Testing Mind Map Series: How to Think Like a CRO Pro (Part 85)

Interview with Riccardo Oricchio

There’s the experimentation everyone talks about. And then there’s how it actually happens.

We’re hunting for signals in the noise to bring you conversations with people who live in the data. The ones who obsess over test design and know how to get buy-in when the numbers aren’t pretty.

They’ve built systems that scale. Weathered the failed tests. Convinced the unconvincible stakeholders.

And now they’re here: opening up their playbooks and sharing the good stuff.

This week, we’re chatting with Riccardo Oricchio, SEO Specialist and Conversion Rate Optimization Expert.

Riccardo, tell us about yourself. What inspired you to get into testing & optimization?

I first encountered concepts like CRO, Experimentation, and A/B Testing in 2021, while pursuing my Master’s Degree in Digital Business Development and working as a Digital Marketing Specialist for an Italian startup. 

In early 2022, I moved to a Swiss company, Cloud Academy, where I specialized exclusively in SEO. 

Two years later, Cloud Academy was fully integrated into its UK parent company, QA Ltd, and I joined the broader marketing team. 

While the company was already investing in SEO, there was no focus on Conversion Rate Optimization yet. I introduced the idea to my new manager, CRO was added to the marketing roadmap, and that’s where it all began.

What’s the one resource you recommend to aspiring testers & optimizers?

I wouldn’t point to a specific resource. Instead, I’d suggest connecting and networking with other professionals in the field. 

There are plenty of communities and industry events out there (I just wish there were more in Italy) where you can meet peers, exchange ideas, and take your career to the next level.

Answer in 5 words or less: What is the discipline of optimization to you?

Do more with less.

What are the top 3 things people MUST understand before they start optimizing?

1. Research is essential. Don’t dive into testing without first understanding the situation. This is a mistake I’ve made more than once. It’s always better to take a step back, give yourself the time to really understand what’s happening, and only then start experimenting.
2. Prioritization is key. You can’t do everything at once. Instead, focus on understanding which metrics matter most for you and your company, and let those guide your priorities.
3. Failure is your companion. It may sound like a ready-made quote, but mistakes truly do help you grow. For this reason, I like to remind myself of one of Nike’s principles:
   
   “Perfect results count — not a perfect process.” In the end, our role as optimizers is to deliver strong results, no matter how many times we stumble.

CRO & SEO — Where does the overlap stand today in a world with AI?

Having specialized in both, I can confirm that SEO and CRO are closely connected, especially in the age of AI.

AI in search is reducing noise and distractions, increasingly providing users with direct and clear answers, even for lower-funnel queries. As a result, searchers are less likely to explore further sources.

This shift means organic search traffic is set to decline, which is exactly where CRO becomes essential. Conversion Rate Optimization allows you to maximize value from the users who do reach your website.

How can practitioners bring the CRO rigour to SEO (run experiments, document learnings)?

Even if with a different purpose, some CRO practices should be integrated into SEO processes.

To bring CRO rigor to SEO, practitioners should universally apply the test-measure-learn process:

• Run time-based or split-group SEO experiments (such as on meta tags, page content, schema markup, internal links, etc.).
• Benchmark results using clear before/after data (method 1) and control vs variant group (method 2) measurements.
• Track each experiment in a dedicated dashboard. Record hypothesis, tested variables, implementation details, results, and whether the variant or control performed better.
• Regularly review and report documented learnings to guide future SEO decisions and build internal knowledge over time.

To this purpose, I highly recommend the “Growth-Focused SEO Testing” course by the CXL Institute. It truly impressed me.

Talk to us about some of the unique experiments (both CRO & SEO) you’ve run over the years.

For SEO, in 2022, I ran a time-based experiment where I added FAQ schema markup to a page. Comparing the page’s performance two months before (without schema) to two months after (with schema implemented), I observed increased search visibility, higher CTR, and more website visits.

For CRO, in 2024, I ran an experiment on the homepage because I noticed users seemed lost when landing on it and relied heavily on the navigation menu to find information. I reorganized the on-page content and reviewed the copy. Comparing the control with the variant page, I saw a statistically significant increase in users directly accessing key pages from the homepage.

Cheers for reading! If you’ve caught the CRO bug… you’re in good company here. Be sure to check back often, we have fresh interviews dropping twice a month.

And if you’re in the mood for a binge read, have a gander at our earlier interviews with Gursimran Gujral, Haley Carpenter, Rishi Rawat, Sina Fak, Eden Bidani, Jakub Linowski, Shiva Manjunath, Deborah O’Malley, Andra Baragan, Rich Page, Ruben de Boer, Abi Hough, Alex Birkett, John Ostrowski, Ryan Levander, Ryan Thomas, Bhavik Patel, Siobhan Solberg, Tim Mehta, Rommil Santiago, Steph Le Prevost, Nils Koppelmann, Danielle Schwolow, Kevin Szpak, Marianne Stjernvall, Christoph Böcker, Max Bradley, Samuel Hess, Riccardo Vandra, Lukas Petrauskas, Gabriela Florea, Sean Clanchy, Ryan Webb, Tracy Laranjo, Lucia van den Brink, LeAnn Reyes, Lucrezia Platé, Daniel Jones, May Chin, Kyle Hearnshaw, Gerda Vogt-Thomas, Melanie Kyrklund, Sahil Patel, Lucas Vos, David Sanchez del Real, Oliver Kenyon, David Stepien, Maria Luiza de Lange, Callum Dreniw, Shirley Lee, Rúben Marinheiro, Lorik Mullaademi, Sergio Simarro Villalba, Georgiana Hunter-Cozens, Asmir Muminovic, Edd Saunders, Marc Uitterhoeve, Zander Aycock, Eduardo Marconi Pinheiro Lima, Linda Bustos, Marouscha Dorenbos, Cristina Molina, Tim Donets, Jarrah Hemmant, Cristina Giorgetti, Tom van den Berg, Tyler Hudson, Oliver West, Brian Poe, Carlos Trujillo, Eddie Aguilar, Matt Tilling, Jake Sapirstein, Nils Stotz, Hannah Davis, Jon Crowder, Mike Fawcett, Greg Wendel, Sadie Neve, Cristina McGuire, Richard Joe, Ruud van der Veer, Merritt Aho, and Felipe Henrique Fogarolli.