When CRO Isn’t Optimized for the User and How to Fix It

When you optimize solely for conversions, you are optimizing only for yourself.

While you might enjoy the spoils of this philosophy early on, it’s an unsustainable practice that will cost you in the long run.

On the other hand, when you optimize for the user, you are creating brand advocates. To do that, you have to be honest, consistent, and transparent.

Optimize for the user, and conversions will come naturally. This includes identifying and avoiding unethical, conversion-focused CRO or UX tactics on your website.

Understanding what is user-focused vs. conversion focused

Think about when you first discovered CRO. You probably came across an article about some sweet tactics that showed you how you can use content to influence a user to convert.

But then you made a startling discovery: Some tactics are meant to trick the user into converting, not help them.

• Conversion-focused tactics try to get conversions in any way possible, ignoring the best interest of the user. This includes using psychological tricks to manipulate users to convert.
• User-focused tactics empower users to make a decision that is best for them. This includes providing users with helpful and relevant content in the right place at the right time.

The first question you should always ask when presented with any CRO tactic is: Is this helpful for the user? If the answer is no, then it’s probably safe to assume that the tactic is conversion focused.

Conversion-focused tactics have consequences. In fact, one study showed that those tactics “are negatively linked with customer buying behaviour or purchase intention.”

Consequences of conversion-focused tactics

Focusing solely on conversion-focused tactics can come with consequences.

• Poor brand equity
• High churn
• Low customer retention
• Low customer lifetime value

User-focused tactics, on the other hand, result in literally the opposite outcome. Some studies even indicate that “86% of consumers will pay more for better customer experience,” solidifying the importance of being user-focused.

Benefits of being user-focused

So, what exactly are the benefits of being user focused?

• High brand equity
• Low churn
• High customer retention
• Higher customer lifetime value
• More customer advocates

Let’s look at some suggested CRO tactics and separate which ones are actually better for conversions versus the actual user.

5 CRO and UX tactics that aren’t always the best for users

1. Creating a sense of urgency

TL;DR Summary: The right way to use scarcity or make limited-time offers is to give the user enough time to make an informed decision. You can also give users relevant (and true) information regarding availability.

Creating a sense of urgency is an effective tactic for empowering customers to make a purchase decision — when done right. Some brands, however, like to take this tactic and push it to the point of pressuring the user to convert rather than empowering them to.

Let’s say you’re running a sale or a limited time offer that lasts a few days or maybe a week — that’s totally acceptable. This time frame gives a user plenty of opportunities to weigh all of their options and take advantage of the deal: win-win.

But that’s not the type of urgency some websites are creating. Today, you see sites that have “limited time offers” that look like this:

On top of the misleading copy like “exclusive” and “pre-qualified” (we know damn well that this offer is shown to every single person who landed on the site), OptinMonster gives you only 150 minutes to get this deal.

But does this tactic help the user?

It’s a 35% discount — great! The user benefits. But they’re also pressuring the user into making a decision in an incredibly short time frame.

Think about it. Your manager asks you to research and report on a list of potential CRO tools for your company to use. Is it realistic that, within 150 minutes, you can perform all the steps necessary to make a qualified decision?

1. Find all the credible companies that offer these tools.
2. Read the pricing and features for each one.
3. Create an email/document that lays out these options for your manager to see.
4. Send this information to your manager.
5. Wait for your manager to get back to you.

The median response time for business emails is 1.87 hours, so you may not even hear back from your manager before this offer ends. Brands like OptinMonster understand this.

In reality, they don’t want the user to weigh their options or compare the package to their competitors. They just want the user to feel so much FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) that they make an impulse decision.

How can you utilize scarcity in a user-focused way?

Check out how Amazon does it:

Amazon does a great job utilizing scarcity in a way that is helpful to the user. It calls out that there are only two items left in stock. For a user, this is more useful than an arbitrary countdown clock.

2. Influencing purchases with pricing layouts

TL;DR Summary: Just because you can trick users into buying your more expensive plan doesn’t mean you’re going to see higher profits in the long run. Buyer’s remorse is an expensive thing for any company. Give users exactly what they need now and upsell them in the future when they outgrow their current package.

Your users need to know your prices, and there are ways to display them to increase your conversion rate. But there are some CRO tactics that are more about conversions rather than your user.

How about this one from Neil Patel:

The idea of listing your most expensive plans first is based on a psychological theory that the first option presented to us is usually the option we pick if we’re uncertain.

One study on this tactic discovered that users spent more time looking at the first two options laid out on a pricing page, regardless of their price point.

So Neil’s recommendation of putting your most expensive offers first might actually get more people signed up with at the highest price point, which means more revenue for you.

But does this tactic help the user?

If your most expensive plan isn’t best for the user, then this tactic certainly isn’t helpful for them — and it’s probably not helpful for you, either. I’ve seen too many clients sign up for the pricey “elite” package of a tool only to find out that it’s much more robust than their needs.

As HubSpot explains, poor product-market fit is a huge factor when it comes to higher customer churn rate. When customers buy into a service that is more robust (and pricier) than what they need, it creates a bitterness toward the brand that often leads to cancellations.

While initial sales revenue may look pretty, it won’t balance out the amount of churn, especially for subscription services.

Another CRO “best practice” is highlighting one of your options as popular or recommended. In general, these plans are supposed to cater to the needs of each customer. So how is it that some websites recommend one specific plan to everyone without knowing the user’s actual needs?

Let’s look at an example from Box.

Box is using a handful of conversion-focused tactics here, including having a more expensive price point crossed out next to the actual price. This is a play on the psychological principle of anchoring.

