Having low traffic, you might have thought that meant you can’t run CRO.

You may have heard us say (actually, mainly me),

“If you improve 40 elements of your website by just 5%, your site could perform 7x better than when you started.”
It sounds a little like magic. Or marketing hype.
But is it true? And what’s the catch?

I could say something like “Let’s unpack it”….but I’m going to go with….”Let’s go through it”

The Maths Behind the Claim

This idea is based on compound improvement—a principle borrowed from the world of finance (think compound interest). If you improve a system by 5% at a time, and those improvements stack on top of each other, the results are exponential.

Here’s the rough equation:

1.0540≈7.041.05^{40} \approx 7.041.0540≈7.04

So in theory, forty 5% improvements would multiply performance by over 7 times.
Sounds impressive, right?

And it can be—if done strategically.

The Real-World Objections

Let’s be honest. There are a few solid challenges to this idea:

1. “Improvements don’t always stack like that.”

True. In the real world, changes interact. They can overlap, cancel each other out, or amplify in unexpected ways. Making a button more noticeable while also rewriting the surrounding copy might help—or it might create confusion.

2. “Not all elements are equal.”

Fixing a broken form field might boost conversions by 50%. Changing font size from 16px to 17px? Probably not.
The key is prioritisation—focus your 5% gains where it matters most.

3. “Diminishing returns are real.”

Early gains are easy. Later ones? Much harder. That 5% lift may cost 10x the effort once you’re already optimised.

4. “How do you even measure 5%?”

It’s a fair challenge. Unless you’re running A/B tests on every tweak, measuring micro-lifts can be messy—especially with smaller traffic volumes or noisy data. And when multiple changes are made at once, attribution becomes even harder.

So, When Does This Actually Work?

Here’s the thing:

You don’t always need a full A/B test to validate every improvement.

There are other reliable ways to gather insight and measure effectiveness, including:

• 5-second tests – Quickly validate clarity and first impressions.

• Treejack testing – See how easily users navigate your structure.

• Heatmaps and session recordings – Understand where users get stuck or confused.

• Scroll-depth reports – Spot content drop-off points.

• User surveys – Capture trust signals, usability feedback, or content clarity issues.

Even qualitative insights, when seen at scale, give you the direction to make smarter, measurable decisions.

The goal isn’t perfect measurement—it’s consistent momentum in the right direction.

When Compound Improvements Truly Shine

This mindset works best when you treat your website like a system, not a one-off project.

• You identify friction across the user journey.

• You prioritise based on impact and intent.

• You test what you can, observe what you can’t, and stay relentlessly curious.

• You build momentum over time—not just in metrics, but in confidence.

It’s especially powerful when your site is underperforming or you’ve inherited something clunky. Small, intentional changes can unlock huge results when there’s room to grow.

💡 Final Thought

Skeptics will say,

“You can’t prove each change gives exactly 5%.”
And we agree. This isn’t about precision. It’s about process:

Relentless, strategic, compounding improvement beats one big redesign every time.

Bonus: Want to see how your website stacks up?

We specialise in spotting the small wins that others overlook.
If your website has untapped potential, let’s find it.

Book a Free Honest Audit