TL;DR: Want Higher Conversion Rates?
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) helps you turn more visitors into customers — without spending more on traffic. Focus on clear CTAs, fast load times, mobile-first design, simplified forms, and a strong value proposition. These 21 practical hacks will help you boost conversions across your site — starting today.
Getting traffic isn’t the problem anymore.
The real challenge is turning that traffic into action.
You’re competing in a digital world where attention spans are shrinking (down to 8 seconds, apparently), algorithms keep shifting, and everyone’s site is starting to sound the same. And with average conversion rates sitting around 2–7%, most of that hard-earned traffic slips right through the cracks.
I've been building landing pages since they were still a fresh idea — yep, that was over a decade ago (did I just show my age?). What’s wild is that the core problem hasn’t changed. If your site isn’t clear, fast, and built for real humans, you lose people. Simple as that.
But the good news is: you don’t need to burn everything down and start from scratch.
A few smart, strategic changes can make a huge difference — and this guide walks you through 21 of them.
We’re talking real-world tactics that actually move the needle — not just surface-level advice.
Let’s start where most websites either win or lose: the foundation.
Why Trust This Guide?
Hi! I'm Chipo and I'm a marketer with 7+ years experience in marketing and all things WordPress.
I’ve spent over a decade helping business owners improve underperforming websites using real data, not guesses. These tips are based on tried-and-tested principles — and they’re baked into the tools we build at Thrive Themes, used by thousands of marketers and entrepreneurs worldwide.
Here's Why You Need a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Strategy
Think about this: You're working hard to bring visitors to your site - running ads, creating content, and building your social media presence. But what happens when they arrive? Are they taking the actions you want them to take, or are they leaving without a trace?
This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) becomes your secret weapon. Instead of just focusing on getting more traffic, CRO helps you make the most of the visitors you already have. It's like upgrading your fishing net rather than just casting it more times.
Here's what makes CRO a game-changer:
But it's not just about the numbers. CRO helps you understand exactly how people interact with your site, showing you where they get stuck and what makes them leave. By removing these friction points, you're not just improving conversion rates – you're building better experiences that naturally lead to more sales.
Think of CRO as your website's personal trainer - it helps you turn what you already have into something much more powerful. And the best part? These insights often lead to improvements across your entire marketing strategy.
Ready to get started? Let's dive into how to build your CRO strategy...
15 Easy Hacks to Boost Your Website’s Conversion Rate
This list includes actionable tips you can implement today to achieve a good conversion rate — whether you run a blog, eCommerce website, or service-oriented business site.
1. Design Your Website for Speed & Simplicity
Your website should feel effortless to navigate — not just visually polished, but fast, focused, and friction-free.
Visitors decide whether to stay or bounce in a matter of seconds. A cluttered layout or slow-loading page won’t just annoy them — it can tank your conversion rate. In fact, websites that load within 1 second convert 3x more than those that load in 5 seconds or more.
So what does “conversion-focused design” actually look like?
✔️ Key elements to focus on:
A clean, intuitive website layout with clear page hierarchy
One goal per page — no competing messages
High-contrast buttons that draw attention
Minimal distractions (no autoplay audio, please)
Mobile responsiveness baked in
A theme that’s built for speed — not just aesthetics
💡 Pro Tip: Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect give you full visual control, plus built-in speed optimization — so your site looks sharp and loads fast without touching a line of code.
🟢 Want more help? Check out our website optimization checklist for a complete walkthrough.
2. Simplify Your Forms and Checkout Flow
The more steps you ask users to take, the more chances you give them to abandon the process.
Whether someone’s signing up for a lead magnet or buying a product, your job is to remove every unnecessary barrier. Research shows that reducing form fields from 11 to 4 can boost conversions by up to 120%.
✔️ Here’s how to keep it smooth:
Only ask for what you truly need — usually just Name + Email
Use autofill where possible
Avoid multi-step forms unless absolutely necessary
For checkout pages, remove friction: no surprise costs, minimal fields, and a guest checkout option if relevant
Offer more than one payment method (e.g., Stripe + PayPal)
💡 Why it works: Less effort = more completions. Psychologically, it also reduces “cognitive load,” helping people move through your funnel with less hesitation.
🎯 Tools to try:
- Thrive Leads for form creation and testing
- WP Simple Pay or WooPayments for seamless checkout experiences
🟢 Need a walkthrough? Read: How to Create an Opt-In Form in WordPress That Doesn’t Suck
3. Optimize Your Website for Mobile
Your visitors are probably reading this on their phones right now. Mobile traffic dominates the web, which means your site needs to look and work perfectly on smaller screens.
