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Copyright 2018 Michael Aagaard
My Background Story
International Keynote Speaker & Conversion Optimizer
Hi I’m Michael Aagaard (aka the Conversion Viking). I’m 38 years old and originally from Denmark, but I now reside in Vancouver, Canada with my lovely wife Louise.
I became obsessed with Online Marketing and Conversion Optimization in 2008, and I haven’t looked back since. I was a self-employed CRO consultant (with brief agency stints) helping businesses all over the world and across verticals till I joined Unbounce as Senior Conversion Optimizer in July 2015. I left Unbounce in Late 2017 as I missed the freedom of being my own boss.
I’ve held speeches at conferences in 11 different countries and keynoted at some of the biggest online marketing events in the world. I am consistently rated among the top 3 presenters at the events I speak at and frequently come in as the no. 1 speaker.
Audience Testimonials
My Approach to Conversion Optimization
It's All About The Research
My career has been a long process of trial and error. I’ve basically made every CRO mistake possible and learned everything the hardest possible way. This gives me a solid grounding as a practitioner - not just a theorist.
I firmly believe that research is by far the most important aspect of Conversion Optimization. Thus I spend about 80% of my time conducting Conversion Research. My logic is that the better we understand the problems we face, the easier it is to solve them.
This quote by Abraham Lincoln summarizes my approach nicely: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Conducting Conversion Research is my equivalent of sharpening the axe. I want to increase my chances of chopping down the tree in the first attempt, rather than hacking away blindly till I randomly hit something - that may or may not be a tree.
I also firmly believe in the scientific method and I am of the opinion that psychology, statistics, UX & design, web analytics, research, copywriting and not least business sense are the core components of real CRO.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I'll spend the first four sharpening the axe."
- Abraham Lincoln
Michael Aagaard
“Michael has consistently outperformed our expectations and brought a high degree of innovation and professionalism to our CRO efforts. He has replaced guesswork with a solid, research-based methodology.”
Rick Perreault, CEO/Co-Founder, Unbounce
Feel Free to reach Out!
Aagaard's Contact Form
I guarantee 100% privacy. Your information will not be shared.
If you'd like to get in touch with me or book me to keynote at your next event, please fill out form and I'll get back to you within 2 business days (I get a ton of emails and it oftens takes me a day or two to get through them all).
Here are a few frequently asked questions:
- Are you available for Hands-on CRO Consulting?
Yep - send me an email and briefly describe what you need help with. I live in Vancouver, BC and I do remote consulting via Zoom, Skype. etc. I charge an hourly rate of CAD 200.
- Will you publish my article and share it with your network?
Nope, I no longer have a blog. I couldn't publish your article even if I wanted to. Please don't spam me with guest post offers.
Nope
- Can I book you for webinars, interviews podcasts, etc.?
Yes certainly! Feel free to reach out. If my schedule is free, I'm always happy to contribute.
- Can I book you to keynote at my next event?
Hells yeah! Fill out the form and give me some details: Where is the event taking place? What is the overall topic of the event? How many attendees are you expecting?
Here are
Testimonials From Event Organizers & Industry Experts
"Michael is a true leader in the CRO industry. He is one of the few optimizers that truly "gets it". His approach is based on solid research - not speculation and guesswork.”
Peep Laja, Founder & CEO ConversionXL
"Michael is a true leader in the CRO industry. He is one of the few optimizers that truly "gets it". His approach is based on solid research - not speculation and guesswork.”
Peep Laja, Founder & CEO of ConversionXL
“Michael has consistently outperformed our expectations and brought a high degree of innovation and professionalism to our CRO efforts. He has replaced guesswork with a solid, research-based methodology.”
Rick Perreault, CEO/Co-Founder of Unbounce
"Michael's expertise in quantitative research, consumer psychology and digital marketing make him an invaluable leader at Unbounce. His experience, coupled with his no-nonsense approach, bring a unique perspective to our efforts and produce real business results."
Michelle Mercier, Marketing Director, Unbounce
"Michael consistently knocks it out of the park! Every time I see him speak he gets even better, providing an incredibly inspiring learning experience for marketers everywhere. He always leaves you fired up and ready to conquer the world!"
Paul Clowe, Event Director, NIO Summit
"Watching Michael speak is a lesson in mastery. He is hands down one of the most compelling and energetic speakers I've ever seen, not to mention, hilarious. Michael is a consummate storyteller, weaving together theory and tactics in a way that will leave your audience wanting more. Make him your keynote - it’ll be the best decision ever :)"
Hana Abaza, VP of Marketing at Uberflip
"Michael was the highest rated speaker at Marketing Festival 2016 - and by quite a margin. If you're looking for an amazing keynote speaker, you've just fund the man for the job!"
Jindrich Faborsky, Marketing Festival
"Michael was rated the #1 speaker at CTA Conf 2016 out of 21 speakers. His talk scored 4.89 out of 5, which is next to impossible. The energy and passion he brings to the stage is unlike any other speaker I've seen."
Joel Popoff, Events Manager at Unbounce
“Michael was born to be a speaker and I guarantee that he will make your event 10x better. His passion is unrivalled and over the last two years he’s grown to be the person I aspire to beat in the speaker ratings.”
Oli Gardner, Co-Founder of Unbounce
Michelle Mercier, Marketing Director, Unbounce
"Michael's expertise in quantitative research, consumer psychology and digital marketing make him an invaluable leader at Unbounce. His experience, coupled with his no-nonsense approach, bring a unique perspective to our efforts and produce real business results."
"In 6 years we grew Conversion Jam in Stockholm to become the largest Conversion Event on the planet in 2016. Our laser-focus on finding the VERY BEST SPEAKERS was instrumental in achieving this. And within this select All-star speaker line-up, Michael came out as one of top speakers of all times. Need I say more?”
John Ekman - Founder and Chief Conversionista of Conversionista/Conversion Jam
My Approach to Speaking at Events
When you get on stage at an event - especially if you’re the keynote - you have an obligation to the audience in front of you.
An obligation to deliver the very best experience you can - every single time you set foot on a stage.
You’re not on that stage to boost your ego or sell your services. You are there to delight the audience. You are there to share you experience your insight and your passion. You are there to entertain them and to make their lives better - at least for the short time where you have the privilege of getting their full attention.
I spend about six months building and obsession over the presentations I take on the road with me.
My goal is to entertain, inspire and delight audiences while at the same time giving them actionable insight and critical input that will help them become better marketers and CRO practitioners.
I am a very high-energy speaker, some would say that I bring my own special "kind of crazy" to every stage I set foot on.
"Michael was rated the #1 speaker at CTA Conf 2016 out of 21 speakers. His talk scored 4.89 out of 5, which is next to impossible. The energy and passion he brings to the stage is unlike any other speaker I've seen."
Joel Popoff, Organizer of CTA Conf
"Watching Michael speak is a lesson in mastery. He is hands down one of the most compelling and energetic speakers I've ever seen, not to mention, hilarious. Michael is a consummate storyteller, weaving together theory and tactics in a way that will leave your audience wanting more. Make him your keynote - it’ll be the best decision ever :)"
Hana Abaza, VP of Marketing at Uberflip
"Michael is the most fearless, curious CRO I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He's one of those rare talents that can combine left- and right-brain thinking to craft intensely interesting data-driven experiments. The cherry on top? You don't just wanna work with him - you also wanna grab a beer (or three) with him.
Joanna Wiebe, Creator of Copy Hackers and Airstory