Digital marketing activities focus primarily on directing potential customers to the website or e-shop. In order for a sale to take place or an interested party to leave their contacts, the visitor must have a website that is easy to understand. Making a purchase in the e-store or leaving contacts on the website must be so logical that the initial rush of a potential customer does not subside. And most importantly, a well-optimized website for conversions makes even a casual visitor want to go through with the purchase.
Conversion
Conversion is when a visitor or potential customer performs the desired action on the website or e-shop. A conversion can be, for example, the purchase of a product, making a price request, registering as a user or subscribing to a newsletter. This means that the visitor turns into a customer or fulfills a goal that the company has set.
Conversion rate (conversion rate or CR)
Conversion rate (CR) is a percentage indicator that shows how much of the website or e-shop visitors took the desired action compared to the total number of visitors. For example, if 100 people visit the e-shop and 10 of them make a purchase, the conversion rate is 10%.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Conversion rate optimization (conversion rate optimization or CRO) is an ongoing process where data is monitored, results are analyzed and improvements are implemented incrementally. The whole goal is to achieve higher conversion rates and better business results. There are several methods for optimization and strateegiaid to create a better and more compelling experience for users on the website. It is based on an understanding of how users navigate the website, what actions they perform and what prevents them from achieving their goals.
In August, 1020 people made inquiries per 139 visitors, or a conversion rate of 13,6%
Conversion rate FAQ
Conversion rate measurement - what should be measured?
Conversion rate should be measured from different angles. The general conversion rate (CR) formula is simple - divide the total number of visits to the website by the number of conversions, i.e. the number of desired actions (for example, purchasing a product, making a price request or subscribing to a newsletter). However, based on overall CR, it is difficult to find ideas for improvements and measure the impact of actions taken. For this, the measurement should be more accurate.
Product based conversion
If you sell many different products in your e-store, in addition to the general conversion rate (all visits vs. all conversions), it would be useful to look at the CR by product or product group. For this, it would be necessary to be able to view the results of both visits and conversions at the product level (all visits to a given product page vs. all conversions of a given product).
Path conversion
Often, the user needs to go through several steps to reach the desired result.
- Using the e-store as an example: all products view -> product category view -> product page -> shopping cart -> purchase!
- Using the example of a website with a price request: landing page (e.g. blog post) -> price request page -> request form -> request done!
It is common for certain users to drop off during this journey, e.g. significantly more people view the product page than reach the shopping cart. In order to understand if there is a problem somewhere or which actions have the most impact, the conversion rate should be measured at all these steps. However, in order to calculate the conversion rate, it is necessary to ensure the number of visitors for all steps.
For example, in the case of an e-shop:
- Product page conversion: all product page visits vs purchases
- Cart Conversion: All Cart Visits vs. Purchases
- There are often several steps in the shopping cart, e.g. data filling, delivery, payment, so it would be good if the shopping cart steps are measured separately.
What is a good conversion rate?
The level of a good conversion rate depends on the type of website and the specifics of your business. Estonia can also take advantage of the world's average numbers.
The world average conversion rate for e-shops is 2-3% – this means that 2-3% of all visitors to your e-store make a purchase in the e-store. But soon, if your business somehow deviates from the "normal" e-shop, the numbers may change. For example, if you sell a very narrow or exclusive product category that people find difficult to get elsewhere, then the conversion rate could definitely be higher than 3%.
The conversion rate of our optimized e-shops is 5-11%.
The average conversion rate for a quote page is considered to be 4% – 4% of all visitors to the page should complete the price request form. However, the conversion rate depends on the content of your website. If your page has an in-depth blog, the overall conversion rate may be worse because you attract people to your page who are just getting to know the topic. But that's good! A home page with only a service introduction and a quote form may have a higher overall conversion rate, but hesitant customers may never return to that page.
Our optimized inquiry pages have a conversion rate of 8-16%.
However, your business and expenses are as important as the world average when setting goals. Above all, you should make sure that the cost of bringing visitors to your page (traffic acquisition cost) and the conversion rate are in proportion. For example, if you sell a product for a couple of euros, but you spend twenty cents in digital marketing to win each visitor, then with a 3% conversion rate, you are simply at a loss. In this case, it doesn't matter if you are at the level of the world average conversion rate - your business needs higher conversion goals.
Where and how to track conversion rate?
If the data is available, it is necessary to monitor the change of the conversion rate over time. Some examples:
- Automatic tracking in analytics tool
- If you have set up page visits or page events in an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics), the calculation of the conversion rate becomes essentially automatic, and conversions can be seen in various reports.
- Third Party Tools
- If this conversion is done with the help of third-party tools, then usually the conversion can also be measured using those tools. At the same time, the disadvantage is that the rest of the information is not in this tool - for example, the pop-up window tool shows the display and filling of the pop-up window, but does not show the overall number of page visits.
- A/B testing tools
- One common method of conversion rate optimization is A/B testing. Half of the users are shown an experience with one wording/color/structure, others another, and it is measured which experience brought more results. A/B testing can be done with dedicated tools. By using the appropriate tool, you can also be sure that measuring the conversion rate is part of it.
