Sarah-Kate Lynch's Blog

(What is it even doing?)

So, your website is just a wee bit… vintage. But what part of it is outdated? The whole thing? And what does ‘outdated’ even mean?

 

As with any technology, things change – rapidly. That’s especially true for digital spaces like apps and websites. Twenty years ago, your website might have had a single update every year, if that. Today you shouldn’t be surprised if your site needs an update ready to go every few days. But…why? Various factors contribute to this, which we’ll cover below.

 

Updating, of course, also relates to your content not just the build of your site. That’s a whole other kettle of fish which we’ll cover another time.

CMS updates

Regardless of the content management system your site is built on (like WordPress, Joomla or Drupal) you can expect updates now and then. These will be released when the CMS developers have written new code to add features, fix bugs and tighten security as they find new vulnerabilities. You might fully update your CMS one day, and then have to do it again the next – or you might not get another update for a month or two. It just depends on when developers choose to release them.

 

It’s important to keep up with these as much as you can – otherwise, you’re missing out on new (sometimes mission-critical) features and opening yourself up to attacks that the new update would protect you against. For example, Joomla released a CMS that if you missed updating, you would have to rebuild the site from scratch. Less than ideal.

 

So, staying on top of CMS updates is important. It takes vigilance, which is why it’s a great idea to choose a website host who’ll take care of this for you in the background.

Plugin updates

Your site will almost certainly use a myriad of plugins, add-ons or modules to embed different bits of functionality. In most cases, these are developed by separate, independent providers and not the CMS developers. These plugins have an update schedule too. They’ll tweak code, improve security and fix bugs. Each one needs to be updated regularly – while double checking that the new update hasn’t created a bug in your site. The more add-ons you have, the more updates you’ll need to do. The easy option is to minimise the number of plugins.

Theme updates

Other cogs in the machine are the themes. These are what give your site its look and feel. Again, your themes might not have been created by the original CMS developers, and they’ll also run updates.

How often should my site be updated?

Let’s imagine for a second that you have a relatively standard website built on WordPress, and you’re running one theme. Also installed are a second and third theme, but those are unused at the moment. You have 15 plugins or add-ons too, some used, some old and unused. All these will, at any time, give you 19 possible updates, all completely independent from one another.

 

If each one releases one update per month, you’ll be dealing with an update every second day or so. All of a sudden this seems like a lot but do these updates as frequently as you can. Be sure to always back-up your website before attempting any update as sometimes not all aspects are tested with all possible combinations of factors. Having a rollback feature is always a great option in case something goes wrong.

Embrace the update

Haven’t had an update in a while? That’s a red flag. This generally means the CMS, theme or plugin has been abandoned. Once this happens, they’re no longer patching code vulnerabilities and not offering support, leaving you open to malicious entry into your website and all its data.

 

Or it could mean that your website hosts are just doing their job – so you don’t even know about your updates, they just happen.

Don’t let updates scare you. They are good – great even! The more frequent they are the better, so your site is constantly improved, upgraded and protected.

The post Why your site needs updating so much appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

Learn how to maximise your money and get more conversions

Google Ads are a strong way to bring traffic to your site, but they only work well when you know how to manage them. Have you found that you’re getting very few clicks or sales, despite having a Google Ads account? Here are our top five reasons your Google Ads aren’t working, and some helpful tips on how to get them polished.

Your keywords are too broad

Think about the keywords you’ve chosen. Are they general keywords that could have some overlap with other industries? You want to avoid using keywords that can often attract customers from other target markets. By using more refined or niche keywords, it will be easier to find genuine customers who are looking for a business like yours.

For example:

You are a small business owner who sells customisable dog leashes and collars.

Don’t use ‘Dog leashes’. Instead, try ‘Custom dog leashes’.

 

Small changes like this filter out shoppers who are looking for off-the-rack stock and bring you people specifically looking for your product.

You’re not using the right keywords

You also need to make sure your target market is regularly searching for your keywords. Otherwise, your Google Ads can cost you money with zero ROI.

Research keywords

Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush are both great platforms for keyword research. Keyword Planner is free – start by inputting your current keywords and taking note of their traffic or click rate. Then begin exploring the platforms’ related or suggested keywords. Find the ones that best suit your brand while also offering high click rates. These are your magic keywords – implement these into your Google Ads campaign.

