Hello Again!
I know I haven’t written for a while, I’ve been super busy working with some amazing clients, helping them improve their websites and ultimately their businesses. But recently, I listened to Atomic Habits by James Clear, and it struck a chord with me.
Sir Dave Brailsford’s theory of marginal gains, which James Clear references in his book—making small, consistent improvements that compound into massive results—resonates deeply with what we do at Notus Digital when it comes to Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). So much so that I felt compelled to write this blog post.
Making small, consistent improvements that compound into massive results.
The Theory of Marginal Gains and CRO
Marginal gains, popularised by Sir Dave Brailsford in British Cycling, is the idea that if you improve everything by just 1%, the cumulative effect leads to extraordinary success. It’s not about finding a single, game-changing tactic; it’s about continuous, small refinements that add up over time.
CRO is built on exactly the same principle. When we work with a client to improve their website’s conversion rates, we don’t just look for one magic fix. Instead, we audit their site using data from Google Analytics, heatmaps, and user behaviour reports, and then create a prioritised list of changes. The most impactful changes are tackled first, but the real magic happens in the sum of all these iterative improvements.
How We Apply Marginal Gains to CRO
1. The Audit: Finding the Friction Points
Before making changes, we conduct a deep dive into the website. Where are users dropping off? Which pages have high bounce rates? Are there bottlenecks in the conversion funnel? Using a combination of analytics, session recordings, and heatmaps, we build a picture of what’s stopping visitors from converting.
2. Prioritisation: The Biggest Wins First
Once we have our data, we categorise issues based on potential impact. If we can see that a clunky contact form is stopping users from submitting enquiries, fixing that goes to the top of the list. If we notice that a CTA is buried below the fold, we test making it more prominent. These high-impact changes are the equivalent of swapping out heavier bike components for lighter ones in marginal gains theory.
3. Iteration: Small Changes, Big Results
While big wins are great, true success in CRO comes from continuous iteration. We don’t just make a single set of changes and call it a day—we test, tweak, and refine. A/B testing different versions of key pages, trialling alternative headlines, simplifying navigation—these small, incremental tweaks add up to significant long-term improvements.
Marginal Gains in Action: Estate Agents & CRO
To make this more tangible, let’s look at estate agents—an industry we’re actively helping with CRO right now.
Many estate agent websites suffer from the same issues:
- Site structure and messaging that doesn’t emphasise the goal of getting more homeowners
- Overcomplicated search filters that cause user frustration
- Weak calls to action that don’t encourage enquiries
- Slow-loading property pages that cause visitors to bounce
- Forms that ask for too much information upfront, discouraging submissions
A single fix—such as streamlining the enquiry form—might improve conversions by 5-10%. But imagine applying multiple improvements: making CTAs clearer, optimising site speed, refining search filters, and adding trust signals like testimonials. Each small gain compounds into a major increase in leads and sales.
Each small gain compounds into a major increase in leads and sales.
The ROI of Small, Consistent Improvements
At Notus Digital, we’ve seen first-hand how the marginal gains approach transforms client websites. By continuously refining elements of a site, we drive long-term growth in conversion rates, ultimately increasing revenue for our clients.
CRO isn’t about overnight success—it’s about consistent, smart improvements. Just like an elite cyclist shaving milliseconds off their time, businesses that embrace marginal gains in CRO will see powerful results over time.
If you’re an estate agent (or any business owner) and you’re wondering how small, strategic changes can lead to massive improvements in leads and revenue, let’s have a chat. The smallest tweak might just be the one that moves the needle the most.
That’s the power of marginal gains in CRO—small, continuous improvements that lead to massive results. And that’s exactly why I couldn’t resist writing this blog post after reading Atomic Habits!
