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CEO - Charle AgencyA conversion rate optimisation agency, also known as a CRO agency, is a dedicated marketing agency whose main goal is to improve your website's conversion rate. For example, if you run an ecommerce website and want to increase the number of orders you receive through your website each month without relying on increasing traffic. In this article, we'll be diving into everything you need to know about a CRO agency.
Firstly, let's explore what a conversion rate optimisation (CRO) agency is and its definition. A conversion rate optimisation agency, also known as a CRO agency, is a dedicated marketing agency whose main goal is to improve your website's conversion rate. The goal is to increase and improve the percentage of visitors to complete a desired action this might be purchasing an ecommerce store, signing up for a service, engaging with content or signing up for a newsletter. CRO agencies use data, reports, split A/B testing and analyse the behaviour of customers on a website to identify friction in the experience to make improvements and reduce barriers to customers converting online.
The main reason businesses invest in conversion rate optimisation is to increase and maximise the return that existing traffic gives to the site, for example, if you are spending a significant budget on driving traffic to your website, then it's vital to maximise the number of conversions you get from that traffic and it can increase revenue without the need to invest more into driving traffic to your website. Conversion rate optimisation agencies typically work iteratively, making small but consistent changes and measuring the impact which overtime increases conversion rate and other key performance indicators on an ecommerce store or website.
The role of a conversion rate optimisation (CRO) agency is to increase the chances that a website visitor converts on the primary goal for example placing an order, adding to a cart or completing a newsletter sign-up for example. The goal of a CRO agency is not to increase the number of visitors coming to a website but instead to increase the efficiency of that traffic and convert more visitors into customers.
Firstly, CRO agencies will typically review a website's data to gain insights about users' behaviour. Tools such as Google Analytics, heat mapping tools and user session recordings are leveraged to gain a thorough understanding of how customers behave on a website and identify areas of friction or drop-offs before conversion. Alongside side this a CRO agency will typically analyse the conversion funnel to map out the customer's entire journey to identify steps to optimise. This data can then be used to create a roadmap of iterative improvements.
Conversion habits and behaviour change from day to day, let alone month to month, therefore it's vital to test the impact of iterations like for like otherwise positive tests may not reflect an improvement but just an increase in a certain behaviour due to other factors such as seasonality. Split A/B Testing is a vital element of a CRO strategy as it allows the agency to determine what drives more conversions.
CRO agencies will typically offer in-house skills such as UI and UX designers and developers to implement the enhancements prescribed within the CRO roadmap. This might include designing and building an enhanced website navigation to create an intuitive and seamless user journey. Alternatively, this may include optimising high-converting landing pages that traffic gets driven to or rolling out variants of messaging, CTAs and layouts. Alongside UI and UX improvements, a CRO agency may deploy technical optimisation such as enhanced site speed, improved mobile responsiveness and accessibility to ensure everyone is getting the very best experience.
Lastly, the role of a CRO agency is to continually monitor, analyse and report of previous tests and deployments. Historical CRO data can then be used to inform future decisions and continuous iteration and improvement.
The services offered by a CRO agency do depend on the type of agency you are partnering with however they typically involve key deliverables from a multi-disciplinary team that comes together to deliver a roadmap of improvement and growth.
Initial CRO services include a data, funnel and website audit to analyse the user journey, identify friction and understand opportunities to improve the conversion rate. Methods to audit and analyse a store will typically use both qualitative and quantitative research to understand why customers behave in the way they do. Quantitative methods are likely to include analytics tools and KPI trackers and qualitative methods may be surveys, polls and interviews. This will typically produce a roadmap of tasks to implement and test.
The roadmap of improvement will include tasks that are delivered by a wide range of specialists such as UX and UI visual improvements delivered by designers and then built by developers. This may include landing page optimisation, cart and checkout design or trying new designs, layouts and call-to-actions. These tasks typically aim to reduce friction at specific steps of the funnel. Developers may implement technical optimisations to improve site performance such as page speed, mobile responsiveness and fixing technical issues.
Other services that CRO agencies will typically offer are copyrighting and messaging optimisation. This involved writing copy that is optimised to achieve the conversion goal you are working towards such as re-writing headlines, product descriptions and CTAs. Similarly, personalisation and dynamic content can be used to tailor experiences specifically to target audiences to maximise the chances of conversion by delivering targeted and unique experiences.
Lastly, a CRO agency will provide split A/B testing to compare the impact of iterations and use statistical models to determine if a test is representative of wider audiences to ensure winning variations make an impact. The agency will continue to report on key performance indications and of course the conversion rate alongside the test results. CRO agencies typically will partner with a client to deliver a long-term strategy for sustained conversion growth working alongside other partners to ensure paid advertising, SEO and other channels consider the CRO strategy too.
CRO agencies typically deliver these services as stand-alone audits with actionable roadmaps for brands to execute themselves. Alternatively and more commonly, CRO agencies provide CRO retainers that deliver a continuous CRO roadmap or auditing, execution and testing to improve conversion rate consistently over time.
Hiring a dedicated, experienced and highly-skilled conversion rate optimisation (CRO) agency can provide a large number of businesses with the revenue of a business and also the performance of traffic on your store.
Increased revenue without increasing traffic
The main benefit of conversion rate optimisation is how it can help you receive a higher amount of revenue without the associated costs of increasing traffic. Instead of investing in higher traffic budgets, you can increase the revenue that the existing traffic brings by converting more customers. CRO typically improves the efficacy of other traffic investments as it serves to deliver a higher return on investment.