We've all been there - squinting at tiny text, struggling to click microscopic buttons, or fighting with forms that refuse to work on mobile. These frustrations send visitors running (and they rarely come back).
Here's what makes a website truly mobile-friendly:
The good news? You don't have to be a mobile design expert to get this right. Page builders like Thrive Architect handle the heavy lifting for you, automatically optimizing your content for mobile devices. This means you can focus on creating great content while knowing it'll look perfect on any device.
4. Use High-Quality Images and Videos
Walls of text are the fastest way to lose your readers' attention. When you break up your content with engaging visuals, you transform dense information into an experience that keeps visitors scrolling and absorbing your message.
Quality visuals do more than just make your site look pretty - they help visitors understand your content faster and remember it longer. Whether it's showing your product in action, explaining a concept with an infographic, or adding personality to your blog posts, the right images and videos make your message stick.
If you're using Thrive Architect to build your pages, you can easily access millions high quality images right from the WordPress Media Library.
Access millions of high quality stock images right from your WP media library!
When you add the image element to your post or page, and open the WP Media Library, you can access these images in the “Stock Library” section.
Adding quality images to your posts and pages just became so much easier!
Pro tip
You don’t need to hire a professional photographer or pay an arm & a leg for a Shutterstock subscription to get good visuals for your site. Check out this guide to learn how to create images for your website – for free.
5. Have a Clear Value Proposition
Your value proposition is the backbone of your website's success. Think of it as your site's "first impression" — you have mere seconds to tell visitors exactly what you offer and why they should care.
But here's a common mistake many websites make: trying to be everything to everyone. Each page should focus on one clear offer or solution. Want to promote multiple products? Give each one its own dedicated funnel. You can always introduce related products later through strategic upsells or cross-sells, but your main message needs to stay laser-focused.
Keep your value proposition front and center on your landing page
This single-minded focus does two crucial things: it keeps your visitors from feeling overwhelmed with choices, and it makes your messaging crystal clear. Remember, a confused mind doesn't buy — but a mind that sees exactly what it needs, does.
The best part? Once you nail your value proposition, it becomes your north star for all marketing efforts, ensuring your message stays consistent whether someone finds you through social media, email, or your website.
6. Craft Compelling, Action-Driven CTAs
Your call-to-action (CTA) is where all your marketing efforts come together - the moment of truth where visitors decide to take the next step. A weak CTA can waste all the hard work you've put into getting visitors to that point.
🔥 A high-converting CTA is:
- Visually bold – uses contrast to pop off the page
- Emotionally urgent – creates a reason to act now
- Clear and specific – tells people exactly what they’ll get
💡 Pro Tip: Use action-first language tied to outcomes. For example:
- Instead of: “Learn More”
- Try: “Get the Free Plan” or “See How It Works
Here's why urgency works:
People are more likely to act when they feel time pressure — it’s called loss aversion. That’s why phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Only 3 Spots Left” consistently outperform generic CTAs.
Just be careful not to fake it. Real urgency builds trust. Fake urgency erodes it.
🛠 Tools That Help:
- Thrive Architect makes it easy to test button colors, placements, and countdown timers.
- Use Thrive Ultimatum to create real scarcity and time-sensitive campaigns.
Pro tip
Looking for more tips to get more conversions from your call-to-action sections? Check out this handy guide.
7. Make Your Headlines Stand Out
You only have a couple of seconds (at most) to hook your new visitors’ attention and reel them into reading the rest of your content.
The best way to grab attention and fire curiosity is by designing bold, eye-catching headlines.
From a copy perspective, you should lead with strong, compelling words in your headlines, addressing your audience directly with the right pronouns (You/Your), and focusing on selling the solution to a problem.
In terms of design, use larger fonts for your headings, play around with color, and make use of text highlights.
Nothing says “look here” like animated text highlights. And if you have Thrive Architect, the best WordPress page builder, you can add these to your headlines in seconds.
See for yourself in this quick tutorial from Tony:
8. Offer Social Proof and Money-Back Guarantees
You can tell people your offer is great all day long…
But what really convinces them? Seeing that someone else already said yes — and didn’t regret it.
That’s the power of social proof. When visitors see real people using and loving what you offer, they’re far more likely to follow through. Add a money-back guarantee on top of that, and you're removing the final barrier: risk.