Your ads don’t have enough information

You need to ensure you’re getting your message across as efficiently and effectively as possible. Sit down and have a brainstorm about what your target market needs to know before clicking through to your website. The services you offer, like fast delivery or 24/7 support? Your ‘unique selling propositions’ or ‘USPs’? Once you’ve got these sorted, pop them into a list and make sure to include as many as possible in your copy.

 

Incorporate your keywords alongside a call to action. Hook readers by having their search keywords in the copy then push them to click through by using words like:

 

– Shop online now

– Sign up today

– Learn more

 

If possible, include a value proposition for your target market – like ‘Free shipping over $100’.

Sweat the small stuff

In your 90-word description, aim to give approximately 10 words to each of the following: USP, keywords and CTA, and value proposition. Of course, you also have your headline to play with – here you should be prioritising what is most important to your customers.

 

Don’t forget about seasonal content, too: think Black Friday, Christmas, New Year and end of financial year sales. These allow you to target shoppers looking for the best deals.

Your ads don’t have the right tone

A large part of writing Google Ads copy comes from knowing your target market combined with research on the latest trends. Tone and grammar are vital ingredients in your copy concoction. When your target market is choosing between potential businesses, you need to be perfect. Web users are unforgiving and will be quick to leave your ad behind if it puts a foot wrong, or is just kind of…blah.

Explore the community of your users

It’s important to know your audience and write for the kind of people they are – this is the most effective way to ensure your tone is appropriate.

If your brand has user profiles or buyer personas, this is a great place to start. Think about who they are, how their community interacts, and how they like to shop. Research here is also important – look into online groups or forums where your target market engages to explore the language they use, what entices them and brands they currently like.

Combine your findings and write for them, using on-trend words and prioritising keywords you know they’ll be searching for.

You don’t monitor your Ads often enough

Lack of monitoring is by far the most common cause of unsuccessful ads. The landscape of the digital world is changing daily, so make sure you are switching things up and keeping on top of trends. You can’t simply set up an account and leave it to run.

 

When starting a fresh Google Ads campaign, let it run for around two weeks to gather enough data. Then choose your best performing ads and push those harder. The next steps are where the real discipline comes in.

Check more often than not

For a campaign with five or fewer ads, you should be checking three times a week and altering keywords and phrases according to what Google’s data is telling you about their performance. For larger campaigns, check daily.

Great results can be yours

While this might seem like a lot of work at first, once you get into the groove it can happen like clockwork. Remember to use keywords relevant to your audience and make them niche to cut out market overlaps. Adjust the tone for your user profiles, place the right amount of enticing information into your headline and description, and finally, keep on top of it. These small changes, implemented consistently, are the fastest way to get those extra bangs from your social-ad buck.

The post 5 reasons your Google Ads aren’t working  appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

Does your website need a refresh? Tips for staying on-trend

How can you tell if your website needs a refresh? Think of it like a haircut. You don’t have to have it done, but boy, will you look great afterwards – and that’s important. The way you look determines how people perceive you and what experience they expect. The same goes for your website. Keep it fresh and on-trend and it will always look great.

 

As time goes on your website ages and becomes tired, from either an aesthetic or mechanical perspective or both. The longer your website goes without some TLC, the more problems can build up. When using a CMS, plugins, themes or other software, keep them up to date so you don’t run into system errors. Make sure all of these moving parts are updated to the latest version, so they work as well together as possible. There’s nothing worse than a system failure due to overlooked updates.

Staying ahead of the curve

You’ve heard the saying, ‘Keeping up with the Joneses.’ They’re the trendy family that always looks great and attracts the most attention. You want your website to be them. Follow design trends and note things you like when using other websites. Keeping an eye on what your competitors are up to is also smart – you never want to fall behind in your industry. If you feel your website isn’t looking or operating quite as well as others, it might be time for a website facelift.

 

When we talk about a website facelift, it doesn’t mean giving it a whole makeover unless it’s absolutely necessary — we know this is a huge process. Having a simple, regular procedure to keep your website looking its best is a good idea. Think about:

 

Updating your homepage – This could include a banner, your intro text, adding in some SEO friendly keywords or replacing old images with new ones.What your audience wants – You should always want to keep your audience engaged and entertained. Make sure your website is easy for them to operate, but change it up to keep them coming back.Keep it regular

Do these mini-refreshes regularly, whatever that looks like for your business. If you let them go for too long, your audience might not expect new content so it could be missed when you do make a change. If you have a digital marketing agency this should be a top priority so you already have a copy of the schedule.

