Any solid marketing strategy must include pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. But even the best PPC campaigns will only be effective if conversion rates are high. In other words, businesses need to focus on conversion rate optimisation (CRO). 

There are a number of elements that go into CRO, including website design, calls to action, and landing page optimisation. But the most important factor is understanding what your target audience wants and needs. Once you know this, you can create messaging and offer incentives that will encourage them to take the desired actions. 

If you’re not already incorporating CRO into your PPC campaigns, now is the time to start. Keep reading to learn more about why CRO is the most important element of PPC. 

What is conversion rate optimisation?

Conversation rate optimisation (CRO) is an umbrella term for a series of strategies you can (and, if you have any business acumen, must) employ to motivate desired actions from visitors to your website. Such actions can include registering for an organisation’s newsletter or making a purchase. You can use CRO to improve both the quantity and quality of website-generated leads, which can result in more sales and greater profits. 

CRO can take the form of optimised landing pages, dazzling product descriptions, or digital follow-up communications. At the essence of CRO is the knowledge that a prominent Add To Cart button will be much more effective than a hyperlink below a product image. If you’ve ever received an email with the subject line to the effects of ‘you left something in your cart’, you have been on the receiving end of digital follow-up communications. And anyone who’s ever received one of these knows how effective they can be. 

Anyone can create a landing page. However, with CRO, your landing page will have a clear headline, a call to action, and a clear product description. Each of these elements should guide the customer down the page until they are suitably enticed to add a product to their cart and follow through with a purchase. 

Why is CRO important?
Digital marketing is a tough gig. Even with thousands of customers frequenting your website—or click-through rates skyrocketing through the roof—you’re never actually guaranteed a purchase. That being said, if you are enjoying high traffic and enviable click-through rates on your website, you are certainly in a powerful position. In fact, you likely did not make it to this position without utilising CRO. 

When implementing a PPC advertising campaign, any click that does not lead to a sale is money down the drain. Even one cent per 100 clicks will add up. With an optimised campaign, however, you can convert more of these clicks into sales. An optimised experience should flow through your entire website’s design, from the landing page all the way through to the post-purchase follow-up. 

Good, better, test…

…never let it rest until your good is better and your test is best. Nothing is static on the Internet and you should be constantly testing and improving your website to provide the best possible customer experience. 

Depending on your requirements, testing can take the form of A/B testing or heatmapping. A/B testing involves making a single change to your website—such as a headline or even the marketing images—and comparing the ‘before-and-after’ performance of any altered pages. This process allows you to optimise your website over time and ultimately improve results. 

Heatmapping involves tracking a customer’s journey around your website. It allows you to see which links they follow, where they look for more information, and which product images are of the greatest interest. This form of testing provides an invaluable insight into what customers are drawn to and can inform future digital marketing decisions. 

How does your website measure up?

If you have an objectively great website but a relatively low conversion rate, it may be time to boost your PPC strategy with CRO. Why not enlist the experts? 121 Group is a top-tier CRO agency that is armed with a strategic, step-by-step approach. They’ll break down everything from bounce rates and abandoned carts to website UX and content until they find the root issue(s). 

To determine why your visitors aren’t converting into customers, contact 121 Group today. They’re sure to get you back in the online marketing game—for good. … And if that CRO strategy (i.e. call to action) didn’t work, then we don’t know what will.