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You’ve put a lot of work into getting traffic to your site and conversions are low.
The good news is you’re not alone—many businesses have the same problem. The even better news is there are proven ways to increase your conversion rate and get more from your website.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) testing is the foundation of all of these strategies. Through trial and error of the tools and techniques, the best practice is found and the audience is reached.
CRO tools are used to test website performance and user engagement by testing things.
In this post, I’ll give you a quick rundown of CRO testing, from types and insights to actual steps to follow. Let’s get started!
What is CRO Testing?
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) Testing is a structured process where you experiment with changes on your site and measure their impact on user behavior and conversions.
When performing a CRO test, you follow through with the systematic steps to obtain actionable results, and every improvement you make is based on data.
CRO testing helps to optimize the value obtained from existing traffic by identifying what would make people engage more. It cuts out any guesswork and lets you understand how to deliver better experiences to your users and increase conversions successfully.
Benefits of CRO Testing
- Better Decisions: Avoid a reliance on assumptions while making decisions.
- Improved User Experience: Web designs should employ a smooth design to help users stay longer on the website.
- Higher Revenue: Small percentage increases in conversion rates mean lots of dollars in additional revenue.
Types of CRO Testing
This is true because CRO testing takes different forms depending on its goals and the context in which it is intended to be conducted. Not sure which one to choose? Let’s break down the most common types to help you find the right fit for your optimization needs.
If you want to get a better understanding of these techniques, you might spend some time looking at CRO testing examples that illustrate how some tests, like comparing two different CTAs in an A/B test, can make a big difference in user engagement and conversion rate.
1. A/B Testing
A/B testing is also called split testing. This is a common type of testing where you create two versions of the webpage: version A is already an existing webpage and version B is a slightly changed webpage. Now we have to look at which version gets better traffic.
For instance, suppose you have an online store and currently have a "Buy Now" button on your product page (Version A) that’s green. You do this and create a variation (Version B) with a red 'Buy Now' button. After the test, you discover the red button receives 15% more clicks; you adopt version B permanently.
2. Multivariate Testing
This method tests multiple changes in one go. The difference here is that instead of testing just one element, like a headline, you test a bunch of elements together to identify the best set of elements.
For example, a travel website tries out different headlines, different images, and different ‘call to action’ buttons to see which combination gets the most clicks. You’ll learn that some headlines, bright pictures, and a “Book Now” button get the greatest bookings.
3. Multi-armed Bandit (MAB)
In this approach, multi-armed bandit testing dynamically assigns more traffic to the performing version during the test based on their performance. The advantage is that it helps to minimize risk while maximizing gains in real time.
For example, MAB testing is used to allocate more traffic to a new course promotion page performing better in engagement metrics than the original page.
4. A/A Testing
It’s used to test whether your testing setup is good. You duplicate a page to test and see if the results are skewed outside of your control.
For instance, before you start your first test, you run an A/A test to make sure your analytics tool captures the correct analysis for things like page views or how much time users spend.
5. A/B/n Testing
This is a kind of A/B testing where you can compare more than 2 variations simultaneously.
Example: A subscription box service tests three versions of its pricing page: Version A is one with monthly pricing only, Version B is one with yearly pricing only, and Version C is one where the option with both is presented side by side. On which they find that Version C is the most subscribed.
It is crucial to adhere to the predetermined test duration to ensure the results are statistically significant and reliable.
6. Split URL Testing
This method involves testing completely different page designs that have been hosted on different URLs altogether. It helps test a major change, such as a complete redesign.
Example: A tech blog wants to update its layout. This is how they create a new design hosted on a different URL and split traffic between the old and new designs to measure which one is more liked by users.
Why Should You Invest in CRO Testing?
CRO testing is certainly one of the smartest ways to invest in your website to make it grow. Here you can find reliable problems with their solutions.
Are You Losing Customers Without Knowing It?
Sometimes, your website might have issues you don’t notice—slow loading times, confusing navigation, or unclear messaging. CRO testing helps you uncover these problems and fix them, so you don’t lose potential customers.
Do You Know What Works for Your Audience?
Without testing, you’re just guessing. CRO testing gives you insights into what your users like. Whether it’s a specific design, headline, or offer testing shows you what drives conversions.
Can You Afford to Waste Opportunities?
Optimizing your site means you’re making the most of the traffic you already have. Even a small increase in conversion rates can lead to significant revenue growth.
For example, if your site gets 10,000 visitors a month and your conversion rate increases by just 1%, that’s 100 additional customers.
