencing and SEO conversion rate are two complementary elements. You can't pretend to adopt a coherent marketing strategy by leaving out any of these elements. Thanks to SEO and a good positioning in the SERP, it is not only more traffic that you attract to your website. It is also a more qualified audience that visits you, which means that they have every chance of being satisfied with the content you offer. This, of course, is a huge asset in relation to the CRO. Conversely, all the efforts made in favor of conversion rate optimization will have a positive influence on SEO: if, by improving UX, visitors spend time on the site and the bounce rate is minimized, this is a very positive element because Google constantly seeks to improve the results it offers: your site therefore appears relevant and has every chance of obtaining a preferential position in the SERP.

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Identify weak points of the site

How to improve the conversion rate of a site? CRO involves identifying areas for improvement. First, you need to analyze how long pages take to load, so users don't have to wait too long for them to be displayed correctly. The quality and ergonomics of the design should also be examined, as this can influence customer satisfaction as well as their overall perception of your brand. The registration and payment processes should be simple but secure in order to more easily encourage potential customers to buy your products or services online. It's also a good idea to check if all links are active and if the content is relevant to your target audience. Finally, online surveys can be carried out in order to measure customer satisfaction through various criteria.

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How do you know if a conversion rate is good?

It is always difficult to know, because the conversion rate is a relative concept, which depends in particular on the sector of activity in which you are located and other performance indicators. However, if you objectively analyze your website and its contents, you are able to determine if levers for improvement exist, both in terms of design, navigation, ergonomics or text quality. If this is the case, it is because there is room for improvement. Therefore, the optimization of the conversion rate is not over.

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Use analysis tools

The use of certain analysis tools is essential to understand and improve the effectiveness of your website and its conversion rate. The data collected thanks to Google Analytics or Incremys can be used to monitor traffic, identify the sources that more easily generate a conversion, or even assess the impact of the various elements present on the web page. Thanks to the information provided by these analytical software, you can also monitor the performance of your site in real time and better understand how different target segments interact with your content across various media (laptop, mobile). Finally, it is possible to effectively analyze the effectiveness of the advertising campaigns you set up in order to obtain a better return on investment. When used properly, analysis tools are essential in optimizing the conversion rate.

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To conclude

You no longer have to wonder what the impact of optimizing the conversion rate is on the ROI of your business: we have shown how beneficial CRO is for it. To be effective, however, this marketing strategy must be implemented accurately, and must be accompanied by relevant advice and analysis tools.