CRO stands for Conversion Rate Optimization: the discipline of getting a higher percentage of the visits your website already has to do what you want (buy, leave their details, call you) instead of focusing on attracting new visits.
The example that explains it better than any definition
A website with 1,000 visits a month converting at 1% gets 10 sales. Doubling traffic to 2,000 visits (with the advertising cost that implies) would give 20 sales. But taking conversion to 2%, without spending an extra euro on new traffic, would also give 20 sales, and usually costs a lot less than doubling your ad spend.
How it's actually done
- Analysing the data to see at which point in the journey the most visitors are lost.
- Using heatmaps and session recordings, to see visually where people click and at what moment they leave.
- Running A/B tests: trying two versions of a page and measuring which converts better with real data, not opinions.
- Reducing friction: shorter forms, clearer messaging, fewer unnecessary steps.
A small change with a big impact
Changing a button's text from "Submit" to something specific like "Get your free quote" seems like a minor detail, but in real tests this kind of change generates noticeable improvements, because it reduces uncertainty about what will happen after the click.
Plenty of businesses keep pouring money into attracting more traffic without ever asking whether their site makes good use of the visits it already gets. Before raising acquisition spend, it's always worth checking first whether there's room to improve on the conversion side.
Where to start if you've never done CRO
You don't need a data team to get started. Install a heatmap, review the pages with the most visits and the most drop-off, and pay attention to the points where users hesitate: a long form, an unclear price, a button that doesn't stand out. Pick a single change, measure it for a few weeks and compare. CRO works better as an ongoing process of small improvements than as a one-off project with an end date.
Frequently asked questions
How much traffic do I need for reliable A/B tests?
With low visit volumes, A/B tests take a long time to give statistically reliable results. If your site gets few visits a month, it's usually more cost-effective to start with changes based on heatmaps and common sense, and save A/B testing for when traffic grows.
Does CRO work the same way for an online store as for a services website?
Yes, even though the metrics change: a store measures purchase rate, a services site is usually form submissions or calls. The principle (reducing friction on the path to that action) is the same in both cases.
How often should you review a website's conversion rate?
There's no fixed rule, but reviewing the data once a month and planning one concrete improvement per quarter is usually a reasonable pace for most small and medium businesses.