 

After a while, these mini-refreshes can stack on top of each other and become disjointed. Just as you have a regular content schedule, you should implement a long-term website overhaul schedule to help keep you on track. A full website overhaul is ideally completed every three to five years to ensure your brand continues on-trend and meaningful. Keeping it fresh will keep people engaged.

The post How to tell if I need a new/refreshed website  appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

We often hear the phrase, “It’s the small things.” And it’s true – small improvements and changes can make huge impacts. When thinking about your business, drastic changes can be daunting, especially after what 2020 has delivered to a lot of business owners. The good news is that you don’t need to be making big changes to keep growing your business – especially when it comes to digital marketing. We’ve seen firsthand how small changes to your digital marketing plan can create big returns. Here are five small improvements you can make before the end of the year.

1: Double down on your website content

This is a quick way to boost your Google ranking and get more website views. Type up content that has interesting facts about your business and engaging blog articles about the services or products you offer.

 

Try to write long pieces of content, around 2000 words, to give you more room for SEO-friendly keywords and phrases. The more content there is, the more the Google AI can read. This can mean more connections between search keywords and your website, resulting in a ranking boost.

2: Launch a YouTube channel

Opening a business YouTube channel is pretty straightforward and having video content on there means you are adding another layer to your SEO. Google owns YouTube and uses it as a tool to identify if your business aligns with the related search keywords.

 

Take a moment to think about your bios or captions on YouTube videos. Catchy titles equal views. Add links to your website in the bios as well as in the information pop-ups throughout your video. These links allow Google to make a connection between your YouTube channel and website and can help boost your search ranking.

3: Create authentic social media content

With the silly season approaching, now is the best time to spread some positivity on social media. Workplace experiences and happy moments from staff provide a boost of festive cheer on your pages. Social media are a strong part of any digital marketing plan, and having authentic, people-based content makes your audience want to engage with you more. We all know more engagement means more followers, and more followers mean a better SEO ranking and hopefully more customers.

 

Another fantastic benefit of authentic social media content is that it helps build trust with your audiences. When you receive more followers and comments, you look more trustworthy. Think about posting about your end-of-year Christmas function to showcase your vibrant workplace culture.

4: Make testimonials a part of your website

Sales via word of mouth are common to most businesses. What if you captured those positive words and placed them on your website? Testimonials are a great way to hook new customers in if they’re looking for unbiased proof of your performance or quality.

 

Gather some testimonials from 2020 customers and send them to your web designer to be added to your website.

5: Request reviews from clients

If customers tell you they’re happy with the product or service they received, reach out to them for a review. Google reviews are a wonderful way to put yourself in front of your competitors when people are searching for similar services. Best of all, they are quick and free.

 

Google’s algorithm can see and process these reviews, in turn helping your search ranking. Aim to ask five customers for a review and a few kind words about their experiences. This can truly help set you apart on Google.

Don’t wait until 2021

Now is the time to boost your business through digital marketing. Add fresh content to your website, start a YouTube channel, post authentic people-based content on social media, gather testimonials from satisfied customers for a page on your website and ask for reviews too. All these easy steps can boost your SEO, raise that Google ranking and hook in more customers. When 2021 comes round, you’ll be ready to go.

The post 5 small improvements to your digital marketing before the year is up appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

Scope the process before you start

It sounds simple, but selling a business doesn’t just mean putting ads in the right news outlets and waiting for an offer – there’s more to it than that, and that’s even without factoring for that coronavirus making everything more unsettled.

 

To get the sale price you want, one that reflects all your hard work and initiative, you need to do a few things to prepare, including getting a valuation, sorting out internal problems, tidying your books, preparing a confidentiality agreement and a business summary, and planning your exit strategy. These steps are even more important in the uncertainty of a global pandemic.

 

Before you start, set yourself and any buyers a deadline a few months ahead so everyone has enough time to get ready for the transaction.

 

Here’s what else to do:

Get a valuation

You might know how much your business is worth, but can you back that up? For more confidence about your asking price, talk to a third party about a valuation. For a fee, a professional valuer compares your business with competitors, and all incoming and outgoing transactions are factored in along with any debt and/or assets. This is worth the investment – anyone interested or involved in the sale, including potential buyers and their finance companies, will want a copy.