CRO Testing Tools and Software
CRO tools and software are a must-have for running tests. These tools help you design, execute, and analyze your tests and give you valuable insights into user behavior and conversion rates. Here are some CRO tools and software to try:
- Google Optimize: A free tool to run A/B tests, multivariate tests, and other types of experiments on your site. Easy to use and integrates with Google Analytics so perfect for beginners.
- VWO (Visual Website Optimizer): A full CRO testing platform with A/B testing, multivariate testing, and user feedback tools. VWO has more advanced features for power users, including heatmaps, session recordings, and form analytics.
- Hotjar: A user feedback and analytics tool with heatmaps, session recordings, and more to help you understand how users interact with your site and identify areas to improve.
How to Implement CRO Testing?
Conversion rate optimization or CRO testing, is a scientific process that examines the features of your website while discovering ways to move it further toward your business objectives.
Define Your Goal
What do you want to achieve? Perhaps it is more subscriptions, less cart abandonment, or even more downloads. Defining what may be desired facilitates the narrowing of your priorities.
Identify Areas for Improvement
Heatmap, session recording, and analyzing metrics are the tools that can help watch where users have issues. For instance, is the visitor exiting the site soon after viewing a particular webpage? That is a good starting point to test.
Create a Hypothesis
A hypothesis is an idea that you can have about what you believe will help in conversation. For example, if we increase the size of the call-to-action button, then many people will click on it.
Build Variations
Create versions of the different aspects of the element under test. For example, writing a few headline tests, if you are testing headlines, do the same.
Run the Test
Initiate your test and allow it to be completed for long enough to generate some good data. A test should ideally go on at least up to a statistical significance and then compare the results to find out which variation was more effective.
Implement Changes
Once you have defined which variation is the winner, then place it on your site forever.
Keep Testing
CRO testing is an ongoing process. When the users are different, then it means that your testing efforts should also be different.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in CRO Testing
CRO testing can be great but there are a few common mistakes to avoid:
- Testing with too little traffic: Make sure you have enough traffic to get statistical significance and to make sure your results are real. Without enough traffic, your results will be inconclusive or meaningless.
- Testing too many things at once: Keep your tests simple and focused on one thing or one variable to avoid confusing results. Testing multiple things at once will make it impossible to know which change is causing any differences.
- Not setting goals: Define what you want to achieve with your test and make sure your goals are measurable. Clear goals will help you stay focused and make it easier to measure your tests.
- Not listening to user feedback: Use user feedback and analytics tools to get to know your users better and their preferences. Ignoring user feedback will mean you’ll miss opportunities to improve.
- Not iterating and refining: CRO testing is a process so make sure you iterate and refine your tests based on your results. Continuous testing and optimization will keep you ahead of user expectations and market trends.
Tips for CRO Testing
CRO testing is not about change but about making the right changes to improve the user experience and sales conversion. Using the tips below would ensure optimum results from your testing endeavors.
Choosing the right type of testing software is vital when testing and improving the experience of the user across different testing platforms.
- Avoid Common Mistakes
- You don’t want to test too many elements at once, so isolate the variables to find the cause for the change.
- Make sure you have enough traffic so that your results are statistically significant. Unreliable conclusions can be drawn from a small sample size.
- Use User Feedback
- Your customers can tell you what they want through surveys, polls, or by using user testing.
- Instead of combining qualitative and quantitative separately, combine them into a complete picture.
- Make a Testing Habit
- Activating CRO isn’t something you do once and then move on. It helps you stay ahead of user expectations as well as the trends of the market.
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Best Practices for CRO Testing
Without a guiding strategy and a clear plan, you won’t achieve meaningful results from CRO testing. This will help you to do your work in the best practice manner.
1. Plan Your Tests: High-performance pages with high traffic but low conversion rates are high-impact areas to focus on and this will get you quick wins.
2. Design Smart Tests: Every test should be based on a simple hypothesis, e.g., 'changing the font size of the product description will improve readability and increase conversions.'
3. Run Tests Properly: Assign users to variations at random and don’t let tests run too short.
4. Analyze Thoroughly: If your conversion rate goes up only to raise visitors’ bounce rates, take another look.
Wrapping Up
CRO testing isn’t just a tool; it’s a strategy that changes how businesses scale online. Testing and learning let you make smart decisions that conform to the data. It moves you one step closer to understanding your audience and serving them what they need.
CRO is like an investment in success. Small things like a different button color can result in big things over time. CRO testing is made easy with Alphabin Software Testing Services! Today, start testing and let your website do the work for you.
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