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This Is Why Your CTA Is Not Converting (and How to Fix It)

Author: Eleanor Hecks

The calls to action (CTAs) on a website can make or break company revenue goals. Driving visitors to a page is only half the battle. Once people are there, the site must be engaging enough to move them toward the ultimate objective of converting from shoppers to buyers. If a brand has a CTA not converting, it’s time to check out the following factors and determine what changes are necessary.

Here are some of the principles designers should follow for the highest chance of success with CTAs.

1. Use Actionable Language

Vague phrases such as “Info” or “More” don’t encourage action. Instead, use actionable verbs, such as “Get Free Report” or “Sign Up” to drive engagement.

Stick to simple phrases or risk losing visitors with shorter attention spans. Try to come up with something that explains what the user will get when they take the action and why it’s specific to the brand.

Some strong action verbs website owners can use include:

  • Buy
  • Shop
  • View
  • Subscribe
  • Try
vrbo web page screenshot

Source: https://www.vrbo.com

VRBO uses a simple “Book Now” command to encourage site visitors to place a reservation with one of their host locations. The button is blue, which pops against the backdrop of black, white and gray. Each property has a CTA button that follows the user down the page, as they look at photos of the property or interact with the listing.

2. Check Placement

Is the CTA still not converting? Where it’s located on the page can have a huge impact on how successfully it sends users down the buyer’s journey path. Try different locations and use A/B split tests to determine which location on the page works best with a particular audience.

Some users want enough information to make a decision before seeing a CTA button. Others are ready to act as soon as they land and need an option near the top of the page.

3. Make an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Get people to click on the CTA button by making an attractive offer. Give them something free, for a limited time or offer a perk if they convert to a customer.

There are two schools of thought on offering free items to collect leads. Some believe it gives the brand a direct connection to people already interested in what they offer. Others think freebies just attract people who want something for nothing and won’t convert into buyers.

Try different offers and see how the results shake out.

inhub website screenshot

Source: https://inhub.thehenryford.org

A good example of offering something free so people can see what a brand offers is found on inHub. Note the “Join for Free” CTA button right at the top of the page. If the full signup process is rather lengthy, brands may take action to make a free signup for a trial or download simpler. Collecting only crucial information to stay in touch, such as a first name and email address, encourages users to complete the signup.

4. Increase the Size

For a CTA not converting, increasing the size of the button might improve conversions. A mere increase of 20% in size can draw user attention and improve sales. Try making the button easier to find. Move it around, make it larger, make it smaller and see what users respond to.

Every site and every offer is slightly different. What works for one site or even page on that website, may not work for another. Testing is critical.

5. Create a Sense of Urgency

Once users leave a site, they aren’t as likely to return. They may intend to but a million other things distract them from coming back. Whenever possible, create a sense of urgency to drive conversions while having their attention.

Utilize words and phrases such as:

  • Limited time
  • Ends soon
  • X left
  • Buy now
  • Hurry

One note of caution — if the CTA says something is only available for a limited time, don’t extend that time indefinitely. Users should trust a brand to stick to its word. If the CTA or text surrounding it says there are only two hours left to get an offer, it must disappear after that time. The company can create a new offer, but it should not be the initial one.

hulu website screenshot

Source: https://www.hulu.com

Hulu adds a CTA to the top bar of their site to really drive home the point that the offer is for a limited time. They even list the end date so users know exactly when the cost goes up. If one looks at the CTA buttons further down the page, they’ll see in small letters it shows how much the price is going up and why users shouldn’t delay in signing up.

6. Add White Space

One big mistake people make with CTAs is not adding enough white space around them. A bit of negative space sets a button apart and shows the user it’s something important they should pay attention to.

For mobile users, adding white space makes it easier to click on the button on a smaller screen. Since over half of internet traffic is now via mobile devices, it makes sense to create a responsive design.

Figuring Out Why a CTA Is Not Converting

The CTA may not be converting for numerous reasons. Running tests to figure out what works with the brand’s audience is the number one way to improve conversions. Try changing the color of the button, the size, the placement and even the wording. With a bit of trial and error, designers will find the best combination for their audience and wind up with a high-converting landing page that drives growth.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

What Emerging IoT Trends Should Businesses Pay Attention To?

Author: Eleanor Hecks

You must pay attention to the latest innovations coming to the Internet of Things. IoT devices complement many other advanced technologies, so people are starting to combine them. These emerging IoT trends stand to revolutionize how businesses use the technology.

How Are IoT Trends Evolving Technology?

Emerging IoT trends are evolving technology into something entirely new. It combines with the most advanced, popular innovations to create something never before seen. The IoT as you know it may soon change forever.

In 2022, IoT startups secured the highest amount of funding they had received since 2012. They collected an average of nearly $16 million, a 30% increase from 2021. People saw the emerging trends of 2023 and decided they needed to be a part of the technological innovation.

The market for IoT devices dipped over 20% in 2022. However, they still secured incredibly high funding because investors believed the upcoming trends would revolutionize the technology. How much money they receive gives businesses a direct insight into its future. In this case, it is a clear indication of success.

