Website Optimization - Effectively Boost Conversions

Welcome to the fifth and final post in our blog series “5 tips on how your own online marketing strategy can remain relevant even in times of automation”.

In this part, we focus on the topic of website optimization. We discuss why it is important to keep an eye on the competition, what options there are to identify it, and how we can use those insights to our advantage.

If you missed the previous parts of the series, feel free to check them out too. There we talk about why it is important to define the right business goals, what advantages it brings to broaden your online marketing channels, why contextual advertising is often still underestimated, and how a competitive analysis can give us a competitive edge.

Optimizing Your Own Content

Arguably the most important aspect of optimization is, without a doubt, your own website. No matter how much effort we put into optimization measures before the click - if the foundation, the website itself, is not right, we cannot be successful in the long run either. That is why it is essential to make the user experience on our website as smooth, pleasant, and intuitive as possible.

This starts with user-friendly navigation that clearly and without major detours guides users through the pages to the intended destination. An optimized checkout process, guest checkouts, as well as current and secure payment methods, also help reduce cart abandonment. To help everyone quickly find what they are looking for on our site, it can also be worthwhile to implement an intelligent site search that provides suggestions during the actual search process and in some cases even displays product recommendations directly. What such an intelligent search looks like can be seen in the following example from Nike.

But even on specific landing pages that we either want to advertise on in a targeted way or otherwise push, further content optimization measures can be taken:

• Clear and compelling offer

• Effective calls to action

• Enough information for informed (purchase) decisions

• Trust-building elements

• Fast loading times + mobile optimization

• A/B tests!

The Impact of FAQs

Today, we have less and less time to convince people of our offer. That is why it is even more important that, wherever possible, most questions are answered on the landing page itself. FAQs in an “accordion element,” for example, can help by providing as much information as possible that users can expand as needed without being overwhelmed by large blocks of text.

At this point, the importance of A/B tests in landing page optimization should be emphasized once again. They serve as one of the central elements for improving performance and should always be a fixed part of optimization measures. All major companies have likely subjected their landing pages to hundreds or even thousands of tests, and for good reason.

Quick tip: External tools such as Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity are extremely helpful for better understanding user behavior on the site and making data-driven optimizations. What content should be present on landing pages also depends on the target audience the page is intended for.

Providing Solutions & Contact Options

When it comes to lead generation, we should make sure to provide enough ways to get in touch. A floating contact field can be helpful here, for example, so users can make contact as soon as they are ready, without having to search for it first. This is especially relevant on pages with a high proportion of text content.

Here we also build a bridge to target audience definition from tip #2. On our landing page, we now have the opportunity to understand the pain points of our target audience and present solutions. An effective approach here can also be to highlight the opportunity costs if a collaboration is not pursued. This quickly makes clear how the service would impact the company and how many work hours and/or how much money could be saved.

By sharing expert knowledge, such as case studies, whitepapers, or webinars, we not only inform and qualify our target audience in advance, but also create a greater level of trust. This is especially important in B2B, where the costs for services can quickly reach the six- to seven-figure euro range, and decisions are therefore often made at the highest business level. Those who were able to score points with their expertise beforehand significantly increase their chances of being commissioned.

On product pages, in addition to many of the points mentioned above, the following content optimization opportunities can also be added:

• High-quality product images

• Detailed product descriptions

• Incentivize / display customer reviews

• Product recommendations / similar products / “Frequently bought together”

• Product videos

• Price and market analyses

• Clear, customer-friendly return policies

Putting Customer Satisfaction in Focus

It should be made as easy as possible for users to decide whether the product is relevant or not. Above all, high-quality content on the product page helps with this. The impact of customer reviews should also by no means be underestimated, especially for high-priced products. Today, many people compare products in advance, and one of the deciding criteria is often a good product rating. Not only do we benefit to a certain extent from user-generated content, we also have the opportunity to see what customers appreciate about our product and, above all, where we still have room for improvement. Because those who actively engage with their customers, accept suggestions for improvement, and then implement them increase customer satisfaction in the long term and thus also customer loyalty.

Speaking of customer satisfaction: Of course, good customer support is essential for long-term success. If we receive a request from an unhappy customer, we have the chance here to turn the negative experience into a positive one. This not only creates a better customer experience, but is often also reflected in customer reviews, which in turn can directly influence the purchase decision and give the brand a more positive image.

Through email marketing or newsletters, we can effectively reach existing customers and prospects and announce new products or discount campaigns. Often, such promotions are available exclusively to newsletter subscribers, which can have a positive effect on the sign-up rate. This allows us to collect more customer data without any significant additional monetary effort while also offering attractive deals.

Loyalty programs can be used to retain customers over the long term and increase the number of repeat buyers. These programs range from points for purchases to referrals of other people, cashback campaigns, or subscriptions with additional benefits or discounts.

There are therefore numerous website optimization opportunities that can help us improve the user experience, increase CLTV, and thus directly influence the various marketing channels. As already mentioned, website optimization is certainly one of the most effective measures for improving performance, as it is the place where most users will ultimately convert, one way or another.

Conclusion

To wrap up, let us return once more to the question raised at the beginning: Will online marketing soon become obsolete due to developments in AI and automation?

Here, we can answer with a very clear NO. Anyone who relies exclusively on automation and AI in their marketing strategy will lose out in the long run. While all the new AI features are certainly a real help and can enrich online marketing, they are not the ultimate solution. The heavy dependence on data, which AI is based on, on the one hand enables the processing of countless pieces of information, but on the other hand also represents its greatest weakness. This is because it often has no access to many data points, causing important connections to be lost. Beyond advertising platforms, there are many other optimization opportunities that should be used to get the most out of your own strategy. In the end, only the share of work shifts from operational to strategic. And at the end of the day, that still requires a human with experience.

Thank you for your attention! We hope you enjoyed our blog series on “5 tips on how your own online marketing strategy can remain relevant even in times of automation” and that you can now not only better justify your job in marketing to your boss, but also take away one or two tricks. If you have not seen our other blog posts yet, feel free to check them out!

Automation in Marketing - Part 1 | Optimizing for Goals
Automation in Marketing - Part 2 | Channel Diversification
Automation in Marketing - Part 3 | Contextual Advertising
Automation in Marketing - Part 4 | Competitive Analysis
Automation in Marketing - Part 5 | Website Optimization for More Conversions

Did we forget something important, or do you still have questions about any of the topics? Then feel free to write to us in the comments!