Higher conversion rates are the brass ring for websites.

In this Affiliate Summit West 2021 session, Invesp Co-founder and marketing optimization expert Ayat Shukairy shares seven proven CRO strategies.
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CRO doesn't happen because of a small tweak, like changing the color of your CTA. There are no best practices, checklists, or tweaks in the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

Creating "repeatable, sustainable growth" involves more than hopes and prayers. It needs testing, data, and science. Shukairy relies on the 'SHIP' acronym to guide the process: Scrutinize, Hypothesize, Implement, Propagate.
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Conversion is never impulsive. The more you know about what's going on in a customer's mind when they're considering a purchase, the better positioned you'll be to engage them.

And remember: purchasing decisions aren't just about functionality. There are deeper social and emotional factors mixed in.

Websites are not always what we think they are or what we want them to be. Shukairy recommends this 10-point heuristics check to make sure your website is on point:

• Visibility of system status

• Match between system and the real world

• User control and freedom

• Consistency and standards

• Error prevention

• Recognition rather than recall

• Flexibility and efficiency of use

• Aesthetic and minimalist design

• Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

• Help and documentation
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Are all the stakeholders on the same page? If not, your conversions will not be where they need to be.The UX on websites must be aligned with overall business objectives.
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There are always 'easy' ways to get clicks. But while shortcuts and hacks may lead to short-term results, they will not last ' AND they'll annoy your audience.

If you really want to boost conversions, you must put in the work involved with really understanding and engaging consumers.
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Many ecommerce websites adopt a herd mentality. This is NOT the way to build your brand.

Do you want people to come compare you to your competitors when they come to your site, or do you want to stand out? Today's consumers are driven by meaning. Give it to them by showcasing your niche: unique products/services + unique value.

The focus is not to outperform, but to 'offer a quantum leap' in value that renders your competition irrelevant.
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As with many things in digital marketing, there's no straightforward answer when it comes to what to attack first. Shukairy's team uses four buckets to assess what to prioritize:
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• Fix right away (FRA): You NEED to fix it because it isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

• Instrument (IT). It needs tagging because you don't have enough data to understand how people are interacting with it

• Research opportunity RO). There are more opportunities for testing and improving

• Investigate further (IF). You notice something that needs more investigating and validating for analytics