What Are the Emerging IoT Trends?

The emerging IoT trends offer new takes on traditional devices. While some incorporate other well-known technologies, others create something entirely new.

  1. Automation

Many emerging trends combine IoT devices with other advanced technologies. Automation has been a massive success for many businesses and is among the most popular. Although it has existed for a few years, it is only starting to pick up speed.

Many companies use IoT in robotic automation. For example, FedEx has used it for five years to organize and distribute mail, replacing traditional carriers. Most businesses rely partially on e-commerce sales, so they would benefit from technology that can package, label and ship products.

Even if you do not ship items to customers, you should pay attention to this trend because it has many real-world uses. No matter your industry, you can automate some of your responsibilities with IoT devices. It could streamline your processes, increasing accuracy and profit.

  1. Artificial Internet of Things

Artificial intelligence in IoT — what people call AIoT — is one of the latest IoT trends. It combines artificial intelligence with traditional IoT technology. However, the extent of its presence differs depending on the device’s purpose.

Incorporating AI into IoT allows businesses to rapidly analyze data, make accurate predictions and run things smoothly. The simplest form of AIoT uses an algorithm to process information, while the more advanced version makes the devices operate independently.

Much of the buzz around it comes from the potential for peer-to-peer communication where each IoT device interacts with others. They already have a constant connection to the internet, so establishing one between a group of them is a minor leap.

  1. Asset Tracking

A business owner is no stranger to supply chain delays and surprises, considering everything from a bad storm to a foreign conflict can disrupt things. IoT asset tracking can give immediate updates on an item’s location.

You can use remote IoT tracking to find packages in real time, no matter where you are. It improves traceability, helping you reduce losses. All you have to do is put a device on a pallet to keep track of its whereabouts the entire time it is in transit.

On top of tracking where products are, IoT asset tracking can tell you if they break in transit. The sensors can detect minor changes and alert you to potential damage. This technology can even improve your brand’s reputation since you can resolve the issue before your customer receives a defective item.

  1. Digital Twins

A digital twin is a virtual copy of a physical object. Basically, it is an advanced version of traditional simulations. You use IoT sensors to map whatever item you want to visualize to monitor it in real time or simulate it after a change.

A digital twin can handle thousands of variables simultaneously, so you can use it for complex situations. For example, you could simulate how your new packaging design will function. You can use a digital twin instead of repeatedly building and testing prototypes.

It is also helpful for visualization. A digital twin can help you if you want to keep track of something remotely. Since it is a replica of the item in a digital format, you can monitor it even if you are not close to it. If something on the actual object begins to malfunction, you can consult the copy to understand how to troubleshoot things.

  1. New Regulations

Regulations have begun to appear because of the rapid appearance of new IoT trends. Businesses should be aware of each new law to protect themselves as they adopt the technology. Regulatory bodies want to set ground rules as more industries use it.

For instance, the European Commission accepted a data protection act in 2023. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission proposed mandatory cybersecurity labels for IoT devices in the same year.

What Can Businesses Do to Prepare?

Businesses can analyze their needs to prepare for upcoming IoT trends. Once they identify where to use the technology, they can figure out how to implement it. While AIoT may be the best choice for one company, automation may be vital for another, depending on their individual needs.

Whatever they choose, it is a good idea to act now since the technology is only getting bigger. In 2023, the amount of IoT devices reached 15.14 billion globally. Experts expect the number will continue to rise and reach nearly 29.5 billion as early as 2030. They can take advantage of the growth if they prepare for it.

Follow the Trends

Businesses can benefit from paying attention to emerging IoT trends revolutionizing technology. You could use it to automate your e-commerce packaging, test new product prototypes digitally or predict supply chain delays. Ultimately, it could improve your company’s operations and elevate your digital processes.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

Next-Level Campaigns: How AI Supercharges Customer Acquisition and Retention

Author: Sean H.

Customer acquisition and retention are necessary for businesses to succeed. Acquiring new customers allows companies to grow, but they must also retain them to guarantee brand loyalty and sustainable profitability.

Consumers are constantly shifting their preferences and behaviors, making it challenging for companies to reach target audiences with effective campaigns. However, with artificial intelligence (AI) by your side and the right data, you can better understand, attract and retain your customer base.

A Brief Overview of How AI Works

AI helps marketers by analyzing large amounts of data in a shorter time. Companies have always used data to learn about their customers. Yet, before AI came into the picture, businesses used traditional marketing methods that often relied on broader information.

Today, the global AI market comes to $142.3 billion, and companies use it to identify specific customer behaviors, preferences and patterns. Marketers create more targeted and personalized campaigns using algorithms to sift through data sources like website visits, social media interactions and purchase histories.

This information provides a deep view of customers’ habits and what they like. With these insights, businesses craft messages and offers that resonate directly with individual users. As a result, potential customers are more likely to engage because those messages capture their attention.

Essentially, AI eliminates much guesswork and ensures you use your resources efficiently to reach the right audience on time.

