When to Hire a CRO Agency vs DIY

You know CRO matters. The question is: should you do it yourself or bring in professionals?

Both paths can work. The right choice depends on your resources, expertise, traffic, and goals. Let’s break down the decision.

The DIY Path

When DIY Makes Sense

You have limited budget Professional CRO services typically start at $2,000-5,000 for audits and $3,000-15,000/month for ongoing work. If that’s not feasible, DIY is your only option—and it can still deliver results.

You’re just getting started Sites with less than 10,000 monthly sessions often can’t run statistically valid A/B tests anyway. Use this phase to:

Learn the fundamentals
Set up tracking properly
Gather qualitative insights
Implement obvious fixes

You have in-house talent If you have team members with UX, analytics, or marketing backgrounds, they can develop CRO skills. The learning curve is real but manageable.

You want long-term capability Building internal CRO expertise creates lasting organizational value. Even if you eventually hire help, internal knowledge helps you evaluate and collaborate with agencies.

DIY Requirements

Time commitment:

Learning fundamentals: 20-40 hours
Monthly optimization work: 15-30 hours
Running tests: ongoing monitoring

Minimum tech stack:

Analytics (GA4, free)
Session recordings (Clarity, free)
A/B testing tool ($100-500/month for serious testing)

Skills to develop:

Analytics interpretation
User research methods
Hypothesis formation
Basic statistics
Test design and analysis

DIY Limitations

Slower progress: Learning while doing takes longer than experienced execution.

Blind spots: You don’t know what you don’t know. Easy to miss opportunities or make methodological errors.

Bandwidth conflicts: CRO competes with other responsibilities. It often gets deprioritized.

Technical constraints: Complex tests or implementations may exceed your capabilities.

The Agency/Consultant Path

When to Hire Help

You have significant traffic and revenue If your site generates $50,000+/month, a 10% conversion improvement means $5,000+/month in additional revenue. Professional CRO easily pays for itself.

You’ve plateaued You’ve implemented the obvious fixes. Conversion rate has flatlined. Fresh eyes and advanced techniques can restart progress.

You need speed Building internal expertise takes 6-12 months. An experienced agency hits the ground running. Time-to-impact is measured in weeks, not months.

You lack internal resources No one on your team has time or inclination to own CRO. Hiring for this role is expensive and slow. An agency provides instant capability.

High-stakes situation Product launch, fundraising, acquisition, or major campaign coming. You can’t afford a learning curve.

Complex technical needs Server-side testing, personalization, complex integrations, or custom analytics require specialized expertise.

Types of CRO Services

One-time audit ($2,000-10,000) A comprehensive analysis of your site with prioritized recommendations. Ideal for:

Getting started with CRO
Identifying opportunities you’ve missed
Creating a roadmap for internal team
Second opinion on current approach

Ongoing optimization ($3,000-15,000/month) Continuous research, testing, and implementation. Includes:

Regular research cycles
Hypothesis development
Test execution and analysis
Implementation support
Reporting and insights

Project-based work (varies) Specific initiatives like checkout redesign, landing page optimization, or form overhaul. Defined scope, timeline, and deliverables.

Training and coaching ($1,000-5,000) Building your internal team’s capabilities through workshops, ongoing guidance, and methodology transfer.

What Good Agencies Provide

Research depth: They’ve seen hundreds of sites. They know what to look for and what questions to ask.

Proven methodology: Structured processes that consistently produce results.

Technical expertise: Complex test setups, proper statistical analysis, integration knowledge.

Objectivity: No internal politics or assumptions. Fresh perspective on your site.

Dedicated focus: CRO is their job, not a side task competing for attention.

Accountability: Clear metrics, regular reporting, results-based relationships.

Red Flags When Evaluating Agencies

Guaranteed results: No one can guarantee specific conversion lifts. CRO is probabilistic.

No discovery phase: If they’re prescribing solutions before understanding your situation, run.

Vague methodology: “We’ll optimize your site” without clear process description.

No case studies: Reputable agencies have documented results they can share.

Black box approach: They won’t explain what they’re doing or why.

One-size-fits-all packages: Good CRO is customized to your situation.

The Hybrid Approach

Many companies find success with a hybrid model:

Start with an audit Get professional insights and a roadmap. Implement recommendations internally.

DIY with periodic review Do ongoing work in-house. Bring in experts quarterly for fresh perspective and advanced challenges.

Agency for testing, internal for research Your team gathers insights and forms hypotheses. Agency handles technical test execution.

Build toward internal ownership Use agency partnership to train your team. Gradually transfer more responsibility in-house.

Decision Framework

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What’s your monthly revenue from the site?

Revenue	Recommendation
< $10K/month	DIY, focus on fundamentals
$10K-50K/month	DIY or one-time audit
$50K-200K/month	Audit + consider ongoing help
> $200K/month	Strong case for professional ongoing CRO

2. What’s your traffic volume?

Monthly Sessions	Recommendation
< 10,000	DIY, qualitative focus
10,000-50,000	Can run basic tests, audit helpful
50,000-200,000	A/B testing viable, agency valuable
> 200,000	Robust testing possible, strong agency case

3. Do you have internal expertise?

Situation	Recommendation
No analytics/UX/marketing talent	Audit or agency
Some relevant skills	DIY with occasional consulting
Strong internal team	DIY, use agency for advanced needs

4. How urgent is improvement?

Urgency	Recommendation
”We should optimize eventually”	DIY, build gradually
”This quarter matters”	One-time audit for quick roadmap
”Revenue is critical right now”	Ongoing professional help

5. What’s your budget?

Budget	Options
$0-500/month	DIY with free/cheap tools
$500-2,000/month	DIY with good tools, occasional consulting
$2,000-5,000/month	Audit + DIY or light ongoing help
$5,000+/month	Full ongoing agency relationship

Making the Investment Case

If you’re advocating for CRO budget, here’s the math:

Current state:

Monthly sessions: 100,000
Conversion rate: 2%
Average order value: $75
Monthly revenue: $150,000

Conservative CRO impact (15% improvement over 6 months):

New conversion rate: 2.3%
New monthly revenue: $172,500
Monthly improvement: $22,500
6-month improvement: $135,000

Investment:

Agency retainer: $5,000/month × 6 = $30,000
ROI: ($135,000 - $30,000) / $30,000 = 350%

Even conservative estimates typically show strong ROI for sites with meaningful traffic and revenue.

Questions to Ask Potential Agencies

What’s your process? Look for structured methodology, not vague promises.
How do you prioritize what to test? Should mention research, impact estimation, not just ideas.
What’s a realistic timeline for results? Honest answers acknowledge CRO takes time.
Can you share case studies? Results, methodology, and challenges addressed.
How do you measure success? Should focus on business outcomes, not vanity metrics.
What do you need from us? Good agencies know collaboration is required.
How do you handle losing tests? Losers are learning opportunities. This reveals maturity.
What does reporting look like? Clear, regular communication is essential.

The Bottom Line

DIY when:

Budget is tight
Traffic is low
You have some relevant skills
You’re building for the long term

Hire help when:

Revenue justifies investment
Traffic supports testing
You need faster results
You’ve hit a plateau
Internal expertise is lacking

Consider hybrid when:

You want the best of both worlds
You’re building internal capability
You need occasional expert input

There’s no universally right answer. The best path is the one that matches your specific situation and moves you toward better conversions.

Ready to Improve Your Conversions?

Get a comprehensive CRO audit with actionable insights you can implement right away.

Request Your Audit — $2,500