How to become a Conversion Rate Optimiser

Anyone can become a conversion rate optimisation specialist, but in my experience, it helps to have already worked in one of two career paths; a marketing role or front-end development.

Let me explain.

Skills Required

The skills required to be a good CRO specialist are numerous, we are a ‘jack of all trades’ with the ability to analyse data, do thorough research, understand (and ideally) write code, communicate clearly and have a creative streak all being equally important aspects of our job.

We need to understand not only business requirements but also anticipate our customer's needs & plan a testing roadmap accordingly.

We should be aware of current trends and best practices in web and UX design and be able to incorporate those within existing website designs.

We have to understand front-end code and mathematics to build and analyse test results. On top of all that, we need to be able to communicate the benefits of CRO, write clear hypothesis, and explain test results to colleagues.

Marketing Background

So, how does a background in Marketing help us make the move to CRO specialist? Of course, ‘marketing’ covers a multitude of specialisms, but many of the skills already mentioned are used daily no matter what area of marketing you work within. Some examples:

A ‘social media manager’ and ‘content marketing manager’s will already be familiar with understanding how the customer thinks & feels, as well as coming up with ideas of how to engage them. They will be used to researching competitors, keeping on top of the current market trends in order to ensure their content and communication is on point.

‘Blog marketeers’ and ‘e-mail managers’ are likely to have dabbled in code and have great communication skills as their focus is on speaking directly to their customers. Scheduling when to publish or send e-mails demonstrates their planning proficiency.

An expert in SEO or paid searches/SEM should be keen on using data; already familiar with the importance of analytics. They are likely to understand the importance of personalisation and automation as so much of their work focuses on the correct targeting, something which is vital when optimising your website experience for customers.

Anyone who has progressed to a management role within marketing will have already proved themselves to have good communication skills, explaining to the business the latest marketing campaigns and relaying reports. They will also understand how to the balance business requirements with customer needs.

These are all positions with a fantastic base for moving towards a career in conversion rate optimisation. All it takes is the drive to learn more about how to A/B test and where to begin.

Developer Background

My own career path was a little different. I spent my first ten years out of university working as a freelance web design and developer. Having an initial design and development skill base, as well as the experience of good time management and planning for multiple deadlines helped me as I moved into CRO.

Naturally I progressed first into developing and coding A/B tests, then analysing test results (luckily I again had a basis to work from, having used Google Analytics on many earlier freelance projects), and finally into managing the whole CRO process.

The biggest challenge I found coming from a developer background is missing the in depth customer knowledge you gain from Marketing specialities. I had to conduct my own research into how best to gather customer insights which included heat-mapping, recording, surveys and polls, alongside any existing conversion funnel data. 

As a CRO specialist you will never stop honing your skills. There will always be a weaker area to work on, and with each new test, whether it is successful or not, there is always a new revelation about your customers.

So, how do you become a Conversion Rate Optimiser? The answer is to recognise where your skills lack & work towards improving them. Keep an open mind - don't rely on intuition alone and allow yourself to continue learning and improving, because that is the true nature of Conversion Rate Optimisation and being a CRO specialist.

If you are already working in CRO, what directions shaped your current career? If you want to work in CRO, what skills do you already possess and what do you want to work on? Let me know.