Personalized Marketing Messages and Recommendations

AI takes personalization to a whole new level by understanding each customer. One way it personalizes marketing is through product recommendations.

For instance, when users visit an e-commerce site, AI analyzes their browsing behavior, past purchases and abandoned carts. It uses this information to suggest products they are likely to buy. However, this method requires more than showing relevant products — it also needs you to present them at the right moment in the user’s journey.

Email marketing has also benefited from AI’s personalization capabilities. Instead of sending generic newsletters, companies can now send emails that provide specific solutions to their customers’ needs. From subject lines that capture attention to content that addresses their interests, AI ensures every email feels individually crafted.

In social media advertising, AI looks at users’ interactions, likes, shares and comments to display ads that relate to their interests and values. It ensures each message caters to the individual to increase engagement and customer interest.

Optimizes Ad Campaigns

Optimizing an ad campaign has become highly sophisticated with the integration of AI. AI assists businesses in ensuring their advertising efforts are on point through various techniques:

  • Dynamic pricing: AI analyzes real-time market demand, competitor pricing and other factors to adjust ad bids automatically. This analysis ensures companies get the best value for their ad spend while maximizing visibility.
  • Audience segmentation: Instead of broad demographic groups, AI creates micro-segments based on behaviors and past interactions. This allows for highly targeted ad campaigns that cater to specific audiences.
  • A/B testing at scale: While traditional A/B testing compares two versions of an ad, AI can test multiple variations simultaneously. It analyzes which elements — like headlines, images or calls-to-action — perform the best.
  • Predictive analysis: AI forecasts how likely a particular ad is to convert based on historical data and user behavior. This predictive insight allows businesses to allocate their budgets better — pushing resources toward advertisements likely to yield higher results.
  • Multichannel optimization: AI focuses on more than one platform by evaluating the performance of ads across various channels — from social media to search engines.
  • Real-time adjustments: Market conditions and user behaviors can change rapidly. Therefore, AI-driven platforms become useful as they react in real time to tweak campaigns to adjust to these changes.

Predicts Customer Needs

AI may be able to capture data and analyze it for campaigns. However, the interesting part is that it can predict future trends by analyzing past behaviors. With its predictive capabilities, you can address customer needs before they arise.

AI achieves this by looking for patterns in your customer data. These could be things your customers have purchased or time spent on particular pages. From there, AI determines what a customer is interested in or might look for in the future.

For example, a customer who checks out athletic gear often may be interested in a new sportswear line. The company can then use this information to promote the products, instantly saving time and money from studying customers’ preferences and behaviors.

Beyond looking at individual behaviors, AI also analyzes global trends. By examining broader market patterns and predicting upcoming trends with AI, your business can always be a step ahead in its offerings.

Automates Customer Communication

Effective communication is crucial in establishing and maintaining customer relationships. Communication helps customers get answers to their questions, build trust with a brand and solve problems. However, low-priority communications often take up much of your customer support team’s time.

When AI automates simple requests, customer support can better care for customers with larger issues. For example, AI could help customers find what they want on the business’s website. Hubspot found that 78% of customer support agents use AI and automation because they say it lets them spend their time on more important aspects of their role.

One of the most popular ways companies do this is through chatbots. These tools handle numerous customer inquiries in real time, providing instant answers and solutions. AI chatbots can understand and respond to user queries. The interaction feels smooth and natural, and more customers are satisfied with the help they receive.

Using AI Marketing for Customer Acquisition and Retention

AI has certainly changed the way marketers reach and retain new customers. Whether it is through personalized messaging or product recommendations, businesses witnessed the power behind it to engage with customers in previously unimaginable ways. Pinpoint some areas where you could use AI in your business and start taking customer acquisition to another level today.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

Why Incorporating Community Service Is Vital for Modern Web Businesses

Author: Eleanor Hecks

What does community service look like for modern web-based businesses? Unlike traditional mom-and-pop shops with personal customer relationships, a digital company may have various clients.

Figuring out the ins and outs of giving back to customers requires more legwork but can still help your company develop strong interpersonal relationships with clients. Laying the groundwork gives you a competitive advantage and establishes your organization as one that cares.

1. Build Strong Connections

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2023 showed a rising need for increased trust between consumers and brands. Approximately 71% of people feel being able to rely on a company to be honest is more important today than in the past.

Giving back to the world shows you care about more than just a profit. It is much more likely to instill good feelings in people than if you ignore social causes or needs. You create strong emotional ties when you make a difference in someone’s life.

2. Show You’re an Authority in Your Field

According to research, family-owned enterprises provide employment opportunities for 63% of the workforce in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of businesses emerge each year, making it increasingly challenging to find success.

How can you show you’re an authority in your field and gain customers’ confidence? Giving back to others shows you know what you’re doing and are making a profit. Give a percentage of revenue to philanthropic efforts.

Consumers who believe in the same cause will consider you when they need something you sell. An example of this type of buy-one, give-one mentality can be seen in the model of TOMS shoes. When you buy shoes, it donates a pair.

