Should you run your Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) programme in-house, or hire an agency?

With a successful Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) programme, you can make your charity website work harder to generate more conversions such as donations and email sign ups.    

Many charities face the decision of whether to run their CRO programme themselves or to hire an agency to optimise their website. It will depend on your circumstances and budget, but we’ve created this guide to break down the pros and cons of each model to help you make an informed decision.  

Why run your optimisation programme in-house?  

The goal for most organisations is to have an in-house team with the skills and resources needed to run their optimisation programme. But it's not an easy feat. Even with CRO becoming more established, few organisations are able to do it well.  
Running an in-house programme: 

• Subject matter expertise: 
  Your team know your charity inside out and know what supporters and beneficiaries need from your website. It will take an agency some time to get to know your charity and how it works. The agency might not be used to working with charities either. If you do take the agency route, make sure they have a well-documented on-boarding process and can show evidence of previous work in the charity sector  

• Ownership: 
  You have complete control of the programme and can be very reactive when testing.