- Excel
- Sometimes there is nothing to be done - Excel has to come to the rescue. This is usually the case if the necessary data is located in different places. For example, if your page visits are measured by a web analytics tool, but you get the number of orders made from accounting software. However, it would be best if visits and conversions are measured in the same system and on the same basis. However, it may not save you from Excel, if some website platforms show both the number of page visits and the number of completed forms. In other words, Excel may still be needed to keep history and calculate the conversion rate.
How do I set up a conversion?
Conversion rate optimization is impossible without properly set up conversions. The complexity of the setup depends on the degree of accuracy with which the various steps are measured, how standard the website is and which tools you use. For example, for an online store with a standard Shopify template, the setup is very easy. While the web has been developed exactly according to your business, setting up the measurement may also require the help of developers.
Set up conversion by page visit
The easiest way is to set up a conversion based on page visits. In this case, the customer who has successfully performed the action must arrive thank you page, which is a separate page, not just a popup or green tick on the page. On the most common e-shop platforms such as WooCommerce or Shopify, that's how thank you pages are set up. In this case, you will get this page visit set as a goal in the analytics tool (goal) and see the automatic calculation.
Setting up a conversion using a page event
If the home page does not have a thank you page with a separate URL, but a pop-up window or a message appears on the same page, you will receive a notification on the web analytics platform (the most common web analytics platform is Google Analytics) to be set as a page event (event). Page event can then be set as a goal and thus see the automatic calculation in the analyzer. How easy or difficult it is to send page events to the analytics platform depends on how your website is set up. Broadly speaking, if you use standard platforms and templates (e.g Shopify, WooCommerce, voog), then setting page events can also be done yourself. If the page is specially programmed by your development team, then the help of the development team is probably necessary to set up the events.
Conversion setup using the Meta Pixel (formerly known as the Facebook Pixel).
Pixels are small tracking codes that you can add to your page so that information about what is happening on your page reaches an external platform. The most frequently used is Meta Pixelit, because Facebook and Instagram ads are affordable and effective. Adding a Meta Pixel to your page helps you measure conversion directly On the Meta advertising platform (old name Facebook Business Manager) and helps retargeting ads better. For example, it is possible to exclude customers who have already made a purchase or filled out a form from advertisements.
Conversion in third-party tools
Sometimes the conversion takes place in third-party tools. Such tools are, for example, often used when subscribing to a newsletter. There are dozens of tools for creating invitations to subscribe to the newsletter, which later also show you analytics - how many users saw the pop-up, how many completed it, etc. It is worth checking whether these tools also allow you to send conversion information directly to the analytics tool. In many cases, you can even send conversions to your Google Analytics with just one click.
How to recognize conversion problems?
If the conversion rate is measured at several levels, it is not difficult to spot problems.
For example, if all the steps of the entire journey have been measured, the conversion of people who reached the shopping cart should be significantly better than the conversion of people who reached the product page. However, if the drop-off rate of visitors is disproportionate, it is possible to start dealing with solutions in this step.
One classic e-shop mistake is that the user doesn't understand how much shipping costs. Therefore, many users visit the shopping cart just to see the shipping price. Perhaps thanks to the measured steps of the conversion, it is possible to detect this error, because the shopping cart is reached suspiciously well from the product page, but moving from there is very poor.
Why is CRO important?
No company makes a bad website or e-shop on purpose - of course, when the page is created, it is intended for users to complete their purchases, price inquiries or other activities.
By reviewing and testing your own web pages, you can also understand whether doing these activities is simple, fast and logical, and by looking at your competitor, you get a gut feeling about your level. However, in the case of conscious conversion rate optimization, it is important not to make decisions based on your own opinion or taste. A person quickly gets used to the nuances of their own business and forgets which terms are unfamiliar to a first-time visitor or which steps in the process are the most annoying.
Conversion rate optimization is not just about making your website better. The basis for this is to observe the data as objectively as possible, to formulate hypotheses, and also to implement improvements tactically, while observing the results with a hawk's eye.
As a result of a good CRO:
- the majority of website visitors will become your customers
- sales increase and business grows
- you can use the marketing budget better and more efficiently
- you get a deeper knowledge of your customers and business
- visitors will trust your page much more
Conversion rate optimization recommendations
1. Design improvement
The design creates a first impression, in the best case, trust is created immediately. At worst, the design scares away the customer. During optimization, the placement of page elements, color usage, persuasiveness and its general user-friendliness are improved.
2. Improving texts and images
That's how good texts fill SEO (increasing visibility in search engines) as well as CRO (Conversion Rate Increase) goals. Texts must meet the needs of the target audience and be persuasive. Enticing descriptions, attractive images, highlighting product features, and presenting a clear value proposition help increase conversion rates.
3. Increasing reliability
Customers only dare to enter their details or make payments if they trust this company. Certain elements can be added to the website to increase trust, such as customer testimonials, awards, certificates, partners, security labels, etc.
