SEO as a standalone practice has proven to be very effective at boosting organic online visibility and traffic to a website. But how can you get users that land on your website to do what you ultimately want to achieve, a conversion. Here we take a look at what CRO is and what you can implement on your website to optimise for conversions. So, what is CRO?
CRO stands for ‘Conversion Rate Optimisation’ and is essentially the method of optimising your website with the goal of getting users to ‘convert’. This can mean different things to different organisations, depending on what their goal is at the time. For example an e-commerce website would count purchases, others may count form submissions, emails or telephone clicks.
Read on to find out more about CRO, why it’s important and how it works with your SEO strategy.
CRO should be considered alongside your SEO strategy. A long term goal, CRO practices can help to improve the quality of the conversions you receive. If you are getting traffic to your website but are not seeing as many conversions as you would expect, it may be time to analyse that traffic using CRO methods.
SEO is the practice of gaining more visibility and traffic for your website through various methods both on and off page. Implementing a strong SEO strategy can put you in front of your target audience on the search engine results pages organically, through keywords your users are searching for.
When they land on your website, the user experience plays a vital role in whether they stay or bounce off the page. Making your content as useful as possible for your target audience, having great site speed and giving an overall good experience is key.
CRO plays a crucial part in supporting your SEO. Your SEO strategy is to gain relevant visibility and organic traffic from users in your niche, providing them with useful content and engaging their interest. The aim of CRO is to get your users to perform an action once they are on your website, (this could be a purchase, an enquiry, a sign up etc.). This could be through applying relevant calls to action, having a fast loading website or even as simple as putting your content in the right places.
Getting to know your users is an important step in any CRO strategy. If you can identify your target audience clearly, it will be easier to understand what it is they want from your website. There are free tools available which you can implement on your website to gather data such as Hotjar and, Microsoft Clarity.
Also known as split testing. With this strategy you are testing two different versions of a webpage with your users to see which generates the best results. So you may change the calls to action to see which work best, or change the colour schemes or layouts to see which gets the most engagement.
With A/B testing it’s important to only test one change at a time so you can track the impact of that particular change.
Heatmaps give a visual representation of how users are interacting with your website. You can track elements such as mouse movements, scroll depth and clicks.
Mouse Movements
This is simply tracking where a user’s mouse investigates on your website. It can highlight where a user is looking, and how they are navigating through the structure of your website. It can bring to light any pain points in your website structure, and you can see how they browse to find what they came for.
Scroll depth is a very simple but effective way to monitor user interaction. It can show you how far users are scrolling on a page, if they are scrolling up and down before abandoning the page. Overall it can help you to consider what content is most relevant, consider what content should be seen above the fold of your website, and ultimately, help you determine whether the content is useful and performing as intended.
Tracking clicks you can see where a user is clicking on your website. This can help identify calls to action that work, and those that are missed. It can show dead clicks, which can identify where someone has clicked, but gets no response in a good amount of time. Rage clicks identify where someone is clicking in the same area repeatedly, and can highlight an area that isn’t working correctly and is causing frustration to users.
By implementing relevant calls to action in the right places it can naturally lead users into performing the desired action. If you use too many or they are placed where they are not natural, users will be less likely to click through and it can make a website look spammy.
One you maybe wouldn’t think of, but positive reviews and client testimonials can be just what a user needs to help them go from the consideration stage to the conversion stage. Having these on your website in the right places can help to make a difference to your conversions. It can also help with your SEO as it helps to boost your reputation and sends positive trust signals to the search engines.
CRO helps with SEO success as it helps to send the right signals to the search engines. Google’s Core Web Vitals are a benchmark in SEO that measures your website performance in terms of speed, engagement and user experience. All of these, as well as other SEO practices are key to achieving success in the ranking system.
CRO, like SEO, is a long term strategy. Getting to know your users, and how they use your website is key to building an informed strategy. As experts in building robust, long term SEO strategies we can help you implement an effective CRO strategy as part of your campaign. To learn more, get in touch with our award winning team today.
Senior SEO Executive
Founder
Our founder, Will Hitchmough, worked at a number of high profile Sheffield Digital Agencies before founding Wildcat Digital in 2018. He brings an extensive knowledge of all things related to SEO, PPC and Paid Social, as well as an expert knowledge of digital strategy.
Digital Marketing can be a minefield for many businesses, with many agencies ready to take your money without knowing how to deliver results. I founded Wildcat Digital to deliver digital success to businesses with smaller budgets in a transparent way.
Content Strategist Team Lead
With a degree in Marketing and a background in more traditional, offline marketing, Chloe joined Wildcat in 2021 after deciding to move into the digital marketing industry. She joined us as a Content Specialist and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a Content Strategist and later an SEO Team Leader.
Outside of work, Chloe is an avid creative. If she’s not knitting, you’ll likely find her behind a sewing machine or in the kitchen trying (and often failing!) to make sourdough.
SEO Account Director
Paul has a strong background in SEO, having previously founded and ran a successful eCommerce business, as well as running a personal blog that achieves an average of 17K users per month. Paul’s knowledge of SEO is extensive, with a strong emphasis on client handling and technical SEO.
Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his family and staying active with weight lifting and combat sports.
Head of Operations
Nadea joined Wildcat in 2021 and has since overhauled the way we work. She has a background in various administrative, operations and HR roles, which gave her the experience and skills needed to lead and organise a growing business.
Outside of work, Nadea loves anything that keeps her active, but she especially enjoys hiking, camping and mountain biking.
