E021: Shane Rostad on CRO: The DOs and DON'Ts of Conversion Rate Optimization

Today on the show we have Shane Rostad and we’re going deep on all things conversion rate optimization and how to run tests properly to get actionable results you can be confident about. We get into the philosophy of CRO, testing processes and the operational side, and the nuances around the do’s and don’ts when it comes to CRO testing. If you’ve got questions for Shane, we’ll get him back on the show so drop your questions below and we’ll get some of them answered next time! 00:00 Introduction and Overview 18:06 The Philosophy Behind CRO 25:38 The Limitations of CRO 27:30 Balancing Profit Optimization and Brand Reputation 29:20 Interpreting Test Results Correctly 30:44 Short-Term Wins and Long-Term Goals 31:11 The Need for Better Understanding and Practices in CRO 34:27 Minimum Test Duration and Sample Size 37:17 Caution Against Prematurely Ending Tests 39:27 Running Desktop and Mobile Tests Separately 44:38 Considering the Impact on Different Segments of Traffic 48:52 Using Additional Data Sources and User Behaviors 01:11:29 The Importance of Merchandising in CRO 01:21:19 Exploring Free Shipping Thresholds and Customer Behavior 01:24:34 The Need for Thoughtful and Intentional Testing in CRO 01:29:24 Challenges of Running a CRO Agency Operators Exclusive Slack: ⁠⁠⁠https://join.slack.com/t/9operators/shared_invite/zt-20pd2eq4n-UVM6oTQkdltEwLINwkCWIA⁠ Powered by: Motion.⁠⁠⁠ https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads ⁠⁠⁠Prescient AI.⁠⁠⁠ https://www.prescientai.com/operators Richpanel. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdesc Haus. http://Haus.io/operators Subscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here:https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9 Sign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here: https://9operators.com/