3. Create a Positive Impression of Your Company

Community service can also improve your image and help you develop a positive reputation. If you’re doing damage control from past mistakes or a catastrophe, finding ways to give back can help repair your reputation.

Remember why you started your company and the big dreams you had. What is your brand image and how do others see you? For example, are you an avid golfer? You may have started your company to serve a need such as help with putting skills. One idea is to offer free training to golfers on an aspect of their game. You could also give back to a charity for youth by hosting an event where profits go to a specific organization.

Embrace whatever cause matters most to you, whether saving the environment, protecting endangered species or helping homeless veterans. Whatever movement you participate in, post to your social media account and share how you’re giving back with your followers.

4. Keep Employees Thriving

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quit rate for June 2023 was 2.4%, which was nearly 4 million workers. Although competition to retain people might vary depending on where you live, you still want to keep your employees engaged and thriving.

Your employees often promote your business and its activities. They take pride in their workplace and eagerly spread the word to others. Identifying your strengths simplifies determining when and how you should give back. By working together, everyone can contribute to cultivating a company culture.

Regardless of how much the labor shortage impacts your company, you want to train and keep top workers. Investing in things they care about is a great way to retain talent.

5. Teach Customers to Be Loyal to Your Brand

Serving the online community means your company name is repeatedly mentioned in the same circles. Your target audience might see you donated to a cause they are passionate about. You may have participated in a local project and it made an impact or spurred more giving to a global cause.

They may perceive their friends buy the same product, creating an online connection. In fact, 22% of consumers say a strong sense of community is a big reason for brand loyalty. However, it goes deeper than just feeling seen and heard. Someone has to hear your name repeatedly before remembering it in the first place.

Building brand recognition takes a plan and consistent delivery. Look for ways to get the word out. However, the reason you participate in an event or offer a service should be because you care.

Even if you gain zero new customers from giving back, you should still do it because it matters. Approaching charity work with a positive attitude will likely get fresh eyes on your products and revenue from the effort.

6. Get Your Customers Like No One Else Does

Understanding the emotions and passions that drive your audience means you’re much more likely to make an emotional connection. Engaging in community service lets you connect with your customers on their level and gain insights into their priorities. Take the time to inquire about the organizations they hold dear and would appreciate your support for. Additionally, explore ways you can assist them or their loved ones.

For example, some of your customers may have vision limitations. You can find out what makes it easier for them to browse your pages and fix it. You can then offer a community service by featuring workshops for other companies and explaining what you changed and how they can repeat your efforts.

Start on Community Service Today

The best way to ramp up community service for your modern web business is to map out how you’d like to give back and start with the top ones. Allow your employees some input, try various ideas and ask customers what they think about new programs. Focus on improving your efforts over time and offering a service to make the world a better place rather than what you can get out of it as a company.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

The Art of Meeting Project Deadlines: Essential Practices for On-Time Delivery

Author: Eleanor Hecks

One of the most challenging aspects of running a successful company is meeting project deadlines. With multiple players on a project and clients throwing new due dates at you, developing strong practices for on-time delivery is difficult at best.

Meeting due dates is crucial to the growth and success of your business. You will build trust with clients so they turn to you for future projects. When you are more productive, you will also get more work done and be able to take on new clients.

Fortunately, making a few changes to how you approach projects can make all the difference. Here are the top ways of meeting project deadlines on time.

1. Get Input From Staff

Gartner reports 82% of employees want their organizations to understand them as a person, but only 45% feel their employer tries. Before embarking on any big process changes or productivity improvements, gather everyone together.

Ask workers for ideas to improve time management. Most of them probably already have hacks they use and everyone can learn from one another. Also, ask for feedback for project managers on the things that might need improvement when it comes to dispersing work and setting deadlines.

2. Set the Foundation

Come up with a template you can utilize that defines the scope of the project and the end objective. Knowing the typical milestones for projects of a similar type enables you to streamline the process of setting up the job.

You can use tools such as online project management to make the process easier and save other workflows. With a plug-and-play type system, you simply add in the specific details for the exact project of the moment.

3. Use a Paper Planner

When you are first laying out your projects, put everything on paper. You never know when third-party software might go down. With a paper copy, you can pull out the original notes and keep moving forward until systems come back online.

Studies also show writing things out in hard copy improves retention. People will not have to continually refer to online notes if they better remember the next task. Although it is an extra step to mark off completed work and change things along the way, it is minimal compared to the headache you might have if a digital copy gets hacked or the server goes down.

4. Be Smart About Project Deadlines

It is tempting to make deadlines extremely tight to encourage staff to strive for better productivity. However, the stress of meeting impossible due dates could have the opposite effect and cause people to feel like failures.

Consider what a reasonable deadline is and how difficult the task might be. Something simple — such as emailing the client — might only need a few minutes to complete. On the other hand, creating a style guide is much more intensive and requires multiple hours of work that often must be broken down to avoid burnout.