SEO Account Manager
With a background in sales, Molly is a natural Account Manager, brilliantly handling any issues that come her way. Having joined us as a Digital Marketing Executive, and working part-time through her final year of University, Molly is a shining example of how hard work pays off. She is now an SEO Account Manager with a particular interest in Content and Client Management.
In her spare time, Molly loves to get out in nature, hiking and exploring the Peak District. She also loves cooking and likes to unwind with a bit of yoga.
Senior PPC Account Manager
Libby joined Wildcat in 2021 as our first PPC hire. With a degree in Digital Media Production, a Master’s in Digital Media Management and previous experience in Social Media Management, Libby hit the ground running and has since climbed the ranks to Senior PPC Account Manager and has a particular interest in the eCommerce sector.
Outside of work, Libby likes gaming, and cooking and likes to keep active by lifting weights.
SEO Account Manager
Jasmine joined Wildcat in 2022 with a strong background in SEO and Account Management. At the time, she was finishing up a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and has since worked her way up to SEO Account Manager. Jasmine excels at content writing and promotion, and particularly enjoys finding creative ways to join the dots on multi-channel campaigns.
In her spare time, Jasmine volunteers at a charity, helping combat loneliness & social isolation experienced by older neighbours. Outside of Wildcat, she owns a catering company, Savery Grazing, creating delicious grazing tables & platters for a range of events. She also loves skiing and exploring the Peak District.
Senior PPC Executive
Prior to joining Wildcat, Braden founded and ran his own Social Media Management agency where he gained valuable skills in growing brands’ online presence, which has since proven invaluable in his role at Wildcat.
Outside of work, Braden is a big football fan, regularly travelling to Pride Park to support Derby County. He also enjoys watching and playing snooker, hiking in the Peak District, and attending air and car shows.
Senior SEO Executive
After spending ten years managing businesses, restaurants, cafes and event spaces across Sheffield, Jon decided to change careers and joined Wildcat as an SEO Executive in 2022. He especially enjoys the client management side of the job, helping them to understand digital marketing and ways in which they can build their business’s presence online.
Outside of work, Jon likes to keep fit with running, badminton and football, and also loves music.
SEO Executive
Rachel joined us as a graduate, having recently graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in English Literature. Since joining, Rachel has proven herself to be a Content Queen, and particularly enjoys getting stuck into projects that allow her to explore her creative side.
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys a wide range of hobbies, including rugby, singing, reading, and spending time with her family and three labradors.
PPC Team Leader
Carl joined Wildcat in 2023 with a wealth of experience in PPC. He has experience working with a wide range of clients, industries and budgets, from small local businesses all the way to international e-commerce businesses. Carl has a particular interest in strategic planning and forecasting. He is passionate about data analysis and creating sustainable long-term cross-channel strategies.
In his spare time, Carl enjoys keeping fit by lifting weights, bouldering and running. He’s also a keen musician, having played the double bass and bass guitar for 20 years.
Team Lead & Technical SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Computer Science and SEO experience dating back to 2017, Dariusz has a wide range of SEO skills and knowledge. His specialist knowledge of Technical SEO has firmly landed him the title of Wildcat’s Technical Wizard, and he has recently taken on the responsibility of Team Leader for the Panthers Team.
In his spare time, Dariusz loves hiking, experimenting and trying new coffees and loves learning new things. He is currently learning more about CRO and AI and how this could benefit our clients.
SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Film and TV production, and a varied career history, Jamie made the move to marketing with a Masters degree in Digital Media Management. He has since worked in SEO at Agencies across Sheffield, before joining Wildcat and working his way up to SEO Account Manager. Jamie has a particular interest in backlinks and Digital PR and has recently gained a client a valuable backlink from Forbes!
In his spare time, Jamie is an avid foodie and loves trying new restaurants and cuisines. He also loves to travel and spent a year travelling to Australia after university.
SEO Executive
Andy joined Wildcat in 2023 after starting his digital marketing career in-house for a local Sheffield company. Since joining, he has developed a strong interest in Technical SEO and has strong skills in Account Management.
Outside of work, Andy loves music and plays in a couple of bands. He also enjoys rock climbing, cycling, photography and good food.
Client Success Coordinator
Siena joined us in 2023 with a background in sales and digital marketing. She leads on client relationships across the company, ensuring that our customers are happy throughout their journey with us, from their initial consultation through to onboarding and beyond.
Outside of work, Siena enjoys travelling and getting stuck into the local culture. She likes to make the most of her experiences and particularly enjoys watching sunrises and sunsets from beautiful locations around the world.
Senior SEO Executive
Thea has a wealth of experience in SEO, having previously worked for other Digital Marketing Agencies in Sheffield. She has a particular interest and skills in Technical SEO, but is more than willing to get stuck in and give anything a go.
Outside of work, Thea spends most of her time with her children, but also loves reading, photography and gardening.
PPC Executive
Before joining Wildcat, Tom worked across different industries, building skills in sales and customer service. He later developed a passion for digital marketing whilst working on personal marketing projects and freelance ventures, and gained numerous certifications in PPC and Social Media.
Outside of work, Tom enjoys staying active by going to the gym and hiking. He also loves travelling and motorbiking.
Head of Growth
Rich joined us in May 2024 to head up our growth team. With years of experience helping other agencies to grow, Rich joins us at an exciting time as Wildcat is working on a five-year plan to become one of the biggest agencies in the UK.
Outside of work, Rich is a father to three children, which keeps him very busy! He’s also recently started running again to keep fit and loves a bit of DIY.
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