Conversion Rate Optimization
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the systematic practice of increasing the share of visitors who buy, using research, testing, and iteration.
What conversion rate optimization is
Conversion rate optimization, or CRO, is the systematic practice of raising the share of visitors who buy. Research finds the friction, hypotheses explain it, tests verify the fix.
It’s a loop, not a bag of tricks. The stores that win at it run the loop continuously.
Why CRO matters
Traffic keeps getting more expensive; conversion gains apply to every traffic source at once. A store that converts better earns more from the same spend, permanently.
The CRO loop
- Find friction with analytics, replays, and surveys
- Form a hypothesis about the cause
- Test the fix against the current page
- Roll out winners, log losers, repeat
Frequently asked questions
Where should CRO start?
On the highest-traffic, highest-intent pages: product pages and checkout. Fixing a leak there beats polishing the homepage every time.
Is CRO just A/B testing?
Testing is the verification step. The research that finds what’s worth testing is most of the actual work, and skipping it produces months of flat tests.
Related terms
Conversion Rate · A/B Testing · Checkout Optimization · Statistical Significance · User Testing