Conversion Rate Optimization is an extremely important and rewarding avenue you should be exploring if you want to increase the success of your business online.
However, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) can be harmful if practiced incorrectly. HERE ARE 6 MYTHS ABOUT CONVERSION RATE OPTIMISATION.
Kindly pay close attention to these common myths and conversion rate optimisation tips, they are vital:
If I Replicate a Successful Company’s Website (Wording, Layout, Color Scheme), My Conversion Rate will Increase.
So, you’ve read a case study or two about conversion rate optimisation success stories. You learned that another company changed their call to action button colour to green, changed a few headlines, switched out a few pictures and immediately saw an increase in conversions.
You think to yourself “Well, it worked for them so it’ll certainly work for me too, right?” Wrong. It’s a good idea to take a look at case studies to get ideas of different tests you can run on your site as a starting point; however, just because those specific changes worked for someone else doesn’t mean they will work for you.
For more information on making the right choice. You have to figure out what works best for your site and how your audience responds to every change you make.
My Test Only Has To Run For A Couple Days
Everyone’s condition is different. It all depends on the purpose of your A/B test, the amount of traffic your website receives, etc. However, chances are that running your A/B tests for a day or two is not sufficient enough to make a valid conclusion.
[bctt tweet=”Everyone’s condition is different. It all depends on the purpose of your A/B test, the amount of traffic your website receives, etc. However, chances are that running your A/B tests for a day or two is not sufficient enough to make a valid conclusion.” username=”@DMSInstitute”]
I can’t advise you how many times I started a test and thought a specific variation would win for sure and later on that variation would be the one to perform the worst.
Make sure your tests run long enough for you to get all the data you need, but at the same time make sure you are not letting the tests run too long. Usually, your conversion rate optimisation software should let you know when it thinks you have enough information gathered to conclude the test.
There isn’t Need For Analytics Tracking
If you are using a tool to perform your CRO tests, chances are it’ll track your goals and provide you with useful statistics. However, that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t utilize the wealth of data provided by other analytics software. Analytics software can tell you so much more about your audience, from behavior to demographics. Enabling
Analytics software can tell you so much more about your audience, from behaviour to demographics. Enabling heat maps in your A/B test is helpful as well, but you should still implement event tracking for more specific data. The more information you can gather from these tests, the more informed the decision you make will be.
[bctt tweet=”Analytics software can tell you so much more about your audience, from behaviour to demographics. Enabling heat maps in your A/B test is helpful as well, but you should still implement event tracking for more specific data. The more information you can gather from these tests, the more informed the decision you make will be.” username=”@DMSInstitute”]
Test “Call To Actions” Only
“The only thing I need to worry about in my A/B test is the Call To Action Button” . It is just a myth about CRO. There are so many things you can change during a conversion rate optimisation test, so why limit yourself to make a Call To Action (CTA) button red or change its text from “Shop” to “Buy Now”?
Every single element on your site determines how your audience will react to your website and whether or not they will make a conversion. In addition to testing the CTA, try changing headlines, body text, images,
In addition to testing the CTA, try changing headlines, body text, images, length of forms, etc. All of the information you receive from these tests, good or bad, will make your site’s design even stronger.
[bctt tweet=”Every single element on your site determines how your audience will react to your website and whether or not they will make a conversion. In addition to testing the CTA, try changing headlines, body text, images, length of forms, etc. All of the information you receive from these tests, good or bad, will make your site’s design even stronger.” username=”@DMSInstitute”]
Cross-Browser Compatibility isn’t an Issue
Of course, Cross-browser compatibility is always an issue. Anyone that says its isn’t an issue, its just a myth. My background in website development allows me to check for these things and know how to fix compatibility issues.
But someone who might not have any development experience may not know that the changes you make in your A/B test can affect the way your site is rendered in different browsers.
Check out your test variation in every browser, especially if the tool you are using to run the test has its own browser preview; it may look okay in that piece of software, but what an actual user will see can be very different.
I recommend at least knowing the basics of HTML and CSS or having a website developer take a look at the test for you before you put it live.
Results are Immediate
Last, but certainly not least, assuming that implementing a winning variation of a test into your website will significantly increase conversions, immediately, isn’t always the case, it is just another myth. The changes you implement may make a small incremental difference.
Nevertheless, an improvement is still an improvement and it’s imperative to understand that conversion rate optimisation is an ongoing effort, just like SEO. It may be time consuming and the amount of effort you put into it may not always produce the results you were hoping for, but it only gives you the opportunity to learn more about your audience.
The more A/B tests you run, the more you learn what your audience likes and dislikes and that is a wealth of knowledge you can use to your advantage.
Long copy doesn’t sell
Variations of this myth include:
Users don’t read.
Users don’t scroll.
This myth is cited in reference to any optimisation efforts you might be undertaking. Keep in mind, however, the users who are genuinely interested in whatever you’re offering are likely to want more information.
They will read, and they will scroll. But it’s your job to meet them halfway. Make your copy as clear, succinct, and engaging as you can without cutting essential information. Make your page as uncluttered and easy to navigate as possible.
But it’s your job to meet them halfway. Make your copy as clear, succinct, and engaging as you can’t do away with essential information. Make your page as uncluttered and easy to navigate as possible.
For example, if you’re cutting, splicing, and jamming together five pages worth of copy because you read somewhere that you have to keep everything “above the fold,” your user is going to be infinitely more frustrated than if he or she simply had to do a little scrolling.
Conclusion
We’ve taken a look at seven myths that you’ll want to keep an eye out for in CRO, but we’ve also learnt that the same thing won’t work for everyone and in some cases one of these myths might be the right way to go.
The important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t blindly follow what others have done or what has worked for a different project in the past.
You need to make sure you’re paying attention to what your data is telling (or not telling) you and make appropriate adjustments.
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