10 Winning Conversion Rate Optimization Strategies

For many businesses—whether B2B, DTC, or service-based—drumming up web traffic is the first step toward success. The more consumers see a top-quality product, the more opportunity there is for revenue.

The next step? Making that revenue a reality.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the art of turning site visitors into paying customers. Using conversion rate optimization strategies, brands can increase the percentage of shoppers who become buyers—without spending more on ads.

The ten proven CRO strategies below can help boost return on investment (ROI) across landing pages, websites, marketing funnels, and more.

Friction is the biggest killer of conversions. For this reason, using a website should always be as effortless as possible.

When sites are cluttered and confusing to navigate, shoppers give up. Case in point: 80% of global consumers are likely to leave a hard-to-search website and shop elsewhere.

Businesses can make it easier for visitors to transition from “checking things out” to checkout by:

Despite decades of consumer research, the truth is that online shoppers are somewhat unpredictable. What performs well on one website may fail on another.

With that in mind, A/B testing is a brand’s best friend. Also known as split testing, A/B testing involves presenting two similar versions of a site or page to different consumers, then determining which option converts best.

Businesses can (and should) A/B test nearly every aspect of their site, including:

But companies shouldn’t test all these elements at once. The trick to performance tracking is testing one variable at a time. That way, decision-makers can identify exactly which change contributes to more conversions.

The CTA is the driver of forward motion. It’s what encourages site visitors to stop looking and start purchasing.

Most CTAs are only a few words, so every bit of copy counts. The strongest CTAs manage to be crystal clear, compelling, and action-oriented—all while using three words or less.

When split testing CTAs (see Strategy #2), brands can lean on several strategies to see which performs best. Here are some examples of different CTA approaches and when to use them:

Placement and design also make a difference. CTAs should be impossible to miss, both in terms of eye-catching color and location.

Of course, a business’s ultimate goal for any shopper is a revenue-generating purchase. But sometimes, there are other conversion goals along the way, such as email sign-ups and subscriptions. These lead generation tactics often produce larger sales down the road (and are especially useful in the B2B space).

Forms are the typical tool for collecting consumer info—and the simpler they are, the better.

Overlong forms can deter conversions, so businesses should always consider whether a piece of information is necessary. If it won’t help close a sale down the road, it may be worth leaving off the form. For example, fields like “How did you hear about us?” rarely spark conversions (though they may have other data-collecting uses).

In most cases, a form needs nothing more than the following fields:

Other ways to minimize form friction include using Smart Autofill to save visitors time and adding a progress bar for longer forms.

Many website visitors are first-timers. These brand-new consumers have no sense of the brand—and no reason to trust it.

That’s where social proof comes in. Social proof is another psychology-based marketing strategy that highlights strength in numbers. If consumers recognize that others have made a certain decision (i.e. bought something), they’re more likely to make that same choice.

Social proof comes in many forms, including:

Social proof is particularly powerful when placed near conversion points, such as CTAs and forms. After all, those decision-making moments are when consumers need the most encouragement.

In this world of instant gratification, attention spans are short. No one wants to wait, and that’s doubly true with online interactions: 40% of consumers will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load.

A poor mobile user experience (UX) can tank conversions, too. Rather than fight with a negative user interface, site visitors are more likely to move on.

Successful businesses understand the importance of convenience, which is why they optimize their page load speed and mobile experience. With tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, web developers can identify performance issues and solutions.

There are countless ways to shave off milliseconds of loading time, such as:

Consumers browse websites for various reasons. Some are there to shop; others come to research. To maximize conversions, businesses should tailor their content to match user expectations.

Fortunately, brands can usually guess a visitor’s intent by determining where they came from. With tools like UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) and built-in analytics from social media platforms, companies can identify if a shopper reached the site through an ad, an organic search, or another source.

Using individualized landing pages, brands can present different headlines, benefits, and offers to specific groups of shoppers. By tailoring messaging, it’s possible to speak more directly to consumers, guiding them toward conversions with targeted language and imagery.

“Wait! Don’t go!”

That’s the cry of an exit-intent popup. Just as visitors are about to leave, they’re met with a message that gives them a reason to stay. Exit popups can be anything, but some of the most common include:

These well-timed popups can help recover abandoning users. In fact, 10–15% of visitors can be drawn back in with an exit-intent strategy. 

For best results, businesses should experiment with timing, offer types, and popup design.

As mentioned, brands can leverage CTAs that instill a sense of urgency to convert more visitors.

However, urgency—along with its cousin, scarcity—can appear in other contexts with equal success. Here are several tried-and-true tactics for driving immediate action:

These scarcity and urgency strategies are effective, but brands should wield these tools carefully. Overusing psychological sales tactics can come across as inauthentic (or downright pushy) and drive visitors away.

Conversion rate optimization strategies aren’t stagnant. They must be routinely analyzed and adjusted based on consumer behavior.

Businesses utilize tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity for this exact purpose. These heatmap and session recording solutions show brands where users click, scroll, and drop off.

This data offers invaluable insight into what shoppers like and dislike about a site, guiding UX and copy improvements in the process.

For example, a scroll map can show how far the average visitor makes it down the page. If consumers are bailing early, it may be worth placing vital information “above the fold” (in other words, making it visible without scrolling).

As high-performing brands know, CRO strategies should be malleable and adaptive. Ongoing testing and refining are at the heart of any successful push to increase conversions.

When you use data to prioritize user experience, maximize clarity, and identify optimal trust signals, you can watch your conversion rate soar.

Need help turning visits into value? Power Digital is at your service. Our experienced marketers know just how to convert interested shoppers into loyal fans. It’s how we’re able to grow companies 2.6x faster than the industry average.

Contact us today to learn more about a potential partnership.

Google Cloud. New research: Search abandonment continues to vex retailers worldwide. https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/retail/new-research-on-search-abandonment-in-retail

Pew Research Center. For shopping, phones are common and influencers have become a factor – especially for young adults. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/11/21/for-shopping-phones-are-common-and-influencers-have-become-a-factor-especially-for-young-adults/

Gartner. What Is Social Proof? How to Harness Its Power for Marketing Success. https://www.gartner.com/en/digital-markets/insights/what-is-social-proof

American Psychological Association. Speaking of Psychology: Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans

Shopify. 6 Website Load Time Statistics and Why They Matter. https://www.shopify.com/blog/website-load-time-statistics

Mailchimp. How Exit Intent Popups Can Increase Your Website Conversions. https://mailchimp.com/resources/exit-intent-popup/