SEO vs CRO.
Everyone in the web design industry and many who have websites will know the term SEO (search engine optimisation). It is a vital component of any modern website if you want to get found on Google. There are many factors alongside SEO that determine the success of a website such as it being responsive and the overall design of the site. There is however one factor that often gets overlooked, mainly due to the fact that it isn’t tangible to the end user, this is CRO (conversion rate optimisation).
Conversion rate optimisation is the method of creating an experience for website visitor, with the goal of increasing the percentage of visitors that convert into customers. The importance of CRO isn’t something that is generally considered by clients but any good web design agency will factor the conversion rates of the website, after all it is how we show our worth to you! As i mentioned earlier, all of the factors involved in the build of a website are important, which i will run through now.
1) SEO
Search engine optimisation is one of the most important and well known features of any website. Companies spend thousands of pounds every month just to ensure that they stay at the top of Google, and with good reason. Statistically if you are at the top of the heap on a Google search for your keywords you will get 35% of the traffic clicking onto your website. When you are at the bottom of the page you will receive 2% of traffic statistically. The difference is massive hence why designers put so much emphasis into the SEO features of the site. SEO combines both the code and structure used to build the site with the on and off site activity undertaken by the company who controls the website. This means blogging, onsite content, posting blogs offsite and linking them back to your website and using social media! If you aren’t engaged in your site and don’t do any of the listed then it will be difficult to reach the dizzy heights of the upper echelons of a Google search! Like we always say to our clients, there is no silver bullet with SEO, we can build them exactly to Google’s specification but SEO does require a professional companies consultancy if you are in a competitive market.
2) Responsive functionality
Responsive design isn’t a new feature within the design world but to any business not associated with the design industry it is in the early stages of adoption. A responsive website is effectively one that adapts to any screen size while keeping the website design consistent. Mobile websites are a thing of the past; with the rise of tablet and mobile devices Google want websites found in their search bar to be aesthetically pleasing to the end user and easy to use. Responsive websites improve your SEO and also the experience for your end user, which ultimately makes it a key component of any new website.
3) Site design
So your desired end user has found you on Google but your website design is an absolute train wreck, here are the next two steps they take; Immediately click off your website and then at the same speed go straight to one of your competitors. Don’t lose potential clients because your website is poorly designed! Design can obviously be subjective but we can all tell the difference between a nicely designed site and something that looks like it has just stepped out of the early 2000’s. A good design will not only set you apart from your competitors but it will ingrain your brand into the brains of those who click through to your site (worth noting a bad site will do this too, but it isn’t the kind lasting memory you want). Google also reward good design as they see it as a better user experience and generally your website’s bounce rate (the number of people who go on your site and then immediately leave) will be low., which is a SEO ranking factor.
4) CRO
All of these 3 components of your website have built the website up to this point, you have an engaged user on your site! This is where CRO comes in and why it shouldn’t be overlooked. Conversion rate optimisation is art of guiding your website user to the magical CTA (call to action) buttons and getting them to use them! It is all well and good having a website that ranks well and looks nice but if it has no substance then it is of little business use other than a good brand ambassador. CRO is often overlooked because it is one of the most difficult aspects of a website build and many people looking for a website will choose the cheapest option. It may be cheap in the long term but inevitably it will cost you leads and future business. CRO if done by an industry specialist will massively change the way that you interact with your website and how you much you value it.
These are all essential features of any modern website and the combination of all 4 will ensure that your website not only gets you highly ranked on Google and leaves a lasting impression with your clients but also means that your website will generate business for you. Ideally your website should factor in all of these features because if you don’t consider them, then you can bet that one of your competitors will ensure that they do. One of the reasons so many people use industry specialists to build their websites is because companies like Technicweb have been building websites for 13 years and constantly keep up with the latest online trends so that you don’t have to. SEO and CRO shouldn’t compete against each other and you shouldn’t have to compromise on either to ensure you get a website that generates you business.
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