Whether it’s on blogs or articles or any Internet Marketing related news, the message seems to be that CRO or conversion rate optimization is the  new SEO. SEOMoz’s Rand Fishkin recently declared that conversion optimization is the most underused and highest ROI activity in the marketing department.

So what is CRO?  Is this within the realm of SEO or does this fall more in the  design and web development area? How do we as optimizers conquer this new mountain and get success for our clients.

CRO In broad terms, conversion optimization is the implementation of techniques on a website that enhance a vistor’s experience when they visit the website, so they can  quickly find what they’re looking for,  move without delay through the site and get to the point where they  get converted into potential clients.

Optimizing for Conversion

The first step in improving conversion rates is to define the site’s objective – Is it to sell products or services,  provide information or generate click-throughs ?

Once the  site’s objective is defined, the next step is to develop metrics and carry out regular tests  to identify problems and trends.

Once the data has beeen gathered, immediate action needs to be taken to address problems and enhance the overall site usability.

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