What is the first step in optimizing conversions?

If you want to improve your website's performance and generate more leads, sales, or sign-ups, you need to optimize your conversions. But what does that mean, and where do you start? Conversion optimization is the process of increasing the percentage of visitors who take a desired action on your website, such as filling out a form, buying a product, or subscribing to a newsletter. In this article, we'll explain what is the first step in optimizing conversions, and why it's so important for your success.

1 Define your goals

The first step in optimizing conversions is to define your goals. What do you want your visitors to do on your website? How do you measure your success? How do you align your goals with your business objectives and your audience's needs? These are some of the questions you need to answer before you can start improving your website. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, a SMART goal could be: Increase the number of email subscribers by 10% in the next quarter.

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Slobodan Manić

Building Coheseo to help automate your ad-landing alignment and Podpacer to help you prepare your podcast interviews faster | Host at No Hacks Podcast
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Conversion optimization is mostly about research. Probably 80-90% of your time needs to be spent on research. It may sound boring, but that's how it must be. Optimizing something you don't fully understand is risky and can't work in the long term, yes, you may and probably will have some wins, but you're still driving a car in the middle of the night with your lights turned off.

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2 Analyze your data

Once you have defined your goals, you need to analyze your data. Data is the foundation of conversion optimization, as it helps you understand how your website is performing, where your visitors are coming from, what they are doing on your website, and why they are leaving. You can use various tools, such as Google Analytics, to collect and analyze your data. You should look for key metrics, such as traffic sources, bounce rate, conversion rate, average time on page, and exit pages. You should also segment your data by different criteria, such as device, location, channel, and behavior.

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3 Identify your problems

After analyzing your data, you need to identify your problems. Problems are the gaps between your current performance and your desired goals. They are the obstacles that prevent your visitors from converting. For example, a problem could be: Too many visitors abandon the checkout process. You should prioritize your problems based on their impact and urgency. You should also try to find the root causes of your problems, not just the symptoms. For example, a root cause could be: The checkout process is too long and complicated.

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4 Generate hypotheses

The next step in optimizing conversions is to generate hypotheses. Hypotheses are possible solutions to your problems, based on your data and insights. They are statements that express what you expect to happen if you make a certain change on your website. For example, a hypothesis could be: If we simplify the checkout process and reduce the number of steps, then we will increase the conversion rate and reduce the abandonment rate. Your hypotheses should be testable, realistic, and based on evidence.

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5 Test your hypotheses

The final step in optimizing conversions is to test your hypotheses. Testing is the way to validate or invalidate your hypotheses, and to measure the impact of your changes on your conversions. You can use various methods, such as A/B testing, multivariate testing, or split testing, to compare different versions of your website and see which one performs better. You should follow best practices, such as defining your sample size, duration, and success criteria, and ensuring your results are statistically significant.

Optimizing conversions is not a one-time activity, but a continuous process of learning and improving. By following these steps, you can start optimizing your conversions and grow your website's performance and value.

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Cédric Cyrus Nattagh

Global Head Of Digital Marketing | MBA | Online Marketing
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S'agissant des AB tests, il faut laisser le temps au test de se dérouler sur une assez longue période, pour qu'il soit significatif. Le risque, dans le cas contraire est de prendre une décision erronée, sur un échantillon trop faible d'événements.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What is the first step in optimizing conversions?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define your goals

2 Analyze your data

3 Identify your problems

4 Generate hypotheses

5 Test your hypotheses

6 Here’s what else to consider

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What is the first step in optimizing conversions?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define your goals

2 Analyze your data

3 Identify your problems

4 Generate hypotheses

5 Test your hypotheses

6 Here’s what else to consider

Search Engines

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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