4. Optimization of calls (call-to-action) and buttons
Calls to action are critical parts of conversion and should be clear, attractive and direct users to the desired action. Often, the button texts are scary (for example, the user feels that money is about to be taken from him) or confusing (the user does not understand what will happen when he presses the button).
5. Simplifying the understanding and navigation of the page
The user must not feel that he is lost on the page. In the case of a simple website, the user can always understand how to get to the home page, how to get back to the information he is interested in, and how to proceed with the activity.
6. Improving forms and purchase journeys
The visitor disappears (drop-off) most often when filling out the form or in the shopping cart. Too many steps, asking for unnecessary or sensitive information, creating obstacles too early (for example, requiring a login before seeing the price) and incomprehensible elements can become very critical to business results.
7. Increasing page speed
It has been proven that a large number of customers give up browsing the website or e-shop due to slow page loading. CRO measures page speed and identifies speed issues. Typical problems (eg very heavy images) are very easy to solve and significantly improve the user experience.
Conversion rate growth 2022 vs 2021
Got a question about conversion optimization?
CRO service
Optimizing your conversion rate takes a lot of work, especially the first time you run the process. You have to start with a thorough data analysis, during which it often turns out that the measurement setup also needs improvements. In addition, hypothesis testing is time-consuming – creating and analyzing both A/B tests and user tests takes time, but this is where the value comes from!
If you don't have enough time or experience to optimize your website yourself, but you want to increase your sales, it is possible to buy conversion optimization as a service. During the service, we go through the entire CRO process together, and all extensive setup and analysis work is done by our own expert. At the same time, you are involved in every step: you get analysis summaries, create hypotheses and most importantly - see the results.
Optimization is not a one-time activity, so during this process you will get preset reports and learn how to go through the process yourself, so that if you wish, you can do CRO in-house in the future.
Read the success stories of our customers: Delfi, Uretek, Jüritoru, Sõbralt Sõbrale, Haavagrupp, Segasumma.
Steps to Optimizing Conversions
A fairly standard process has been created to optimize conversions:
- Data collection: if you haven't already set up the measurement of conversions and visits, you should start there. Without data, it is not worth going forward.
- Data analysis: visitor behavior, movement paths, duration of visits, drop-off rate and other important metrics give an idea of the current state.
- Setting goals: after analyzing the data, it is possible to set clear and measurable goals to achieve. You can take into account the weak spots on your page resulting from statistics, world average results, acquisition costs, etc.
- Mapping the conversion journey: critical steps that can affect the conversion rate are found, such as filling out forms or the payment process. It's important to understand the barriers to conversion.
- Creating hypotheses: the results of the analysis and the conversion journey help to create hypotheses or ideas on how to improve web pages and the conversion process. Hypotheses often help to simplify design, content, button texts or forms. It's not worth creating too many hypotheses for yourself at once, because you have to test them one by one anyway - otherwise it's impossible to understand what worked in the end.
- Testing: test your ideas with user tests or A/B testing (half of the users are shown an experience with one wording/color/layout, others with another, and you measure which experience produced a better result). It is important to know that for A/B testing, there must be enough visits as well as conversions. It is said that there is no point in doing A/B tests if the converting page has less than 10 visits per month, meaning you need at least 000 visits per month for reliable A/B testing.
- Data analysis and evaluation of results: optimization is a continuous process. Even when goals are achieved, it's worth constantly revisiting the conversion journey.
Cost of conversion optimization
Since conversion optimization is a process, it means that the price is formed according to the e-shop or website. Most affect the price:
- How well is conversion measurement set up in the past?
- How easy is it to make changes to the website? Does making changes require help from developers?
- How long is the conversion journey?
- In the case of an e-shop: how many different products/product groups are sold?
- How many different types of conversions are looked at (e.g. completing a quote, signing up for a newsletter, downloading an e-book, etc.)?
- How big is the website traffic? Is A/B testing possible?
- Is user testing necessary?
Depending on the answers, the time spent on optimization can vary several times, i.e. in the case of a CRO service, the time potentially spent on the process is primarily evaluated.
For smaller websites that are optimized for one specific conversion (for example, a price request) or for e-stores with few product groups and the product is quite specific, the price of the CRO service starts at €500.
For larger websites with several different types of conversions or e-shops with a wide range of products, and where in both cases there are many visits and thus the opportunity to perform A/B tests, the prices start at €1400. In the case of such websites and e-shops, the process also takes longer, because A/B tests take time. Therefore, the service can also be mentally divided - work before and after A/B tests.
Conversion optimization is a virtual service and it can be done all over Estonia - in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Viljandi or even in Kuressaare. Feel free to contact us and we will find a solution that is optimal for both your website and your budget.
E-shop conversion rate and sales growth, 2 years of cooperation
Customer conversion rate optimization result
Ask for an offer ⇩
Ask for an offer ⇩
Ask for an offer ⇩
Get in touch
- Fill out the inquiry form or book a free 15 min consultation
- Talk about your needs and goals, be sure to include the address of your existing website
- We get to know the problem and make an offer
- Let's solve the problem
- We are always there to advise
Additional information
Kerli Epro
kerli@strateeg.ee
5482 1450