Box is not explaining what that higher price represents. Is there a sale going on? Is that the monthly fee versus the annual fee? Either they’re doing a poor job explaining the crossed-out price, or they have it there simply to make the lower price more appealing. Anchoring is more appropriate when you’re having a sale or comparing other pricing options.

But the tactic that stands out most on Box’s pricing page is the “most popular” callout for their business plan. And yes, this can definitely help a user make a more informed decision — if it’s actually true.

Too many brands arbitrarily throw this label on whatever package is most profitable. See how KnowBe4.com takes advantage of this:

What is the likelihood that their most expensive package is the most popular? Very low. (If that were the case, wouldn’t they offer more robust options beyond the “most popular” one?)

So how can you do this correctly?

First, be honest when you make claims. Second, call out the proof of how or why it’s the most popular or recommended plan. For example, you could call out the percentage of customers who choose that package:

3. Generating leads with pop-ups

TL;DR Summary: When it comes to pop-ups, make sure your content is clear, relevant, useful, respectful (no user shaming), and easy to close.

Pop-ups are ubiquitous. Part of the problem is that some marketing teams are judged solely on the number of leads they bring in — regardless of how many leads turn into customers.

See an example from OptinMonster below:

But does this tactic help the user?

Only if the content of the slide-up is relevant, timely, and useful. Per usual, though, brands pursue this tactic solely out of self-interest. When done this way, pop-ups are disruptive and can hurt the consumption flow of the user.

Take a closer look at OptinMonster’s slide-up CTA:

Do you know what is not helpful to users? Requiring them to shame themselves to close your pop-up. The design and copy also discourage users from finding/clicking on the opt-out.

The same rules apply to exit-intent pop-ups as well — content needs to be relevant, timely, and useful. (Even that may not be enough: There’s some doubt that exit-intent pop-ups work at all.) An exit-intent strategy is potentially more disruptive for users, especially when sites don’t give a clear “close window” option:

Imagine if a shop did this to you in real life: As you try to leave a store, an associate stops you: “Whooaa, whoa there. Do you want to sign up for our upcoming webinar? Or are you not interested in being a better person?” If that experience would leave a bad taste in your mouth, avoid making your website visitors feel the same way.

So how can you do this correctly?

Ensure that the pop-up you are delivering is highly relevant to the page the user is on or the action(s) they are taking. For example, if a user is browsing your blog, it’s relevant to send them a “subscribe to our newsletter” pop-up.

And be sure to give users equal opportunity to opt-in or close your pop-ups. See a better example below from Sumo:

4. Limiting options to expedite conversions

TL;DR Summary: Limit a user’s options only when you have tons of selections on a page or an exhaustive form. Use categorization, chunking, or progressive forms as an alternative.

Hick’s Law is the theory that when we’re presented with too many options, we’re less likely to make a choice. So what’s the suggested tactic? Limit the options to make it easier for the user to make a decision. For example, reduce the number of fields on your forms.

Another common example is limiting the links on your homepage. But then there are sites that reduce the “options” to nothing other than conversions. Note the options laid out for his users on this homepage, circled in teal:

Other than footer links, only two choices are present on Neil’s homepage:

1. “Yes, I want Neil to teach me how to grow my business.”
2. “Claim your spot now” for a webinar.

Does this tactic help the user?

Neither option serves a user who wants more information before making a decision (which is usually the type of user who starts on your homepage). These are both conversion-focused actions that are more beneficial to Neil’s email list (and wallet) than to any user.

Another example is from Wix. If you scan their homepage, you get blasted with the “Get Started” CTA they put under every content region. Every. Single. One.

Hero region

2nd Region

3rd Region

4th Region (Double-shot on this one!)

6th Region (they spared the 5th)

7th Region

8th Region (Oh, I can “Learn More,” too?)

The funny thing about this attempt to trap users into a singular experience is that it backfires by causing “banner blindness”: Overexposure to the same CTA can desensitize the user until they ignore it completely.

So how can you do this correctly?

Use chunking or categorization and make sure the paths are comprehensive. If they are on a form that would generally have tons of, try using progressive selection (one thing per page).

5. Show off badges/seals of authority

TL;DR Summary: Use only relevant (and real) icons to ease the anxiety of a user at the right moments. Start by determining which trust seals users favor the most.

Studies show that trust seals, awards, or general badges can help improve your conversion rates. But some websites take advantage of this.

Take Ultimate Forces Challenge, for example, which even published a blog to show off their SSL protocol as a trust seal even though every website should have SSL. (This is like a surgeon who brags about washing their hands.)

Does this tactic help for the user?

Efforts like the one above give users a false sense of security by adding trust seals that, in reality, aren’t as impressive as they look. Some sites even create their own seals or badges to communicate an illusion of safety:

There’s no way to know if, in the above example, the site takes extra safety precautions when it comes to your order, or if they’re just claiming it to make users feel good.

Sites also add their own badge near real ones or layer on superlatives to inflate credibility:

So how can you do this correctly?

Show actual, relevant badges or icons for security services your company use:

Conclusion

Some of these tactics might have good intentions. Many offer an opportunity to get some quick wins. But if you’re in the business of better lifetime value and customer advocacy, quick wins won’t work. Instead, they’ll create a company culture of conversions instead of users.

To apply CRO tactics effectively, make sure you:

1. Create a realistic sense of urgency that offers real information to users.
2. Encourage users to select tiered packages based on current need, not profitability.
3. Make pop-ups relevant and easy to close.
4. Don’t force users to convert right away by removing their options.
5. Make trust seals real trust seals — not fake icons that falsify security.

About the author:

Tim Mehta is the Analytics and Conversion Optimization Strategist at Portent — a Clearlink Digital Agency. He considers himself an “optimization” strategist; his biggest motivation is to craft an optimized experience for clients and their customers. Follow him on Twitter @TVMehta.