Why UX and CRO Are the Perfect Match
What’s the difference?
First, let’s look at the definitions for both terms and what they refer to.
Conversion Rate Optimisation is the process of getting people to take action once they land on your site and complete the customer journey, whatever the end goal might be. CRO uses user insights and data to examine any friction points and blocks that prevent the user from completing the journey, so you can improve your site and boost sales in the process.
User Experience, on the other hand, looks at how a person feels when they’re using your site. It focuses on a deeper understanding of what users need and value, as well as their abilities and limitations, to create a site that’s easy to navigate and a pleasure to use.
There’s naturally plenty of overlap between these two disciplines, and it’s one of the reasons why combining them works so well for achieving great results for your business. Since UX is all about making the user’s journey more enjoyable and efficient, it’s a natural complement to CRO efforts.
Skip random testing by validating ideas
CRO works on the basis of testing modifications to a website and then continually optimising through small tweaks that are proven to improve performance. But when those ideas are based on thorough UX research, the results are typically far better. Basing the tests on UX findings means that CRO teams don’t need to rely on guesswork – they can test with insight and minimise time wasted on random testing.
Identify problematic design issues
If there are fundamental issues with your website design, it can have a big impact on conversion rates. While focusing on conversions is important, if the user experience of the site isn’t improved, there’s little chance that the changes you make will have the desired effect. Usability tests provide the groundwork for a better overall experience, removing the issues that could hamper conversions, so you can optimise specific features and details to increase revenue.
More tools = greater knowledge
There’s a wealth of user behaviour tools to choose from now, and by merging your UX and CRO efforts, you have a larger pool of options to choose form. The more tools you have at your disposal, the more knowledge you have of your users and the better your understanding will be of how people are using your site. This makes it easier to make impactful changes that will achieve positive results.
Understand the journey
UX isn’t only focused on the usability of web pages but also the whole journey that a user has to take to reach a specific goal. This approach involves recognising the conversion funnels that can be found on your site, which can help CRO teams identify difficulties and exit points across the user journey. Having this knowledge can assist CRO teams in building hypotheses focused on reducing or removing those friction points for a better user experience and an increased chance of conversion – a win-win for any business.
Combine your CRO and UX efforts
As we’ve seen, when it comes to UX and CRO, you can’t have one without the other. UX influences CRO work, and CRO outputs can inspire UX changes. Focusing on both forms of optimisation is essential when it comes to creating an effective conversion strategy and giving your site the best chances to convert customers and build customer loyalty.
We have extensive experience in all aspects of Conversion Rate Optimisation, User Experience testing and a range of additional services to help businesses improve site performance and boost sales. Contact us today to find out more about the services we can provide to your business.
