What is Conversion Rate Optimization (hereafter: CRO)
So, what exactly is CRO and, how does this technique work? CRO helps you getting better results from your visitors. It is a technique pointed at solving all the problems and issues a visitor faces at your website. Because at the moment a visitor is hindered by something, she very likely will leave the page. And once left, she most likely will never return. However, if she was at a smooth path, she might have converted from visitor to paying customer.

When does CRO come into play?
You can have a website that looks beautiful with amazing content. Your advertising strategies might be on par. Your site may even rank with the correct keywords necessary for high profit. In contrast, you also could have no customers!
However, a site must do more than look pretty. It must convert clicks into calls or entry forms. As a matter of fact, you want to talk to your visitor. You want to “meet” them. Maybe not in person, but only on the phone or on paper. But you want to talk straight to them. You want to develop a conversation. As a result, you will hear about their problems. And then you have the opportunity to tell them why YOU are the best company to take care of their problems. Failing talking to them will result in getting fewer potential clients. For this reason, CRO is a critical success factor.

Example of how CRO works
Describing how CRO works is not so easy as you keep in mind that the owner of the website rarely sees a user, using the site! Luckily, there is specialized software to help us. This one is called heat mapping. It shows the route a visitor takes when visiting your website. Heat mapping tells us, for instance, how long a visitor spends time at different areas on your pages, but also at which point a visitor leaves a site. In short, it shows where a customer goes and stalls.
As soon as we know if a certain percentage of people leave your site at the same spot, we can be sure that at that specific spot, there is something wrong. Repairing/changing that particular position is one of the stepstones in CRO.

Possible repairs
This repair might imply changing colors, texts, fonts, or a different layout. Having a difficult to read letter font might have a demolishing effect on the time your visitors spend at your site.

However, CRO is a broader area than changes in fonts or layouts. Other areas are, for instance, optimization of the navigation at a page, improvement of the content, and the loading speed of a site. These changes can all be summarized under the large denominator “improving the user experience” (in jargon: UX). Therefore, there are literally tens of reasons why visitors are not converting.

CRO helps you implying how to convert leads
Do you want your customers to contact you via a specific channel? Certain businesses thrive with certain channels. (In jargon channels are also called: funnels)
If you are a service that relies on immediate action such as an electrician, plumber, or DUI lawyer, then you will want your visitor to offer him a channel that solves his problem fast and easy. In this case, a phone call with 24/7 service.
If your proposed customer is an accountant or tax professional, he or she might prefer an entry form funnel. CRO gives you clues on which channel can be used best for your target groups.

Conclusion
With the technique of conversion rate optimization, you will be able to improve the time visitors stay at your site. The longer they stay, the more likely it becomes, they will take the actions you want from them. You get more through clicks and filled-in forms. As a result, you will get better results from your visitors, find more customers = more sales = more money in your pocket.