Address off-putting issues

Scan your business for anything that might put buyers off – getting them sorted before you go on the market could bump up your asking price. That might be renovations or repairs still unfinished, undocumented training processes or licenses and contracts that need renewing. Your valuer might help here by noting issues you may not be aware of.

Get your books in order

If you haven’t got complete financial transparency, plenty of buyers won’t bother to ask for it – they’ll just move on to the next opportunity. With the help of your accountant or financial advisor, get all your financials up to date and set out for buyers to see. That includes three years’ worth of tax returns, profit and loss statements, bank statements, copies of leases and a list of the equipment that goes with the sale.

Draft a confidentiality agreement

Before you reveal your financial information to buyers, you’re wise to ask them to sign a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement. Talk to your lawyer about drafting this document to keep all parties and your private business information safe.

Prepare a business summary

Along with your financial disclosures, potential buyers will want to know all about your business, including its location, number of employees, when it started and what area it services. You can include your reason for selling, a rundown on your competitors and any training you can offer after the sale. Gather all these into a succinct document no longer than two pages, and give potential buyers a copy.

Plan how you’ll leave

You almost need to do this first, before you even think about selling. Outside influences (think COVID-19) can dictate the timing of a sale, and if you already have an exit plan you won’t be caught unprepared or forced to sell at a loss. A financial adviser can help you decide on the details of an exit plan – when you’d like to go, who you’d like to take over the business, any tax issues and whether you want to stay involved at some level after a sale or handover.

Look before you leap

Selling your business is a big move, more so during a global pandemic, and to get what you want out of it takes planning. Enlist the help of professionals for these preparatory steps – a valuer for an in-depth look at your business position, your accountant to make sure your books are tidy, your legal advisor for that all-important confidentiality agreement. Above all, plan your exit carefully with help from a financial advisor so when you do decide to sell, you’re in the best position to bow out.

The post Selling your business in the time of COVID? appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

Keep visitors browsing, generate more leads

The whole point of having a business website is to attract business, right? That means you want people to visit, find what they’re searching for and buy your product or service. This doesn’t happen by magic – a whole lot of work goes into the design, layout and content of a great website to make it rank high with search engines, keep visitors browsing once they get there, then convert them into buyers.

 

So how do you do that? Here are six no-fail tips to creating a site that attracts and converts.

1: Design with your users in mind

What your visitors see first can make or break the effectiveness of your website. There are several elements that go into great web design, but the number one priority is being user-friendly. Is it easy for your visitors to navigate around your site, or do complicated pathways or a crowded home page make them bounce off too fast?

 

Simplicity is the key here. Avoid the clutter and the temptation to say it all on your home page. Use simple drop-down menus and include a few enticing photos or banners. Keep your words clear and to the point if you have special offers or new products – just a few phrases and a ‘read more’ button are all you need.

 

It’s also important to leave space around the page elements. Crowded images and text don’t allow a clear association of ideas, and too many unrelated concepts could confuse readers. With enough blank or ‘negative’ space, you’ll offer distinct topics and relevant associations, giving visitors a clear path for their search.

2: Talk to your reader

Whatever type of content suits your business, it needs to be readable and accessible to your target audience. Not only that, but it should be about your readers and what they need, rather than about you and your wonderful offering. Visitors to your site don’t care how passionate you are, and they aren’t all that interested in your professional qualifications or experience (unless you’re a brain surgeon). What they are interested in is what they’re going to get – think carefully about what they want, and build your messaging around that.

3: Use content to build your cred

There are several kinds of content you might consider. An article that generously gives away a few of your professional secrets can help readers trust you. Your article can identify a reader’s pain points and show how your product or service can help

 

You might gather some great case studies from past or current clients, or include testimonials in your articles. Case studies are powerful selling tools because they come not from you but from people your readers can relate to.

4: Break things up with images and subheads

Even great readers don’t spend all that long browsing websites. Images can engage skim-readers and capture non-readers, but it’s a mistake to crowd your pages with pictures. Instead, carefully choose a few compelling images that add to your reader’s understanding.

 

For the same reason, you don’t want too many words crowded together. No matter how well-written your copy is, browsers won’t last long if it isn’t broken up with subheadings to guide the eye.

