Have you spent a lot of money on SEO, search marketing, and pay-per-click, only to get little results? Or perhaps the incorrect kind of results: you're receiving a lot of traffic to your site but scarcely any conversions.

During my time in the digital marketing industry, I've seen a lot of this. Initially, an increase in traffic might make you feel happy, especially if you've spent so much money, effort, and patience seeing your campaigns expand and your site gain visibility.

But nobody is purchasing, which worries you.

What advice are you getting?

• Throw more money at the problem.

• You are not targeting the correct people, and you should reach out to a larger audience that is willing to spend money online.

• Create more links for different keywords and target them in Google AdWords.

However, that does not ring true. There's traffic, therefore, they're probably there for a reason, right?

Enter Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO).

Believe it or not, it may only take a minor change to your webpages to convert that traffic into sales, collect data, or whatever other metrics you use to assess performance.

It's a strategy known as conversion rate optimisation (CRO), and the science behind it has helped hundreds of thousands of websites sell more things and attract more users.

73% of businesses had no idea why customers abandoned their shopping carts and left their websites in 2014. If you're in that camp, it's worth looking into the theory underlying CRO and the amazing benefits it may provide for your company.

The devil is in the details.

If consumers visit your website but leave without making a purchase, there must be a reason. And it might be as simple as making a few web design and development changes, such as sharper product photographs, more informative product descriptions, more shipping alternatives, smaller forms, payment methods, or a variety of other things.

From experience, this information isn't difficult to obtain; simply contact your clients and ask what you might do better. But there are additional technical development issues to consider; let us return to form length, as data show that some fields drive customers to quit their carts and look elsewhere. Do you truly need all of the client data and information?

Test, modify, test...

Comparison testing and development can help you optimise sales funnels and convert traffic into long-term conversions without spending additional money on search or PPC advertising. Instead of seeking new traffic, it is more profitable to direct existing users to profitable portions of your website and assist customers in finding what they need.

Conversion rate optimisation, like search, is not an exact science, but the effects can be astounding, allowing you to produce more sales and profits. Isn't that why you're promoting your business online? It's time to get your site to work for you by converting those visitors into long-term clients.