Here’s the round-up for the best new CRO articles for January 2021.

First up, we’re starting with a review on the state of conversion optimization in 2020. Not technically from January, but we thought it a good starting point!

Next, we’ve got a guide on CRO analytics, with examples on how you can use analytics to help with your CRO campaigns, a landing page optimization guide, and lastly, a complete guide to A/B testing (and CRO tools) for 2021.

Then we also have some ideas on how to use Hello Bar to increase conversions, as well as some ways to use email marketing for improving your eCommerce store conversions.

The 2020 State of Conversion Optimization Report

https://cxl.com/blog/2020-conversion-optimization-report/

For this report, they surveyed 399 optimizers around the world to see what the biggest issues were in the industry.

The main impact of Covid on CRO last year was how the lockdowns affected web traffic. For example, any travel related websites would have had their demand reduced almost overnight, which makes it impossible to run tests on.

Optimizers were also asked what their favourite analytics tools were, with Google Analytics far outweighing all the others, and Hotjar coming out on top for mouse tracking & heat mapping. A surprise winner for the most used testing tool was Google Optimize. Since it came out in 2017, it has quickly become the most widely used tool, possibly because it’s free and allows almost anyone to enter the testing arena.

CXL https://cxl.com/

CRO Analytics: How Analytics Help You Ace Your CRO Game (With Examples)

https://vwo.com/blog/cro-analytics-ace-your-game-examples/

To make data based decisions for your CRO campaigns, it’s essential to have an understanding of the foundations of analytics, and how it can work together with your CRO tools. 

In this guide, they cover:

• Tracking goals: Macro and micro conversions
• How to leverage insights from Google Analytics reports for CRO, and what the different report types are
• The five different reports that can help you achieve your desired conversion rates
• How to set up GA reports in your CRO tool

With the insights gained from having your goals set up properly, and analyzing the different reports, you’ll be able to make informed decisions on what to test using the data itself.

Landing Page Optimization: A Comprehensive Guide

https://instapage.com/blog/landing-page-guide/

In this guide, Instapage provides an in-depth overview of their recommended process for landing page optimization. 

To summarize:

1. Collect data
2. Analyze and develop a hypothesis
3. Determine metrics for success
4. Eliminate confounding variables
5. Set up your test and QA
6. Let the test run
7. Analyze the results
8. Continue testing

They then provide some examples of elements that can be tested on a landing page:

• Form fields
• Media
• Copy
• Page length
• Trust indicators
• Arrangement of elements
• Number of elements

Go check it out!

13 Creative Hello Bar Examples Proven To Boost Conversions

https://optinmonster.com/creative-hello-bar-examples/

Sharon Hurley Hall of Optinmonster brings us some great examples of how a Hello Bar can be used to increase conversions.

Optinmonster https://optinmonster.com/

This banner bar is often used to:

• Grow your mailing list
• Get new leads
• Drive more sales
• Give discounts
• Educate visitors

She’s broken down each example by explaining its main purpose, then gone on to show how to make it using Optinmonster. A very helpful resource for anyone looking to add one of these to their website. 

Which is the best time to send eCommerce emails to your customers?

https://www.humcommerce.com/blog/ecommerce-email-timing/

Email marketing has become an essential part of the sales strategy for eCommerce stores. This is because emails enable you to connect with your customers, win their trust, and continue communication. 

According to the Humcommerce team, email marketing will:

• Drive conversions
• Work better than social media
• Save you money (compared to other advertising channels)
• Reach a wider audience
• Use automations for increased relevance and timeliness

This guide covers the metrics you need to use to monitor the performance of your email campaigns (click-through rate, click-to open rate & open rate), as well as the best day and time to send your emails. 

According to a study by Omnisend, Thursday is the best day to send emails, followed up by Tuesday. As always, it’s essential to test what works best for you and your goals.

Humcommerce https://www.humcommerce.com/

What is A/B Testing? The Complete Guide (2021)

https://www.convertize.com/ab-testing/

This comprehensive guide by Convertize covers all things A/B Testing for newbies. 

Starting with what exactly is A/B testing and how does it work? What is the difference between A/B testing and multivariate testing? 

They go on to provide examples of successful A/B tests in the digital marketing world, and suggestions of tests to try, including titles and subtitles, website notifications, images and web forms. 

Check out their explainer video here:

You can also check out Convertize’s list of 34 CRO tools every digital marketer needs in 2021 here.