This is why social proof works:
- Social proof taps into herd behavior — people trust what others have already validated.
- Guarantees reduce purchase anxiety — people feel safer knowing they can walk away if it does
✔️ Quick wins to implement:
- Add 2–3 short testimonials near your CTAs or product offers
- Use star ratings, customer photos, or real names when possible
- Position your guarantee clearly — not buried in the footer
- Use simple language: “Try it for 30 days — love it or get your money back”
💡 Stat to Know:
Displaying customer reviews can increase conversion rates by up to 270%
Pro tip
Not sure where to start? We've got you covered. Check out our guide on 5 effortless ways to add testimonials to your WordPress website — including templates for asking customers for their feedback without feeling pushy.
Remember: Your satisfied customers are your best salespeople. Let their voices do the selling for you.
9. Use A/B Testing to Optimize Conversions
The best way to know what’s helping (or hurting) your page and form conversion rates is through running regular A/B tests.
You can get this set up easily when building your pages with Thrive Architect.
When you purchase Thrive Architect, you get the option to also purchase Thrive Optimize, an easy A/B testing plugin that will help boost your page conversion rates.
For your opt-in forms, Thrive Leads is your secret weapon. Implementing it is a breeze, and it comes with a powerful built-in split testing engine. This means you can optimize your forms in minutes, without the hassle of additional plugins.
10. Capture Exiting Visitors with Timely Popups and Live Chat
Just because someone’s heading for the exit doesn’t mean they’re gone for good.
Most visitors won’t convert the first time they land on your site — but if you show up at the right moment, with the right message, you still have a shot. That’s where exit-intent popups and live chat come in.
These tools act like a helpful store associate: not pushy, just present when needed.
🔄 When used strategically, they can:
- Rescue abandoned carts with a timely offer or discount
- Offer extra help if someone seems stuck or hesitant
- Give visitors a chance to ask questions before bouncing
- Provide a softer “next step” — like subscribing instead of buying
💬 Example:
A visitor tries to leave your pricing page. You trigger a popup offering a free trial or “Talk to us” chat option. That’s a second chance — and those add up fast.
Here's why this works:
Exit-intent popups trigger based on mouse movement (or scrolling behavior on mobile), while chatbots offer low-friction reassurance. Together, they reduce uncertainty and meet your visitor before they disappear.
🛠 Tools you can use:
- Thrive Leads for beautifully designed, behavior-based popups
- HubSpot Live Chat (free) or Tidio for real-time conversation starters
- Pair them with Thrive Architect to place them where they’ll be seen — but not ignored
⚠️ Just don’t overdo it.
One well-timed popup beats three annoying ones. And if someone closes it, respect that choice — it builds long-term trust.
Pro tip
When you make it easy for visitors to dismiss your popup, you show that you value their choice. This builds trust, even if they don't convert right away. And if you need a guide on how to set up these nifty popups, check out this guide.
11. Use Quizzes to Engage and Segment Leads
People love quizzes - they're engaging, personal, and tap into our natural curiosity. But they're more than just fun - they're powerful tools for understanding your audience and generating quality leads (which you can learn more about here).
A well-crafted quiz does three things at once:
- Engages visitors with interactive content
- Collects valuable data about their needs and preferences
- Guides them naturally toward your offers
The best part? Your quiz results can help you deliver exactly what each person needs, making your marketing more personal and effective. Instead of guessing what your audience wants, you'll know based on their answers.
Creating these quizzes is easier than you might think. With Thrive Quiz Builder, you can build engaging quizzes without touching a line of code. The plugin connects directly with email services like ConvertKit, letting you automatically segment leads based on their responses and send them perfectly targeted follow-up content.
12. Target Abandoned Cart Customers
Targeting abandoned cart customers is a smart strategy for boosting your average conversion rates.
When potential customers add items to their cart but leave without completing the purchase, it indicates a level of interest that hasn’t yet translated into a sale.
By focusing on these customers, you can engage them with targeted communication like email reminders, targeted ads, or push notifications, drawing their attention back to the items they left behind.
Want a Full Walkthrough?
Read: How to Reduce Cart Abandonment
If you're losing sales at checkout, you're not alone — studies show up to 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts. The good news? Many of those sales are recoverable.