Stops guesswork by being data-driven
When you are making improvements to a website it can be challenging to understand if changes will make a true difference. Using personal opinions to decide may lead to a reduction in conversion rate. CRO agencies rely on analytics, A/B testing and user behaviour analysis to test and iterate on the impact of changes. Also, tests wait for statistical significance to ensure results are representative of the masses.
Improve User Experience
The work a CRO agency typically delivers not only aims to improve the conversion rate but also the overall experience. A website that is visually attractive, brand-consistent and memorable also increases other positive factors such as trust, engagement and the rate at which visitors come back!
There are many other benefits to hiring a CRO agency however leaving changes to a team of experts who use data at the heart of their strategy to deliver proven results is a great investment for your business.
A conversion rate optimisation (CRO) agency requires a variety of specific and advanced tools to analyse site visitor behaviour, conduct split a/b tests and monitor performance over time.
Reporting & Analytics
CRO agencies typically use website analytics tools to understand the behaviour of customers on a website such as pages per visit, time on site, bounce rates and engagement rates. Tools typically used in Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, TripleWhale and other reporting tools.
A/B Testing & Experimentation
CRO agencies need to test the deliverables to iterate and publish work that only delivers an improvement in conversion rate. Tools often used by CRO agencies include Shoplift for Shopify, Optimizely & VMO to not only dynamically show different variations of pages to splits of an audience but also to help them understand once a test achieves statistical significance and that it can be used to compare against larger populations.
Heatmaps and Session Recordings
Understanding how customers behave online is vital to learning and iterating a user experience. Therefore heatmaps and session recordings can help inform customer experiences and identify bottlenecks in a conversion journey. Tools include Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity and Crazy Egg.
Personalisation & Behavioural Targeting
Specific journeys and content can be more relevant to some visitors than users, therefore using personalisation tools to show dynamic content can be a great way to maximise conversion rate. Tools for personalisation include Nosto and Dynamic Yield.
Website Speed & Performance
Improving site speed is a known way to improve conversions and reduce dropouts due to frustration on a website. Tools include Google Speed Insights, Core Web Vitals and GTMetrix to measure how fast your website loads.
As a Shopify accredited CRO agency, we have a wealth of experience in helping brands to maximise their conversion rates. Leveraging specialist Shopify web design, Shopify web development, technical support and long-term strategic consultancy, our conversion rate optimisation services can help improve your online store's metrics at every stage.
Our CRO agency services, are delivered via our membership offering, giving you access to our ecommerce team resources and helping to change the way users behave on your website so that more visitors make the purchasing decision. Whatever the size of your business or the industry you operate in, our CRO Agency services can cater for your needs, all managed by our friendly expert Shopify & Shopify Plus team. As a CRO Agency, we're here to grow your store and help deliver a powerful customer experience to encourage customers to complete their purchases every visit. Explore our case studies here.
Choosing a CRO agency can be challenging as it's important to find a team of skilled individuals who can deliver results for your business. Firstly, consider what your goals are and ensure the winning agency understands, accepts and is confident that they can deliver them. Ensure you review the agency's track record and make sure they have experience delivering results.
Ensure that you understand the agency's approach to CRO and that it is in line with your expectations. It's also worth understanding the tech stack they use and if you need to fund any of the tooling too. Finally, ensure that you are aligned with how quickly you'll see results from the strategies employed. We also recommend asking for references and reviewing case studies inline with your requirements.
Measuring success in CRO is crucial not only to ensure that you are seeing results from the CRO efforts but also to confirm you are seeing a return on investment on the amount you spending with the agency. The first main key performance indicator you should measure is the conversion rate. It's important to measure conversion rate within split A/B tests rather than month over month and KPIs change significantly based on seasonality, macro and micro economic factors and overall marketing strategies therefore it's important to compare the impact of the new improvements to old. This should give you confidence and an understanding of the overall impact of the new improvements. Other KPIs that are measured within CRO strategies include average order value, bounce rate, cart and checkout abandonment, scroll depth and cost-per-acquisition from marketing channels. The KPIs measured will likely be specific to the campaign and audience you are testing however it's important to compare the test results rather than historical data.
That's a wrap on what is a CRO agency! A Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) agency helps companies and marketing agencies maximize the potential of their website visitors by applying a structured methodology backed by data analysis, experiments, and user testing. Whether for an ecommerce website, SaaS platform, or other industries, CRO involves a science-driven process that removes friction from the customer journey to boost sales, leads, and ROI.
With expertise across thousands of businesses, a CRO agency provides solutions tailored to specific segments, using technology, software like VWO, and social media insights to improve performance. The importance of conversion optimization lies in refining processes, reducing waste, and eliminating bias, ensuring that companies don’t lose revenue due to poor homepage design, pricing structures, or checkout challenges.
Many clients seek CRO services because of proven frameworks, case studies, and testimonials, showcasing how a well-executed optimization strategy can transform campaigns. From reviews, recommendations, and FAQs to expert strategists who guide businesses through the setup and optimization efforts, CRO covers a lot of ground. By testing hypotheses, exploring different approaches, and leveraging social media and video content, companies can avoid wasting money and make data-driven decisions.
If you are looking to maximize performance from your existing traffic, then our team of CRO experts, designers, and developers can support your next phase of growth. Whether you’re a B2B SaaS company, e-commerce business, or any other kind of brand, our consultation will help uncover pain points, biases, and opportunities to enhance your platforms. Get in touch today and let’s create a conversion rate optimization strategy that delivers measurable proof of success!
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