• Tim Cook wants you to turn your notifications off.
• Verizon and Google just partnered up to offer Verizon customers the ability to subscribe to YouTube TV through their accounts.
• Squarespace checked off a first. The website building platform acquired Acuity, a scheduling app.
• Need to return something you bought from Amazon? Take it to Kohl’s (not a typo).

If we took a poll on how to increase sales on your website, responses would likely vary.

Do you really wanna know what it’s all about though?

Conversion Rate Optimization aka CRO.

What the heck is CRO?

CRO is the process of increasing the number of websites visitors who take a desired action. It could be a sale, an email submission, etc. It really depends on how you define a conversion.

Alright, now you know what CRO is, let’s talk about calculating your conversion rate.

Divide the number of conversions on your webpage by the number of people who visited that page.

Example: If a user visited your site 3 times and converted once, your conversion rate would be 33.3%.

So, how do you optimize for conversion rates?

It’s all about the who, what and where.

The analytical approach will have you tracking your conversions (we like Google Analytics). You’ll be looking at data such as, where people are entering your site from, what devices they’re using, demographics, funnel abandonment and more.

The flip side would be a qualitative approach (aka the human method). You can do data-backed research all day, but sometimes you just gotta talk with your actual audience. Do this through surveys, user-testing, and cold outreach. Ask the tough questions about your product or service and prepare for some constructive criticism.

Whatever you do, don’t play the guessing game with CRO.

Now that you’re dialing in your Conversion Rate Optimization processes, how about a split testing CRO calculator?

The folks over at Neil Patel developed an easy-to-use calculator that’ll show you if variations increased your sales, and by how much. Give it a try.

Remember the Extra Gum commercials featuring the love story of Juan and Sarah?

Well, Extra Gum is back with a new story featuring Max & Bill. It’s pretty powerful when a brand can make you forget what they’re actually selling.

“Sometimes the smallest gestures can be the most refreshing.”