Karl Blanks
Co-founder of Conversion Rate Experts
What I’m working on
We founded Conversion Rate Experts (CRE) in 2006 and were acquired by the publicly listed growth consultancy Next 15 in 2020. Over the past few years, we have transitioned the running of CRE to two of our long-standing team members. We, Ben Jesson and Karl Blanks, remain at CRE and Next 15 as advisors and Entrepreneurs-In-Residence, exploring new ventures and investment opportunities.
If you'd like to contact me, feel free to email, call our office, or connect on LinkedIn—I enjoy meeting new people who share similar interests.
Experience and awards
Co-founder and CTO of Conversion Rate Experts (CRE). In 2006, my co-founder Ben Jesson and I created a new type of company to help businesses to grow by focusing on customer experience—using a scientific approach to designing websites called conversion rate optimization (CRO). CRE increases the profits of businesses scientifically by analyzing their websites' visitors, creating optimized pages, and then A/B-testing them to measure the increase in sales. We have grown hundreds of businesses, in over 80 different verticals—including the world's largest web companies and many exciting startups—with great results. As a result, our work has featured in many leading publications, including Fortune, Forbes, Psychology Today, The Telegraph, and The Financial Times.
Author of Making Websites Win, a best-seller in 15 categories in Amazon, and recommended by industry leaders from Google, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, twice. Her Majesty The Queen has twice awarded Conversion Rate Experts the UK’s highest award for business. We received our first Queen’s Award for Innovation for codifying the scientific methodology that companies like Google and Amazon now use to improve websites. We received the second for outstanding achievement in international trade.
Google’s first international partner for its A/B-testing tool. Google also hired us to optimize its websites, train its team, and present our research at the Googleplex.
Speaker at leading industry events, for companies such as Google, eMetrics, SMX, Econsultancy, PerformanceIN, and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
Running an international remote-first business. CRE has helped to grow clients in 39 countries in 11 languages. We have worked remotely for over fifteen years, and we frequently get quoted in the media about how we have pioneered ways to build a remote, fun, collaborative, effective, and award-winning culture.
Other stuff
I am a scientist, with a PhD from Cambridge University, England, where I enjoyed having a bedroom that featured on many postcard photos. (The outside of it—definitely not the inside.)
I’m interested in the following subjects:
Conversion rate optimization.
Persuasive copywriting, direct-response advertising, and any other types of effective marketing.
Usability, simplification, and good explanations.
Scaling consulting companies using workflows and process engineering.
Tools and techniques for getting stuff done, particularly remotely.
The Beatles.
Songs with clever lyrics.
At the Queen’s reception at Buckingham Palace.
At the Googleplex in Silicon Valley with Vint Cerf (the inventor of the internet).
Speaking at a conference at Google.