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Conversion rate optimization is an integral part of digital marketing that can mean success or failure for online stores. Everything from the color of your buttons to the layout of your product information can make a difference in your conversion rates.
Which pages to test?
You can test several pages on your ecommerce site to pinpoint which needs to be optimized. The most common technique to use for CRO testing is A/B experiments.
The pages to focus on include:
Homepage
- What to test: Different layouts, headlines, and calls to action to see what drives the most conversions. Other testing aspects include navigation menus, slideshows, and any other features present on the home page.
- Reason: The homepage is often the first page visitors see when they arrive on your site. So making a good first impression and communicating what your store offers is crucial. A/B testing different layouts, headlines, and calls to action can help you identify what resonates most with your visitors and drives them to take action.
Product pages
- What to test: Different product headlines, descriptions, images, and pricing to see what drives sales most. You can also test description layouts, CTA text, colors, and positions.
- Reason: Product pages are where visitors learn more about a specific product, so make sure the information presented is clear and compelling. Testing different product descriptions, images, and pricing can help you identify the information and design elements most likely to lead to a purchase.
Cart and checkout pages
- What to test: Different forms of payment, shipping options, and checkout flow to see what increases conversions.
- Reason: The cart and checkout pages are where visitors purchase, so ensuring the process is as easy and frictionless as possible is paramount. In addition, you can run A/B testing on different forms of payment, shipping options, and checkout flows. It can help you identify which options are most preferred by your customers and lead to the most conversions.
Landing pages
- What to test: Different layouts, headlines, and calls to action to see what drives the most conversions.
- Reason: Landing pages are where visitors go when they click on a specific link, usually from an ad campaign, email, or social media. Here, you must test different page elements to see what resonates with visitors. If your message or offer is unclear with what the user expects, they'll likely leave quickly. Your bounce rate is a good indication of the effectiveness of your landing pages.
Another feature you can test that isn’t strictly on the website but goes a long way to improving CRO is your email.
- What to test: Different subject lines, headlines, and calls to action to see what drives the most conversions.
- Reason: Email campaigns are an important way to communicate with your customers. It's a cost-effective method of keeping in touch with customers and driving sales. A/B test different subject lines, headlines, and calls to action. You identify what resonates with your customers and leads to the most conversions.
Final thoughts
It's important to test one variable at a time and to have a large enough sample size for your test to have statistical significance. Overall, A/B testing allows you to experiment and make data-driven decisions on what works and what doesn't. Rather than relying on assumptions or gut feelings, that will help you to optimize your ecommerce store and increase conversions.