5: Use calls to action

All the fine design, great articles and intriguing images in the world won’t sell your product or service if you don’t give visitors an easy option and a clear path to buy. Studies show if you inject a bit of urgency – do it now, don’t wait – your visitors are more likely to act. Whatever you’re selling, you need to say what you want visitors to do. Buy now, sign up, read more, download this, call today – every page and every article needs to have a call to action.

Make your website Head of Sales

Every business has a website these days, so to get that all-important cut-through you need to make your site the best it can be. Clean, simple design, clear pathways for visitors, content that gives readers what they’re looking for, attractive images that support your message – all these are essential elements of a website that will work to increase leads. Make sure you have a call to action on every page, and who knows? Your website could become your new Head of Sales.

 

Want to improve your website’s performance? Get in touch now.

The post Is your website converting? 6 must-do tips appeared first on Unleashing Potential.

Your password, ‘quick’ changes, websites ‘like Trade Me’

To build and maintain a website from scratch takes skill, creativity and persistence. Most people struggle to comprehend how a combination of letters and symbols can create a beautifully-designed platform that can then be used to advertise and sell products and services. It’s like digital magic!

 

There’s a lot involved in web development, and perhaps unexpectedly, one of the key ingredients is patience. However, even the most patient developers have a few things they wish their clients knew.

 

Here are the three things your web developer wants you to know:

1: You can reset your own password

As trivial as it sounds, this one little task is the bane of your web developer’s existence. Not because it’s difficult or requires a lot of effort – but because it’s something you can do yourself.

 

It’s likely that your web developer has already assumed you’ll forget your password at some point (we all do!) and has added a ‘reset your password’ button to your login page. That means, instead of flicking your web developer five urgent emails in quick succession, you can simply click on the link and follow the instructions to reset your password.

2: That quick change may take longer than you think

“Hey, while I have you on the phone, can you quickly change the way this looks on my website?” This is a question that web developers hear all too often. The short answer is probably ‘no’.

 

It’s not hard to fall into the trap of assuming that a seemingly effortless task like moving an object from one side of your website to the other could be done with the click of a few buttons. In reality, that change could potentially involve hours of your web developer’s time and effort.

 

Often, there is a sea of code that needs to be worked through to make even the most basic of changes to the front end of your website. On top of that, something as simple as a single bracket in the wrong position can take your entire website down – that’s why precision is key.

 

The best thing to do is sit down with your developer and have a conversation about the project. Brief them in detail on what changes you’d like made. Understand that you’ll need to work your expectations around their client schedule. Ask them how long they think it will take to implement your changes.

3: A website like Trade Me will cost you a pretty penny

At first glance, the function of most websites is basic. But behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story.

 

Let’s take Trade Me as an example.

 

In 2006, Fairfax Media purchased Trade Me for a whopping $700 million (no, that’s not a typo). To put things into perspective, Trade Me has a team of over 600 people, which would undoubtedly include close to 100 website developers. On the surface, Trade Me is a website that lets you sell things, but on the other side, it’s a labyrinth that sees nearly one million visitors per day. That requires serious capacity to function seamlessly – and a high level of monetary investment to operate.

 

The moral of the story: make sure any changes you request are well-researched, and you have the funds to support the development. People lose a lot of money every day developing, launching and marketing websites that never gain any traction. Find a balance between function and cost that meets your budget and business goals.

Speak with your web developer

You can reset your own password, those ‘quick’ changes probably can’t be made over the phone, and comprehensive websites take a lot of time and money to build – all things that your web developer wishes you knew when speaking with them. The best thing to do is engage with your web developer and work out a project timeline that suits both of you.

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Building a modern online presence for your business

In the past few years, the use of smartphones has grown exponentially. These days, more people use their mobile phones to browse the internet (52.48% in October 2019) than desktops (44.59%), and the New Zealand statistics mirror that worldwide trend.

 

This shift in how people consume digital content has fundamentally transformed the way businesses build their online presence. For this reason alone, it’s important to invest in responsive website design.

 

There is nothing worse than having to zoom or scroll across a website that hasn’t been optimised for different devices. It makes it difficult for the user to navigate and can drive away potential customers when they become frustrated with your website.

 

Responsive web design also removes the need to build multiple websites for smartphone and tablet users. Instead of designing a dedicated website for each different screen size – which is completely inefficient – you can create one that scales up and down automatically.