5. Assign Tasks to the Right People

The creation of a website or app should go to your best web developer staff members. If you begin assigning tasks and realize you do not have enough people to complete highly technical or skilled work, you will need to hire someone or allow time for other team members to train.

Look at what is time sensitive and push those jobs to the people you know meet deadlines without fail. At the same time, get those workers to mentor others who might not be as adept at finishing tasks when they should.

Although meeting deadlines and working productively are important, your employees are learning from each project. Factor in time for education and building new skills so each project becomes a bit more efficient.

6. Rate Tasks by Priority

For any project, some tasks are more crucial than others. If the marketing department is waiting on a graphic design, they cannot schedule advertisements.

Look at which elements impact other elements when choosing the priority of tasks. Then, rank the most vital things so the team knows they should complete them first. Make it a daily habit to organize things a second time as milestones change and different variables enter the picture.

7. Conduct Frequent Progress Checks

As the project progresses, take the time to see if you are meeting major milestones and what deadlines might fall behind. If you are having a hard time coordinating everything or need a professional set of eyes on a job, hire one of the estimated 781,400 project management specialists in the U.S. You might want to get their input on how well your plan is working and any tweaks that would make the process more efficient.

8. Say No

It is common for clients to throw a bunch of new tasks or widen the scope of a project after you begin. You have to learn how to manage such requests without overwhelming your staff or not meeting crucial deadlines.

You do not want to tell a customer no constantly. However, sometimes you must explain why something is outside the original agreement, and additions will require more time and resources.

Deliver Quality Projects on Time

Clients expect you to meet specific deadlines but keep the lines of communication open and assure them you understand what they want from the experience. Setting goals before you begin a project helps keep things on track. If you run into problems, go back to the objective and strategize. When you focus on the project as a whole and then break it down, you will be better able to manage project deadlines and keep your clients happy.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

How Do Businesses Create Unforgettable Experiences that Span the Entire Buyer’s Journey?

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Today’s savvy consumers look for more than just price or quality in the products they buy. Shoppers also want a positive and engaging user experience (UX) that spans the entire buyer’s journey and beyond.

It’s natural to focus on finding new leads and getting them to make a purchase, but there are many steps before, during and after the sale that can impact how the user feels about your brand. The goal is to engage with them in a way that leaves them walking away with such a positive impression that they tell everyone they know and sing your praises via reviews and social media posts.

How can you improve the buyer’s journey and turn browsers into loyal customers and current clients into raving fans?

1. Know the Phases of the Buyer’s Journey

Before you can create an amazing experience, you must fully understand the path a consumer walks before they buy. In general, there are three phases to the process.

  1. Awareness
  2. Consideration
  3. Decision

Within each of those phases are various touch points to focus on if you wish to create a memorable encounter. Walk through the sales funnel as though you are a user at each phase. Does anything make you want to leave the site? Is there anything unclear or that could be easier to use?

2. Get Personal

It’s particularly crucial during the awareness phase to create content that speaks to the audience. Create buyer personas based on pain points the user has that drives them to you for a solution.

Once you understand your audience’s demographics, you can address the emotions behind each pain point. Create content that relieves fears, makes them laugh or helps them overcome the issue at hand.

Videos are one tool to engage new users and begin to move them from the awareness to the consideration phase. You must first teach them about what you do and why it would help them.

3. Improve Checkout

Zippia reports that the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.82% across all industries. Anything you can do to improve checkout will improve your revenue.

Users entering your checkout process are likely already in the decision stage and ready to make a purchase. Prevent any reasons to bounce away. Test the system, retest it and simplify things until closing the sale is as natural as clicking a single link.

Add features such as a one-click checkout and integrate with third-party payment providers like PayPal and Google so information is already stored and the user doesn’t have to think before hitting the checkout button.

4. Onboard New Visitors

Many experts now recommend taking a total experience (TX) approach with users. With TX, you have to look at every tiny detail. The way the colors on the page impact users emotionally may seem minor but can make a difference in the way the audience perceives your brand.

Take the time to welcome new visitors and teach them how to use your website or software. Break things down until even a small child could understand the next step and why to take it. Ensure call to action (CTA) buttons are easy to spot and the result is clear.

Don’t forget how many mobile interactions there are, as the numbers increase annually. Many shoppers may visit your site from smartphones, tablets and other devices.

5. Create Interactive Experiences

When the buyer’s journey reaches the consideration stage, focus on creating content that draws the user in and engages them. You might add a flip card, where you ask a question and the user clicks on the card for the answer about your product or service.

You might also host a webinar, offer online product demonstrations or tap into the power of augmented reality (AR). Ikea takes AR and adds it to their app for an immersive experience that sells furniture. The user points their cell phone at the room and plops the item into place. Instantly, they can consider how it looks and if it is the right item for their needs.

People move very quickly from consideration to decision when you give them the tools to do so.

6. Build Customer Loyalty

CX is a roughly $641 billion industry and growing. Companies are starting to understand why the steps a buyer goes through to become a customer are so crucial to building a loyal fan base.

