Welcome, eCommerce store owners! Are you ready to unlock the secrets of website optimisation and supercharge your conversions? At Site Unicorn, we believe that continuous improvement is the key to eCommerce success. The super techy name for this you might already know is Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). We don’t want you to get caught up in that rabbit whole spiral that's why we're thrilled to introduce you to our Try, Adapt, and Grow program—a comprehensive approach to website optimisation that will help you achieve your business goals. So, put on your growth mindset and get ready to embark on a journey of improvement, experimentation, and success!
What is Website Optimisation?
Simply put, website optimisation is the process of making strategic changes to your eCommerce website to enhance its performance and drive more conversions. It involves analysing user behaviour, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing targeted experiments to optimise your site's elements, design, and user experience. Website optimisation is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process of continuous refinement. It's about learning, adapting, and growing to create a website that generates more sales and delighted customers.
Try, Adapt, and Grow: Unleash the Power of Optimisation
At Site Unicorn, we understand that every eCommerce business is unique, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. That's why we developed the Try, Adapt, and Grow (TAG) program—to empower you to find what works best for your online store. The TAG program embraces the spirit of experimentation and encourages you to try new ideas, adapt based on data-driven insights, and grow your business organically. All with the support to be confident and educated in the decisions you make.
Let's Dive into Testing and Optimisation:
1. A/B Testing:
One of the most popular techniques in website optimisation is A/B testing. It involves creating two versions (A and B) of a webpage and comparing them to see which one performs better. Elements like headlines, call-to-action buttons, product descriptions, and even colour schemes can significantly impact your conversions. Through A/B testing, you can measure the effectiveness of different elements and make data-driven decisions.
2. Website Speed:
In the fast-paced digital world, nobody likes to wait for slow-loading websites. Optimising your website's speed can have a profound impact on user experience and conversions. Conduct regular speed tests, compress images, leverage caching, and optimise your code to ensure your website loads quickly and keeps visitors engaged.
3. Simplify the Checkout Process:
Lengthy and complicated checkout processes can be a major barrier to conversions. Streamline your checkout process by removing unnecessary steps, offering guest checkout options, and optimising form fields to make it as frictionless as possible.
4. Personalisation:
Tailoring your website content and offers to match individual visitors' preferences can significantly improve engagement and conversions. Leverage customer data and employ personalisation techniques like product recommendations, dynamic content, and personalised emails to create a personalised shopping experience.
5. Knowing What To Test:
What should I do? Is a question we get a lot! It is important to know what standard formats are as a starting point! Use a standard format as your launching pad that your thing to try/test is created from.
6. All The Things:
It is super tempting to do all the trying at once! Please don’t!!! If you do all the things at once you never actually know what helped and what made things worse! You want to be super strategic and planned in your approach as well as use the right metrics to determine the “success” or impact of the test! Go in with a plan, a base measurement and go out with real data results and asses these to make your final decision!
Measuring Success: Metrics to Track
To gauge the effectiveness of your optimisation efforts, it's crucial to monitor relevant metrics. Here are some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) to keep an eye on (this is by no means the ones you always use but an example of what can be used):
- Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter.
- Average Order Value (AOV): The average amount spent by customers in a single transaction.
- Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your website without taking any action.
- Cart Abandonment Rate: The percentage of visitors who add items to their cart but do not complete the purchase.
- Time on Page: The average time visitors spend on a specific page.
This process can be super overwhelming and let’s be honest confusing! I know when we first started our eCommerce stores this process just totally went in the too hard basket. How do you eat an elephant though? One little bite at a time!
We promise when broken down into little bite sized focussed pieces this process is super easy and over time can have a really huge impact on your eCommerce store.
Website optimisation is the secret ingredient that can take your eCommerce business to new heights. Embrace the Try, Adapt, and Grow mindset, test different strategies, and learn from your data to make informed decisions. By continuously optimising your website, you'll create a delightful shopping experience for your customers, boost conversions, and drive sustainable growth. Start your optimisation journey today and watch your eCommerce dreams come to life!
If you aren’t confident in tackling this on your own reach out to us as part of our Try, Adapt, Grow (TAG) Program so we can help you on your optimisation journey!