Conversion optimisation. Sound familiar? Maybe it does, but do you actually know what it means? Nearly two thirds of Australian marketers don’t, according to a new study by Pure Profile commissioned by Experian.

Conversion optimisation, for the majority of marketers who don’t know, is the process of refining a website to help increase the conversion rate of sales, leads or subscribers. You’d think it would be a pretty important consideration for most websites, but it’s often neglected.

Experian’s research shows traffic generation has become many marketers’ primary focus, with almost half of those surveyed spending 40% or more of their budget driving traffic to their website.

Despite this ongoing investment in websites and traffic generation,  89% of marketers are not using conversion optimisation tools to improve their website performance. Of those who do use it, 97% have a clear understanding of what customer actions have the greatest impact on the success of their website.

The research showed marketers who use and understand conversion optimization scored a website conversion rate of over 11%, more than double the percentage claimed by respondents who have never heard of conversion optimisation.

“Consumers are bombarded with choice online and have limited barriers to move from one website to another,” Experian director of digital marketing Neil Boulton tells Marketing magazine. “There is a clear opportunity for marketers to engage more effectively with their online audiences. To convert their web visitors into web customers or subscribers, marketers should test incremental changes to their websites using conversion optimisation processes.”

Independent online survey company Pure Profile conducted the study and quizzed 300 Australian online marketing managers and directors.