One thing you can do to better understand your customers and create positive associations with your brand is to build a customer journey map. A map is something you should build as you walk through your site or shopping experience. Write down every touchpoint.

Next, ask if each interaction is all it can be or you should ramp things up. If something isn’t working, change it. Talk to customers and find out what they love and dislike about their experience.

7. Improve Multichannel Communication

Have you ever gone online and engaged a chatbot to fix an issue with a product or service? Perhaps you phoned and explained the issue only to be transferred and have to explain it all over again.

If you want to make a good impression on the buyer, you have to lessen their frustration when something does go wrong or they have a question. The best way to improve your customer service is by integrating all customer service channels into a single database.

Let’s say John went into the chatbot and tried to troubleshoot his new flashlight. Unfortunately, no live agents were available, and the bot couldn’t help, so the system asked him to phone.

John makes the call but has to explain the entire issue once again. The agent he reached isn’t in technical support and apologizes and transfers him to the correct department. Once there, guess what happens? John has to explain the entire problem yet again and hope this person can help him.

If you’re frustrating your customers like this, stop now. Train agents to look up the chain of communication and already know what the problem is so they can hit the ground running. “Hello John, I see that you tried to resolve this with our online live chat but were asked to phone in. Your new flashlight you just bought isn’t turning on and you want to know if you should return it. Is that correct?”

John is now less frustrated and you’ve improved the CX for him, making his experience unforgettable in a positive way.

Follow Up for the Best CX Imaginable

Creating an unforgettable experience happens when you stand out from the competition. You must show customers you care about them as individuals and give them a reason to trust you with their hard-earned dollars.

Following up after you have their money is one of the top ways to signal you care about more than just profit. You want them to be happy with their purchase and trust you in the future. Send an email checking on them and make sure they’re completely satisfied. Most will ignore the email, but a few might reach out for help or with a complaint. If they do, you now have the opportunity to solve the problem and secure your reputation with them.

With a little added effort during each part of the buyer’s journey, you’ll wind up with a skew of loyal fans who tell others how amazing you and your products are.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

6 Advanced SEO Tips & Tricks to Boost Website Traffic

Author: Eliza James

What Is SEO and Why Is It Important?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is the process by which webmasters make their websites appear higher up on the SERPs to drive more traffic.

SEO is important in the current era due to the immense marketing potential of websites. Businesses and service providers alike have websites through which they try to increase their exposure. SEO is crucial to these parties since they have to make their website as popular as possible.

Normal methods of marketing are still viable, but online marketing is more or less essential nowadays. Hence SEO, by extension, can be considered indispensable as well.

Now that you know why SEO is important, let us take a look at some tips that can help you improve your site’s SEO.

6 SEO Tips and Tricks to Boost Website Traffic

SEO tips are always changing because search engines do not stick with the same algorithm for too long. The algorithms for ranking sites get updated every now and then. This makes it almost impossible to know what kind of SEO you need to do to rank high.

Google alone rolls out 500 to 600 updates annually.

However, some methods always show results and we are going to be going over some of them in order.

  1. Have a Good UI/UX for Your Website

UI/UX stands for “User Interface and User Experience”. You need to have a website that is easy and intuitive to use. People who visit your website must have a good user experience.

Too often it happens that users get confused when visiting a new site and they leave instead of exploring it further. This increases the ‘bounce rate’ of the site.

‘Bounces’ can also happen if a site is too slow to load. So, you will need to make sure that it loads very fast. This counts towards “User experience”.

If a site’s bounce rate is too high, search engines will think that it does not contain the content relevant to its target keyword. Subsequently, they will rank the website lower in the SERPs.

A well-designed website will decrease the bounce rate, thereby contributing to SEO.

  1. Target a Specific Niche

Your website should have a clear direction. It should not be a website that contains a random blend of different topics.

You need to have only one type of content on your site. For example, if you are a programmer, you will probably make a site that has tips for budding program, or posts about some new trick that you have found to utilize certain functions or libraries.

There is a catch, though. Programming is a huge field, and there are tons of programming languages out there with lots of frameworks and libraries. You cannot possibly target all of them.

Your site will need to be only about the specific language you are an expert in, and the various libraries and frameworks for it that you are skilled at.

By keeping things tight like this, search engines get a clear message what topic a particular site is about.

This helps them rank you higher for the correct keywords.

  1. Feature Quality Content

A website needs to have some good content on it. Content plays a major role in SEO.

Search engines check if websites are producing a steady stream of new and unduplicated content. If they are, their ranking in the SERPs increase (provided the content is relevant and of good quality).

If the content is found to be duplicated or written poorly, the ranking in the SERPs falls. Plagiarism in particular is very detrimental to SEO.

Search engines typically punish websites that have duplicated content by lowering their ranking or removing them from the listing altogether.

You can detect plagiarism in your content by using a free plagiarism checker. There are a lot of such tools available that can help you optimize your content.

  1. Meta Description and Page Titles

Your page title is the first thing that people will see when they find you on the search results page. That’s why it needs to be impactful and attention-grabbing.

