In seconds I close web pages with tacky red headlines, flashing ads and inauthentic images. The page's content, product or service might be worth the read, but I don't linger. Like many other users, I make the decision quickly and the site loses a potential reader, customer, or a follower.
So how does a marketer eliminate the website elements that create an unsatisfying user experience?
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) seems like a great way to achieve this goal. A recent blog post by Rand Fishkin mentions the rising trend of incorporating CRO in online marketing initiatives. CRO is based on a set of testing techniques that minimize bailout rate and increase the chance of converting visitors into customers.
The tool includes before-and-after tests that tell you which website changes have been beneficent or harmful in capturing a target audience. (So maybe you will finally get rid of the red headlines that give me nausea.)
Though CRO is part of the eCommerce conversation, I don't see a reason why it shouldn't be incorporated in the media debate as well. It is a model that can help news organizations design a working template to retain readers. If you run two versions of the same page, for instance, and measure a high "bailout rate" for only one of them, then that's a lot of insight right there. If the rotating ad script in the right-hand corner makes your readers flee, then maybe you should remove it.
I see three main benefits in adopting this technique in media:
- You will remain loyal to your readers and show them that their opinions count.
- You will develop more data-driven reports to help your other marketing strategies and overall business plan.
- You will push advertisers to be more creative and humane with their ads.
In short, I think there is a lot of potential in CRO for businesses as well as for media. Aye or nye?
Photo credit: Oberazzi