If you do any kind of business online, whether you’re selling products or services, generating leads to push through your funnel, or even engaging an audience without pitching anything directly, I’ll bet you already know the vital importance of conversion rate optimization.

But why bother with conversion rate optimization services at all? Why not handle it all yourself? In general, there are two kinds of clients.

On the one hand, there are those that already have an active conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy but want to improve it.

Alternatively, there are people that recognize the importance of CRO but have put off launching a CRO campaign for any of a multitude of reasons – lack of time, knowledge, or even money.

If this sounds familiar and you’re having trouble figuring out the reason for your dismal online performance, then what you need is more likely some professional help in website conversion rate optimization or CRO.

How to know if you need conversion rate optimization services?

Is your conversion rate way below the industry average?

It’s difficult to know what is a good conversion rate for your site unless you have a point of comparison. If you’re not sure whether your conversion rate is good enough, it might be a good idea to check the average in your industry.

Of course, you should always take industry averages with a grain of salt. You can’t expect your relatively unknown online store to fare as well as the brand giants.

But that’s not saying that you can’t learn something from their figures, as well. For instance, you can use the average conversion rates in your industry for benchmarking your own performance.

Do people arrive and then almost immediately leave your website?

Abnormally high bounce rates on your key pages are another tell-tale sign that you might need some optimization help.

A high bounce rate occurs when your visitors land on a web page and end up doing nothing else before hitting either the back or close button on their browsers.

Online visitors come to your site with their own set of needs and expectations. When your site attracts a disproportionate amount of unqualified traffic, you can expect that these visitors will immediately leave when they see that your site is totally unrelated to their search.

Is your content, site structure, and user experience outdated?

Often, all it takes to know if your website has become dated is by comparing it with other sites in your industry.

Unless you’re trying to pull off a retro look, there really is no excuse for making your online visitors feel like they’ve time-warped to the early 2000s (or even 2010s) when they land on your site.

If this sounds like your website, then you know it should have been updated eons ago. It’s also a sign that you need to seek the help of a conversion rate optimization professional if you want to redesign your website not just for aesthetic purposes but for improved conversions.

Two questions before you get started with choosing CRO services

Before you start to put together your CRO plan, you need to answer these two questions:

• Should I hire a company offering conversion rate optimization (CRO) services or build an in-house team?
• What are my CRO goals?

Short conclusion

Knowing when to seek professional help for your conversion rate optimization needs is the first step to solving conversion-related problems in your online touchpoints.

By learning the reason for your website and online business’ lackluster performance, you can decide on the best course of action that fits your needs and budget.