 

We’ve collated our years of knowledge and experience in responsive web design to explain what it is and why it’s so important for your business.

Responsive web design explained

A well-designed, responsive website can deliver as impactful an experience on a smartphone screen as it does on a desktop or any other screen. It adapts to the size of the user’s screen without compromising the aesthetic, functionality or legibility.

 

A responsive website includes design elements such as:

 

Readable text without requiring zoom Adequate space for tap targets No horizontal scrolling

 

Responsive design can help you solve a lot of website problems. It’ll improve the look of your website, particularly on mobile devices – making it more visually appealing to potential customers. More importantly, it optimises your website’s browsing experience which can increase the amount of time visitors spend on your website and improve your search engine rankings.

Why all businesses should have a responsive website

Think about how many different devices you use in a day, and you’ll quickly realise that responsive web design is necessary for all businesses operating in today’s multi-screen society.

 

Here are four reasons why responsive web design is so important:

1: A seamless user experience

Unresponsive websites distort the way they appear and function on smaller devices. Text becomes jumbled, images don’t align, and users must scroll through endless pages in search of the information or tab they need.

 

This is something you want to avoid – you run the risk of losing valuable sales leads when your website doesn’t translate well on mobiles. Prospective customers tend to navigate away from your website when it is difficult to understand and not well optimised for their devices’ screens.

2: Cost-effective website maintenance

While responsive web design requires a slightly larger investment upfront, you’ll benefit from lower maintenance costs. Because you won’t be running two versions of your website – one mobile, one desktop – you’ll be able to spend more time on other important areas of your business.

3: Improve your Google SEO rankings

In early 2015, Google announced that mobile-friendliness would become a ranking factor in its search engine algorithms – forcing businesses to shift their focus to user experience and high-quality content. Because responsive web design creates a better user experience, it can also improve your search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts. Provide a poor experience and you’re likely to lose some ground in your search engine results.

4: Increased mobile traffic

With ever-increasing mobile-user statistics, having two separate versions of your website is time-consuming and high maintenance. A single responsive design ready for all devices will ensure you retain and drive more mobile views – keeping you ahead of your competition.

Responsive web design now industry standard

Having a responsive website can save you money, time and help you convert and retain more clients. The benefits of responsive web design extend past having a website that adapts to any size device screen. It ensures prospective customers have a seamless experience with your business online no matter what device they’re using, which will help you convert more sales leads from your online marketing efforts.

 

Ready to go responsive? Get in touch with the Unleashing Potential team today.

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Prepare your Shopify store for the busiest retail season

For many retailers, Christmas is the busiest time of year – and it can take months of preparation. If you’re an online retailer, you should be gearing up for Christmas in October. That gives you plenty of time to plan and get the right systems in place, so your customers walk away happy – with their Christmas shopping in tow.

 

Here’s a list of ways you can prepare for the upcoming seasonal rush:

1: Black Friday, Cyber Monday

Two of the most anticipated retail events of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) present an opportunity for online merchants. Ignore BFCM and you’ll find it hard to get any attention at the end of November.

 

Start planning your BFCM promotional activity in October. For ideas, look at what sales your competitors previously offered. Use Facebook or Instagram’s timelines to analyse their social media activity from the previous year – to learn whether a gift with purchase, a discount or free international shipping will work for you.

 

Then decide how you’ll advertise your sale. Start running your digital ads two to three weeks before the sale date, and give yourself plenty of time to create and edit your promotional materials to avoid scrambling at the last minute.

2: ‘Christmafy’ your web store

There’s a good reason why retail stores deck their halls with boughs of holly – festive decorations prompt customers and drive more sales. So, bring Christmas cheer to your online store and create a Christmas version of your website.

 

How you change your theme will depend on your brand, but here are ways to incorporate Christmas into your website design:

 

Update your accent colours to red and green Change banner and hero graphics to include Christmas images Create product collections and navigation items specifically for gifts, e.g. Secret Santa presents under $25 or gifts for the kids.3: Gift cards and wrapping

More and more customers will shop online over the Christmas period, and they’re looking for retailers that make gift-giving easy. Sometimes the smallest upsells can make the biggest sales difference.

 

Gift cards require minimal work to set up and can be a great way to increase your sales. They are perfect for hard-to-buy-for people, and recipients will often end up spending more than the gift card’s value. Give your bookkeeper a heads-up – gift cards can be a little tricky.

