If You Had to Rename CRO, What Would You Call It?

I've worked in Conversion Rate Optimization for over a decade, and I still struggle to explain what I do at a dinner party.

"I optimize conversion rates."

"...So you work in sales?"

"No. Well, sort of. I make websites work better."

"Like a web developer?"

"Not exactly. I study why people don't buy things online, and then I fix the reasons."

"Oh. So like UX?"

"Kind of, but with more data and testing and focus on the content, not necessarily the layout."

"...Okay."

That conversation — or some version of it — happens every single time. And the reason isn't that the work is hard to understand. It's that the name does nothing to help.

What the Work Actually Involves

Before we can rename the thing, we need to agree on what the thing is. Here's what a week of my work might actually look like:

Mon

In Google Analytics and heatmap tools, studying how people move through a client's site. Where do they drop off? Where do they rage-click?

Tue

Reviewing session recordings and reading customer support tickets, speaking to people that meet the profile of usual customers — because that's where the real voice of the customer lives. In the complaints, the confusion.

Wed

Building a hypothesis: "Users are abandoning the pricing page because the plan comparison doesn't answer their most common question — what happens when I outgrow the starter tier?" Backing it up with data.

Thu

Designing an experience to test. Not a button color swap — a fundamentally different version of the page that should address the issue pinpointed in the hypothesis.

Fri

Selling the proposed change to stakeholders. Diplomatically. The phrase "It's only a test, and if I'm wrong, you'll know it and can turn it off" comes up regularly.

Sat

Launching the test and monitoring for any QA or measurement gremlins that may impact the ability to know whether the idea actually fixed the problem.

Sun

Two weeks later — analyzing data from real users and determining whether the fix addressed the issue, and whether the impact trickled down into positive movement on KPIs.

If it worked, I start thinking about a new round of testing that could make the winning change even more effective. If it lost, I figure out the harder question: was the hypothesis wrong, or was the execution just not good enough to fix a real problem? That distinction matters, because it determines whether the next test explores a completely different angle or takes another shot at the same one.

That's the job. Now tell me which part of that is captured by "Conversion Rate Optimization."

What's Wrong With the Current Name

Three things, one for each word.

"Conversion" reduces the entire customer journey to a single binary moment. Did they click or didn't they. But the work is about everything that leads up to that moment — the questions, the hesitations, the trust-building, the information architecture that either guides someone toward confidence or leaves them stranded.

"Rate" frames the discipline around a percentage. It trains everyone — practitioners included — to think about aggregate numbers instead of individual human experiences. A 3.2% conversion rate isn't just a number. It's thousands of real people who showed up, had an experience, and either got what they needed or didn't. The rate is a summary, not the story.

"Optimization" implies incremental improvement to something that fundamentally works. In reality, half the time I'm not optimizing — I'm diagnosing, rebuilding, rethinking, or advocating for changes that challenge the team's core assumptions. "Optimization" makes it sound like I'm adjusting the seasoning. Often I rewrite the recipe.

The Alternatives (And What's Wrong With Each)

Conversion Research

Captures the analytical, investigative side. But it drops the execution entirely. I don't just study the problem — I build the solution, run the test, and measure the result.

Customer Experience Strategist

The right spirit, but too broad. Every team in a company claims to own the customer experience. Doesn't communicate the specific, measurable, hypothesis-driven rigor that makes this discipline distinct.

Digital Experience Optimization

More accurate than CRO, but just as clinical. Swaps one piece of jargon for a longer piece of jargon. And it still leads with "optimization."

Growth Optimizer

Trendy. Vague. Could mean anything from CRO to paid acquisition to "I have a podcast about hustle culture." Next.

Behavioral Design Strategist

Intriguing — captures the psychology side. But sounds academic and doesn't signal the data and testing rigor that separates this from pure UX design.

Data-Driven Customer UX Advocate ★

My current frontrunner. Not elegant — I'll admit that. But it's the only name that communicates three essential things: the method is data, the focus is the customer's experience, and the posture is advocacy. I'm not optimizing a number. I'm fighting for a better experience, using evidence to make the case. The conversion is just the proof the advocacy worked. The problem? It's six words long and sounds like a committee wrote it.

Why This Matters More Than You'd Think

Naming shapes thinking. And the way we name this discipline shapes how companies scope it, how they hire for it, and how practitioners approach the work.

When a job listing says "CRO Specialist," the expectations are usually narrow: run A/B tests, report on win rates, make the number go up. When the person in that role starts doing customer research, challenging product messaging, and recommending changes that touch the entire funnel — suddenly they're "out of scope."

The name also draws a false line between CRO and UX. My design instincts aren't separate from my optimization work — they're informed by 14 years of testing. When I design a first iteration of a site, I'm already cataloging what to test once it's live. But call yourself a "CRO specialist" and nobody asks you to touch the initial build.

A better name wouldn't just be cosmetic. It would change how the work is understood, funded, and valued.

So — What Would You Call It?

I've given you mine. I want to hear yours.

Whatever you come up with, it should communicate three things: that the method is data, the focus is the customer, and the posture is advocacy. If you can fit all three into something that also works on a business card, you're doing better than I am.

Want to see data-driven advocacy in action?

Whatever we call it, the work drives revenue. Let's talk about what it could do for your site.

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Sol Osiatynski

CRO & Growth Consultant · Better Call CRO SOL