9 Conversion Rate Optimizations Tests to Experiment
Boost your conversion rates and supercharge revenue with these 9 proven CRO experiments for creating a more impactful user experience. Read our guide to learn more.
Many websites fall into the trap of leveraging the same “best practices” to facilitate transactions on their website. Yet, we sometimes see very little growth when cracking open the analytics report. Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” What may work for one brand, may not be the best use case for your own user experience. The best way to truly understand your customer’s needs is to test a set of hypotheses. Website experiments can uncover a lot about your users and how they behave on your website. These tests can either be measured against a control simply using Google analytics goals, or with multi-variate testing software like Google Optimize, Optimizely, or VWO. Without having to undergo a deep analysis of your website, read about these 9 simple experiments for improving conversion rates.
Web Experiment #1: Changing your call to action buttons
This is a simple experiment we always recommend trying because of how much impact it can have on conversion, with a low amount of effort required. Start with your primary buttons that lead to a purchase, demo, or contact form. Do your buttons indicate what will happen if action is taken? A strong call to action should encourage users to want to engage further. Stay away from generic-sounding actions at all costs.
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Web Experiment #2: Carousel vs static image
Your above-the-fold content will always make or break a user’s first impression of your brand. Studies have shown that users have a typical attention span of around 8 seconds. Additionally, Users will typically decide within the first 50ms whether or not they like a brand. Given how little time there is to capture a user’s attention, it would make sense to measure the impact of what is first seen by most users. Carousels inherently have motion, and can often be distracting to the user’s focus. Secondly, they may contain additional info that is often missed as users tend to scroll at the start of the load. If you’re currently using a carousel, try switching to a more impactful static image.
Web Experiment #3: Product Videos
Product videos can have a major impact on purchasing decisions. It offers a more engaging view of the product and allows users to visualize what it may be like to own your product. If your product detail pages are filled with static content, try switching it up with videos. The most impactful videos are often the ones that look user-generated without the fancy production. Take unboxing videos for example, which has exploded into a viral trend across YouTube and TikTok. According to Youtube, “The amount of time people have spent watching unboxing videos just on their phones is the equivalent of watching the holiday classic "Love Actually" more than 20 million times.”
Web Experiment #4: Returning visitors
One low-hanging fruit to boost conversions is to provide a customized journey for returning visitors. Returning visitors have a much higher chance of converting than new users. They’re already familiar with your brand and much further down the funnel. Offer returning visitors with messaging within pages that typically have repeat visitors. This can be done via a logged-in state or with cookies.
Web Experiment #5: Hyper personalization
Giving users an experience that’s personalized to them is an effective method for increasing conversions. Using a user’s location can provide a more relevant experience. If your website already uses geolocation, you’re in luck with this one. Else, there are third-party API’s like ipstack that offer geolocation for a low cost. You can infuse variables such as local events, weather, and time-sensitive content. For example, if it’s raining, a masthead could feature a raincoat that’s relevant to what users are currently experiencing.
Web Experiment #6: Social proof
Your customers are more likely to trust the word of other customers over your brand authority. Try testing additional social proof to your key pages, such as customer stories, testimonials, product reviews, recognizable logos, badges, and celebrity or influencer endorsements. This goes a long way in building trust. These can be added throughout the funnel where folks tend to drop out. This can be in your product pages, cart, checkout, and form-fill pages. You can identify these areas by also looking in Google Analytics and seeing where the drop-off points are in the behavioral flow.
Web Experiment #7: Comparisons
One reason people often leave your website is to compare your offering with a competitor. Additionally, if you offer a range of products, there may be confusion around which product is best for them. Offering some type of comparison where you juxtapose your value proposition with a competitor and highlight the advantages of your product. Start with testing a comparison of benefits, specs, features, and price.
Web Experiment #8: Shipping
Shipping is typically a major pain point for users. This is a key benefit that has made Amazon so successful. Users will always want the fastest, cheapest way to get your product in their hands. If you’re not currently offering free shipping, test building that cost in the final price. Alternatively, you can test a free shipping threshold once a user meets a certain order value. If free shipping doesn’t work for you, avoid the checkout surprise by introducing fees much earlier in the process. Users will often get to checkout only to be turned off by delivery estimates.
Web Experiment #9: Navigational offers
Everyone likes to feel like they got a good deal from a transaction. Test your promotions by making them a part of your navigation. This way customers can easily browse your special offers and other deals within a collection. Macys.com for example has a “Sale” category directly in the primary navigation.
