Selecting the right conversion rate optimization method is the single most important factor in determining the success of your e-commerce optimization initiatives.
Common misconceptions about what is and isn’t conversion rate optimization tend to create confusion and lead to costly conclusions. Keep the following facts in mind when conducting your due diligence:
Testing is not optimization, but is instead the art of improving the conversion rates of an e-commerce site based upon user experience design best practices. This is a manual or semi-manual trial-and-error process that takes time, delivers unpredictable results, and carries with it significant risk. Testing requires significant expert knowledge and its results are limited to short periods of time after which results are oftentimes unsustainable due to the ever-changing e-commerce environment.
Targeting is not optimization, but is instead the art of delivering specific offers or promotions based upon the behavioral patterns of visitors to an e-commerce site. Unfortunately, visitor behavior is often inconsistent, erratic and subject to influences such as seasonality, the role of the individual visitor relative to the planned purchase as well as the accuracy issues associated with predicting future behavior based upon a statistically irrelevant number of previous visits.
True optimization is based on the science of mathematical modeling, statistically relevant numbers and automated decision making to continually squeeze maximum performance from your e-commerce site. Smart optimization solutions quickly deliver predictable, sustainable improvements while eliminating risks.
As noted in the below referenced summary table of conversion rate optimization methods, there are a number of critical determining factors that must be considered when selecting a conversion rate optimization solution. When one peels back the layers of marketing hype and semantic misdirection, CRO solutions and their guiding methods can be analyzed on the basis of their technological and performance enhancement merits.