Meta data i.e., Meta tags and Meta descriptions help to define the relevancy of your website to the search engine crawlers.

Adding a Meta description also helps people see what your site is offering while they are on the search results page.

This can attract people who are looking for what you offer. The Meta description gives a small but concise explanation of what the page is offering.

You have to make sure to use your target keyword in the Meta description. Another tip is to make the Meta description unique for each page. Remember to keep the Meta description under 160 characters.

  1. Make High-Quality Backlinks

For good SEO, you must have a good number of high-quality backlinks. This number is an important ranking factor that search engines consider when assigning a rank to a website.

To generate good backlinks, you need to reach out to other bloggers in your niche and ask them for collaboration or ask them to allow you to guest post.

You also need to go to various forums that are related to your niche and participate in questioning and answering.

This will put your name out in the open. Giving good answers can be an opportunity to link your site (as a reference for more detailed answers).

Once people start noticing you, they will be more inclined to link your articles on their sites, or in comment sections in response to other people.

One thing you need to take care of is to only reach out to sites that have high authority. Backlinks from high authority sites are more valuable and pass on more ‘link juice’…as the community likes to call it.

  1. Target Proper Keywords

Keywords are the life and soul of SEO. Targeting the correct keywords is essential. If your site is showing up for the wrong keywords, it will drastically increase the bounce rate.

That is because people are not looking for your site in the first place. After all, it is showing up for the wrong keywords.

Keywords can range from general to specific, and the more general they are the more volume they have. Conversely, they have a less specific search intent.

Targeting specific keywords might sound scary, as you are intentionally reducing traffic. However, targeting specific keywords helps the search engines realize the purpose of your website very clearly.

This will make the search engines place your site closer to the top whenever they detect the same intent from a search.

Conclusion

These were some tips for the SEO of your website. These tips will help you rank higher in the SERPs and make your website stand out from the competition. In 2022, optimizing websites for both humans and crawlers is very lucrative.

When a human has a good experience on your website, they may link it on other platforms and help you generate more organic traffic.

On the other hand, when bots/crawlers are easily able to discern what your site is about, it helps them index it correctly and match it to the correct search intent. This makes them rank your site higher in the SERPs.

With these tips, you will be well on your way to making your website rank high in the SERPs.

5 Ways to Streamline App Development

Author: Romy Toma-Catauta

The app market is booming. The building, deploying, and marketing of your app is a great investment — if you have the right tools and if after that, you promote your app on social media. For example, there are companies such as Growthoid.com user ratings that can help you increase the number of your social media followers. Thus, more and more people will find out about your recently launched app. 

Streamlining the app development process is about approaching the process with an open mind and a lot of research. 

Too many app developers today face structural and organizational challenges that prevent them from creating their best work. 

Here are five ways to streamline your app development processes:

1. Use agile principles

Building software can be quite a daunting endeavor. It’s important to have some of Agile’s best guiding principles to help you cut costs and improve your team’s effectiveness.

Additionally, getting the most out of your developers is much simpler with the agile method where constant communication and cooperation guarantees that everyone gets involved. The platform you choose to use will also greatly affect the app’s performance. 

Some important agile principles are:

  • Product-based progress 
  • Simplicity is paramount
  • The customer always comes first
  • Improvements are made each cycle (cyclical design vs waterfall or cascading design)

2. Choose a feature-loaded platform

There are several platforms like Ionic and BuildFire that make creating apps a simple process and take out a lot of the menial coding that would simply slow down development. 

Larger teams may be more willing to create from scratch but even though it is not recommended due to these services making life so much easier. 

Try platforms like:

  • Ionic
  • BuildFire
  • BuildBox
  • Android Studio
  • Xcode

3. Leverage UX consultancy

UX consultants are indispensable assets for any app development team as they can accurately assess the experience of the app as a whole. Unfortunately, there are many great ideas hidden behind a gauntlet of bad taste and poor execution. 

Avoiding these pitfalls is as simple as consulting with a UX professional who will give you the tips you need to make your app a truly enjoyable experience. 

UX consultants can help awesome mobile developers get:

  • Better screens
  • Optimized ease of use
  • Effective test cases

4. Tweak based on user feedback

Even though it may feel like an uncomfortable endeavor you should always be open to feedback and ask for it as much as possible. Feedback Is the only way companies know if they have developed a star or a dud. 

That is why it is so integral that you test your product’s vision and design before committing to a final product. 

App development teams that are open to tweaking will almost always find success because they will always be seeking improvement. 

Update your app continuously instead of holding on to an app shy of perfection:

5. Automate testing

Developers should also use their fair share of automation tools to get the job done in a great time and with incredible precision. Developers can use automated applications that will accurately assess the responsiveness of the app while testing their technical features. 

App developers now can test on-demand allowing for a constant cycle of testing and improving that will result in a perfect product and a highly skilled development team, which will help a business thrive. 

Developers can also use automation for some app-related technologies like marketing and organizing to make the entire experience less stressful without being less fulfilling.