 

Gift wrapping is another valuable add-on. With the global pandemic putting restraints on in-store Christmas shopping, customers will be looking for retailers who can deliver ready-wrapped gifts.

4: Shipping times

Most people want to receive their orders before Santa comes to visit. This year, the global pandemic is impacting on local and international delivery times. That means you’ll want to add a buffer for the Christmas delivery rush and any delays due to COVID.

 

In December, provide an order-by date so customers get their orders on time. Add text messages to your product pages that explain your estimated shipping times. For example:

 

For local orders, please order by December 15 to ensure delivery before Christmas. For international orders, please order by December 5 to ensure delivery before Christmas. 5: Payment plans

For pricier products, consider offering your customers a ‘buy now, pay later’ option. Smaller Shopify businesses can partner with a payment-plan provider like Laybuy rather than funding and organising the service themselves. This will usually incur a small fee, so factor this into your pricing strategy.

 

Make sure you apply soon so you have time to trial the system and implement it on your Shopify store.

Bring your Christmas A-game

To set yourself up for the most successful holiday retail season, the earlier you start the better. Give yourself time to plan and promote sales, give your web store a Christmas makeover, add a payment-plan option, gift cards and wrapping, and update your expected delivery policy – all things that will make it easier and more enjoyable for your customers to shop for Christmas online.

 

Need help getting prepped for the festive season? Get in touch with the Unleashing Potential team today, because Christmas is just around the corner.

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Use search to drive more sales and conversions

Companies all over the world spend billions of dollars every year investing in search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) tactics. Why is that? Well, the short answer is – because they work.

 

You know that search is an effective form of marketing, but with a limited budget, do you put your money into Google Ads or optimising your webpages? You might be tempted to spend your budget across the board and over different search engines, but with King Google sitting mighty high, your budget would be almost be wasted.

 

Focus on Google – then use the points below to decide whether search engine optimisation or search engine marketing is the right strategy for your business.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” is an accurate statement when describing search engine optimisation.

 

SEO is all about optimising your website to increase organic traffic from search engine results. It can take time to build up your SEO by using carefully constructed techniques, but the higher your search engine ranking, the better your competitive advantage.

 

Here are the benefits of search engine optimisation:

Some users don’t like clicking on ads

Not all users notice that in most cases, the first three listings on any Google search are ads – but some do. If they choose not to click on an ad, they’ll continue to scroll down and click on the top organic listings instead.

A better user experience

Good SEO needs to meet certain Google standards, and it’s these standards that will mean users will have a better experience on your website.

It’s a good source of leads

Being at the top of Google means users are more likely to click on your listing and visit your website. The more website visitors you have, the more chances you have of converting sales.

Higher close rates

Again, good SEO equals a better user experience. With this comes the opportunity for you to increase your sales close rates – but only if your website is well-constructed.

Search engine marketing (SEM)

Unlike SEO, search engine marketing is a fast-burning solution that will get you instant results. SEM means advertising your business on a search engine through search, display or shopping ads. These ads appear at the top of Google search results, and with the click of a button, potential customers are redirected to your website.

 

There can be a lot of competition for main keywords, but there are still some benefits to marketing this way.

 

Let’s look at those benefits:

Reach your clients instantly

Quickly get out in front of those customers searching for your products and services. Once your campaign is ready to go, your ads are instantly shown to people searching for your keywords.

Options of targeting

With SEM, you have the option of those potential customers who you know are likely to purchase or enquire on your website. You can target by location, search keywords, demographic and even retarget those people who have previously visited your page.

Increase brand awareness

Get your business name out there in front of customers who you know are already specifically searching for your product or service. If they don’t know who you are and what you sell, they won’t want to buy anything from you.

Easy campaign management

You can engage a digital marketing company or manage your own Google Ads through your Dashboard. With the right knowledge, you can change budgets, targeting locations and so much more.

The right strategy for your business

Some professionals might say you should use either SEO or SEM – but the best results come from using a complementary mix of the two. A good SEM campaign needs good SEO. That means if your website has good SEO, it’s more likely to be favoured when it comes to paid search. If you have a limited budget, look at doing on-page SEO and then run Google Ads. This will give you a competitive edge – without costing you too much.

 

Need help with search engine optimisation or running a search engine marketing campaign? Talk to the team at Unleashing Potential now.

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