As we start to gear up for HIVEMCR ’25, we continue to look back at last year’s talks. Luke Carthy’s presentation on “10 Easy & Powerful SEO & CRO Tips” was super insightful and left attendees with actionable takeaways they could use on their SEO and CRO campaigns straight away.
“If SEO doesn’t drive revenue, it’s just noise.”
Perhaps the biggest bomb he dropped was that rankings don’t matter to key decision-makers. This is hard for some search marketers to get their head around, but the logic makes sense. Luke’s never been one to sugarcoat it.
Watch the full video just below, or read on for a summary of Luke’s 10 Easy and Powerful SEO & CRO Tips.
Why Most Stakeholders Don’t Care About Rankings
“Key decision-makers don’t give a toss about rankings or traffic. That’s for SEOs and digital PRs. No one else cares.”
While exceptions exist (think MoneySupermarket, where position one can make or break their business), the majority of companies treat rankings as a vanity metric.
This is one of the reasons SEOs struggle to get their strategies implemented—they speak in technical terms rather than what the business actually values: profit, loss, and time savings.
Dave: The SEO Who Talks to a Brick Wall
- He’s a technical SEO through and through.
- He focuses solely on rankings, traffic growth, and keyword movements.
- His ideas, while valid, rarely get implemented because he speaks a language the board doesn’t care about.
Lucille: The SEO Who Gets Things Done
- She understands that revenue growth is what stakeholders value.
- She positions her SEO efforts around sales, UX, and cost savings.
- Instead of pitching “ranking improvements,” she frames ideas as opportunities for business growth.
The Key Takeaway:
“Be more Lucille.”
When you talk to decision-makers, position SEO work as a profit driver, not a technical fix.
Practical Tactics for SEO & CRO That Actually Drive Revenue
Luke doesn’t just drop theory in his talk—he delivers actionable strategies. Here are his top 10 tactics to drive e-commerce sales.
1. Optimise Site Search (Because It’s Free Money)
“People who use site search are already showing strong intent. Yet so many e-commerce sites get it horribly wrong.”
Common Site Search Mistakes
- No results for common queries (e.g., “settee” vs. “sofa”)
- Lack of synonyms (e.g., “hubby” vs. “husband”)
- Dead experiences (empty pages with no guidance)
How to Fix It
- Identify your top 5% most-searched terms and ensure they lead to strong category/product pages.
- Manually add synonyms.
- Monitor search analytics to uncover hidden revenue opportunities.
2. Fix Faceted Navigation (or Kill It)
“You either do faceted navigation properly, or you block it entirely. No half-measures.”
- Index only useful filters (size, colour, brand).
- Block useless filters (sorting, price ranges, stock status).
- Use long-tail, low-volume queries to capture high-converting traffic.
3. Host Your Own Discount Code Page (Save Thousands on Affiliate Fees)
“If you don’t have your own discount code page, you’re handing money to affiliates.”
Sites like VoucherCloud thrive on “[brand name] discount code” searches. Instead, create your own page like GetYourGuide does.
4. Enable Guest Checkout (It’s 2025, Get With It)
Removing forced account creation HALVED ASOS’s cart abandonment rate.
5. Add FAQs to Product Pages
Customers don’t want to dig around for basic info. Add common FAQs directly to product pages to boost conversion rates.
6. Use Heatmaps & Custom Tags to Spot Revenue Leaks
Heatmaps help identify user issues that don’t always show up in analytics, like vague error messages at checkout.
7. Kill the Pop-Ups (Seriously, Just Stop)
“Nothing kills a conversion like three pop-ups before I even scroll.”
8. Keep Your Categories Stocked (or Hide Them)
An empty category page makes your brand look incompetent. Either remove, merge, or redirect low-stock categories.
9. Speak to Your Audience (Not Just Google)
- Use tools like UserFeel for real customer feedback.
- A/B test copy to see what resonates.
- Run surveys to understand frustrations.
10. Make Your Site Fast (Because Speed = Money)
“A 1.9-second improvement led to a 94% increase in conversions.”
- Reduce bloated scripts.
- Optimise images and video.
- Invest in solid hosting.
In Summary: Be More Lucille
Luke’s message? “Stop obsessing over rankings, start focusing on revenue.” If you position SEO as a growth lever, you’ll not only get your ideas implemented, but you’ll actually drive meaningful results.
Have you grabbed your ticket for HIVE MCR ’25 yet? If not, you can do so here before they’re gone!
