The Leaky Bucket Problem
Most businesses focus all their energy on driving more traffic to their website. More ads, more SEO, more social media. But if your website does not convert visitors into customers, you are just pouring water into a leaky bucket.
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is the practice of systematically improving your website to increase the percentage of visitors who take a desired action — whether that is making a purchase, filling out a form, or booking a call.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The average website converts at around 2-3%. That means 97% of your visitors leave without doing anything. Even a small improvement — say from 2% to 3% — represents a 50% increase in conversions without spending a single extra dollar on traffic.
How CRO Works in Practice
CRO is not about guessing what might work. It is a data-driven process:
- Analyse — Use analytics, heatmaps, and session recordings to understand how users behave on your site
- Hypothesise — Form specific, testable ideas about what changes might improve conversions
- Test — Run A/B tests to compare your current design against variations
- Implement — Roll out winning changes and start the cycle again
Quick Wins to Start With
While every site is different, these changes almost always improve conversion rates:
- Clear, specific calls to action (not just "Learn More")
- Social proof — testimonials, case studies, client logos
- Reducing form fields to the absolute minimum
- Ensuring your site loads in under 3 seconds on mobile
- Making your value proposition immediately clear above the fold
If you are not actively optimising your conversion rate, you are leaving money on the table.