Michael Aagaard
Conversion Optimization Veteran, International Keynote Speaker & Public Speaking Coach

Conversion Optimization
“It’s all about the research!”
I’ve worked full time with Conversion Optimization since 2008, and in my experience, research is the very most important part of any CRO project. Through conversion research I can pinpoint the weakest points of your funnel and deeply understand the issues user experience when interacting with your site.
This means I can put together a strategic optimization roadmap that is based on data and user insight – rather than guesswork and latest trends. Moreover, this is an important step in planning an effective optimization process where we can prioritize the most critical aspects first and avoid wasting time working on things that won’t move the needle. For this reason, I always start my projects with an in-depth site audit.
Conversion Optimization Services
Site audits vary a bit in scope depending on the site and what the client is looking for. But all include: Analytics analysis, funnel analysis, heuristic review, wireframes, stakeholder interviews, test hypotheses and a customer survey.
Ad-ons include: usability testing, session recording, customer interviews, feedback polls, heat maps, competitor analysis and device testing.
It takes me 2-4 weeks to conduct all the research (depending on the scope). I deliver all my insights and findings via an in-person or remote workshop that normally takes 2.5 hours. This way I can make sure that I get all the important points communicated clearly so there are no misunderstandings of blind spots. Moreover, it gives you the chance to ask questions and get clarifying answers from me.
If you want help taking action on the items in the Site Audit, I am happy to offer my help to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible and that the project follows the plan. Together we’ll figure out how much help you need and how I fit into your overall company structure.
Ongoing consulting is either based on a monthly retainer or buying “bulk hours” that you can use as needed.
Price: Retainer and bulk hours are based on an hourly rate of $200 pr. hour (discounts may apply in certain cases).
If you are new in the CRO industry or just feel like it would be nice to have someone with a lot of experience to help guide you in your career and everyday work, this might be a great option for you.
I offer weekly or monthly calls where I dedicate my full attention to you and what you are currently working on. We’ll focus on the areas you prioritize the highest and you can basically decide what we should spend our time on. You can show me what you are working on, ask me questions and get my advice on how to proceed. It could also be situations where you are in a difficult situation with a client and need advice on how to best proceed.
In my experience I can deliver value by being there for you and helping you make the best possible decisions in your Conversion Optimization work and career.
Starting at hourly rate of $200.
Speaker Coaching
“It’s all about the speaker!”
Public speaking is straight up terrifying – there’s no getting around it!
If you are left to your own devices with no help, the pressure can drive you nuts – especially if you are new to getting up on stage in front of large conferences audiences.
My job as a speaker coach is to help you get ready for the stage – that involves everything from dealing with stage fright to crafting your story and designing your slide deck.
My approach is very hands-on and actionable. Moreover, it is based on my practical experience from 10 years of speaking at conferences all over the world.
We all have our own unique “speaker personality” and I’m going to help you find yours. I’m not going to try and mold you into something you’re not – I want to help you become the best speaker that you can be in a way that comes natural to you.
Speaker Coaching Services
You have a presentation ready that you’ve either done before and want to improve or you are getting ready to do it for the first time and you want to nail it. In this scenario, I offer 3 sessions (each are one hour long) where we focus on optimizing the presentation and getting you ready for the stage.
Here my approach is to work on strengthening the weakest parts first (this could be storyline, delivery, slide design, etc.). During the first session, you’ll do your presentation for me via Zoom using screen sharing. I’ll take notes, give you feedback and a prioritized list of what you need to work on and how to best do that (you can think of this as homework for the next session). You’ll go off on your own to work on the presentation and we’ll set a date for the second session.
During the second session, you’ll do your optimized version of the talk for me and I’ll give you a second round of feedback. By the second session, you’ll already have made lots of progress (I guarantee it!) so the feedback will revolve around getting the presentation to the next level. You’ll go off again on your own to do your second round of optimization and we’ll set a date for the third session.
For session 3 you’ll do your latest iteration of the talk for me, I’ll give you the final round of feedback and we’ll focus on the last details. By this session you’ll have come a long way and you’ll be ready to take your presentation to the stage!
You are building a presentation from scratch and you’d like help from the start to make sure you’re headed in the right direction and that you’ll end up with an awesome presentation. In this scenario, I offer 6 lessons (each one hour long) where we focus on everything building a rock solid presentation with beautiful slides to delivering it on stage.
For this this setup, we’ll divide the 6 sessions into 3 main parts:
1. Getting the storyline, main points and content down
2. Building and designing the slide deck
3. Practicing doing the presentation
We’ll do roughly two sessions on each of the 3 parts – where we spend most time will depend on what your main strengths are. In my experience, you’ll make a lot of progress in the first two sessions alone, and the presentation will already have come a long way.
Before we do the first session, it is important that you’ve spend some time considering what topic you want to talk about and what points you want to get across. If you have several topics, we’ll start by figuring out which one you should pursue. It is a bonus if you have content ready in the form of examples, case studies, research and data.
I also offer speaker coaching packages to conference organizers who want to increase the quality of the presentations, boost speaker ratings across the board and get attendees excited to come back.
I’ll coach your speakers individually, give them the opportunity to practice their talks, offer feedback and help them optimize the talk so everything is in tip top shape for your event.
This is a big help for new speakers who aren’t used to presenting to large audiences. For experienced speakers it is a chance to work with a professional coach who can offer a different perspective and help make their presentation even better.
I’ve coached speaker lineups for conferences like CXL Live, Conversion Jam, Conversion Hotel and Growth Marketing Summit.
Send me a message with a bit of background information on your event and we’ll take it from there.