In this in-depth guide, we break down:
- The top reasons people abandon carts (and what to fix first)
- Email follow-up strategies that actually get replies
- Smart plugins and automations you can set up in minutes
- Real examples of high-converting recovery campaigns
If you’re ready to win back lost revenue without guessing, this is the place to start.
13. Use Dynamic Content
Using dynamic content on your website is like creating a personalized experience for each visitor.
The content changes based on who’s viewing it - adapting to their location, device, or past interactions with your site. This personalized approach helps grab and keep your audience’s attention.
For example, if a returning visitor lands on your site, they see offers and products that align with their previous interests.
This relevance in what you present makes the user journey smoother and more engaging. When visitors find what they’re looking for easily and feel that the content speaks to them personally, they're more likely to convert.
If you’re using a page builder plugin like Thrive Architect, you can create dynamic landing pages that look and act like they were designed by a pro.
14. Include an About Us Section to Build Trust
You wouldn’t buy from a faceless company that has no reviews on its products or services, would you?
Neither will your potential customers.
Having an "About Us" section on your website helps build trust and credibility with your, the customer. It's where you get to know the story, mission, and values of the brand, giving a human touch to the business.
A few "About Us" templates in Thrive Architect
15. Install an Analytics Tool to Monitor Key Metrics
Running a growth marketing strategy without a reliable analytics tool is like going on a big adventure without a compass – or Google Maps.
How will you know what’s working?
If you need a beginner-friendly WordPress plugin that takes the stress out of Google Analytics, we recommend MonsterInsights.
MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights helps you set up Google Analytics in minutes.
You also get access to a user-friendly dashboard to track your real-time site data like webpage views, source of traffic (e.g. social media), product page conversions, bounce rate etc.
Use this plugin to track your website’s performance metrics so you can identify the growth strategies that are bringing in the most traffic.
Next Steps: Create Your Next Landing Page
Now you have 21 solid tips for optimizing your site for more conversions. Now it's time to put them to work.
Starting with your next landing page.
Landing pages are key for putting your offer in the best light to entice your audience and get them to take action.
So, here are 4 free tutorials to help you get started:
💬 Frequently Asked Questions About Increasing Conversion Rates
A “good” conversion rate depends on your industry, but most websites see 2–5% on average. For optimized landing pages, it’s possible to hit 10% or more, especially when using targeted traffic and focused offers.
Focus on one clear offer, strong visual hierarchy, a compelling headline, and a well-placed CTA. Eliminate distractions, use testimonials, and make sure the page loads fast — especially on mobile.
Slow load times, poor mobile experience, confusing navigation, and generic messaging are common culprits. Visitors leave quickly when they don’t immediately see value or can’t figure out what to do next.
Thrive Architect helps you build fast, visually engaging pages. Thrive Leads is perfect for list-building, Thrive Quiz Builder increases engagement, and Thrive Optimize lets you A/B test variations for better results — all inside WordPress.
Yes — even small changes like headline copy or button color can significantly impact results. A/B testing removes the guesswork by showing which variation converts best, based on real user behavior.
Ideally, under 2 seconds. Pages that load in 1 second convert nearly 3× higher than those that take 5 seconds or more, especially for lead-gen and eCommerce sites.
Increase Conversion Rates with the Right Tools
After reading this list of conversion-boosting hacks, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. There's a lot to take in, but the journey to higher conversion rates doesn't have to be daunting.
But the good news is, you don't have to tackle all of this alone.
You might have noticed a recurring theme in our list of tips — various Thrive products popping up as recommendations. This isn’t a coincidence.
Our products are intentionally designed with a conversion focus in mind, ensuring that every tool you use directly contributes to enhancing your website's performance.
And you can get instant access to all these tools when you purchase Thrive Suite, the ultimate WordPress plugin bundle for your business.
Imagine having a toolkit at your disposal that directly aligns with each of these hacks.
From creating compelling landing pages with Thrive Architect to engaging your audience through quizzes with Thrive Quiz Builder, each product in the suite is a cog in the machine that drives conversions.
The beauty of Thrive Suite lies in its cohesive approach – it's designed to work seamlessly to amplify your digital marketing efforts. And the best part?
You can get all these powerful tools in one bundle at a price that’s a real steal.
So, if you’re serious about boosting your conversion rates and want a suite of tools that can help you achieve just that, Thrive Suite is your go-to solution.
It’s more than an investment in tools; it's an investment in the future success of your online business.
“These hacks are absolute game-changers! Thanks for sharing such valuable insights. Implementing these strategies on my website has already started to show promising results.