One of the first things to pinpoint for improving the process is the management style of the app development team. If on small teams of developers the agile method works wonderfully as it helps developers feel connected and heard without the draconian overhead of constant management. 

Agile is much more focused on making the product the best that it can be for the client or market without sacrificing developers or losing ideas. 

Many app development teams will begin to steamroll ahead without much thought often leaving behind a slew of ideas that may have improved the product immensely. Using the agile method will also allow the product to flourish naturally as its development should respond to certain market changes or client demands. 

Applications are built on ideas and services that could genuinely help someone and no amount of tedium should stand in the way of a great idea. 

6 Key Components of an Effective B2M Website

Author: Eleanor Hecks

A business to many (B2M) website must serve multiple functions and reach two distinct audience types. Juggling the different users and meeting their needs isn’t easy, but it can be done quite effectively with a little forethought and tweaking.

According to Internet Live Stats, there are 1.87 billion websites in the world. While they aren’t all active at the same time, and some simply park on top of other domains, you’re still competing for customer attention with a ton of other pages. Spending a little time on site renovations will pay off with more sales.

However, what works for one business model may not work for the next. The needs of your buyer personas are unique to your industry and perhaps even your company. How can you ensure your B2M website is effective for your users?

1. Find Common Elements

What are some of the needs and values your business and consumer customers share? Perhaps they both like quality products that stand the test of time. Maybe they have a need for speed. Perhaps you solve a similar pain point for both, but on different scales? Look for the similarities and showcase them on the main pages of your site. Think about the values all your customers care about.

When you land on the Chase.com website, you’ll see an option for personal or business options. As you browse through different offers, such as checking or savings, you’ll see a comparison of different types of banking accounts. Since many B2B clients might also want a personal account, shifting back and forth between the options is a matter of clicking a tab at the top of the page.

2. Segment Your Audience

How well does your navigation work to get your users to the section related to their needs? When serving both consumers and other businesses, it requires a smart and streamlined navigation to get the user from Point A to Point B without any detours.

Consider separating your site into two parts or more. When people land on your home page, do you direct them to the next step or do they feel lost? If you aren’t sure, hire some testers to go through your site and point out any weaknesses.

3. Choose Relevant Images

Be cautious not to focus on photos of only one type of work you do. If you serve consumers and businesses, your images should reflect how you help both. If you direct someone to a page specifically for companies, you would focus on pictures to relate your ability. However, if the page serves both B2C and B2B, you must mix things up.

Note how ADCO Garage Doors highlight images of modern homes, traditional homes and commercial spaces. By varying the photographs, they show they’re capable of a wide range of styles and options. The landing page speaks both to homeowners and business owners.

4. Check Your Headlines

The first impression a user has of your site is often via the headings. When they do a search, they’ll see your heading in the SERPs. They’ll also see it when they click and land on your page.

Do your headlines effectively pull in both consumers and businesses? How can you tweak them to make them work better for all your buyer personas? If you separate your site into pages for both B2C and B2B, then you should have varied headlines for each.

5. Revamp Your CTAs

Does your CTA make sense for both segments of your buying audience? If not, either separate out the landing pages further or tweak your CTAs. Run the words, color, placement and size of button through the filer of your buyer personas.

You may need to adjust the language or colors to better meet the psychographic profile of each customer type. Don’t be afraid to segment your pages even more if it means you can create a more personalized experience for your users.

Lamps Plus serves both commercial spaces and homes. Rather than trying to come up with separate CTAs for the landing page, they create a bright box to highlight a current sale and invite all users to “Shop Sale.”

Business owners and consumers want to save money on shipping and costs, so the CTA works for all segments of their audience. They get a bit more specific on product pages, depending on the offer.

6. Study Heat Maps and Traffic Patterns

What do users do when they actually land on your page? You can track the journey of a business owner as they stop by your home page, click on the business section and move through your site. Where do they linger? Is there a point where the majority bounce away? What can you improve?

Once you know where users linger and convert into customers, it’s easier to repeat those elements and delete clutter that isn’t serving your needs.

Experiment and Test

Every effective B2M website has some of the components above, but what works best for your site is dependent on your individual customers. Try different tactics and test each one via A/B or multivariate testing to see what performs for your business.

Try different colors, segments, language and images. Offer incentives to entice people to sign up for your mailing list. Experiment and see what works best. Once you have an idea, it’s much easier to repeat those efforts and grow your business into a B2M powerhouse.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

How to Design a User-Focused Hero Image

Author: Eleanor Hecks

A hero image should grab the attention of site visitors instantly. However, it’s easy to get so caught up in using beautiful images and grabbing attention you forget to make sure the photos are user-focused. Each hero shot should serve a specific purpose and meet customers’ needs.

According to Netcraft, the number of websites is constantly in flux. The billions of domain names don’t truly reflect how many live websites there are at any given moment. For example, the internet gained 6.28 million sites in May 2021, but also lost 4.87 million domains.

If you want to be certain your hero image hits on all the points needed for a potential customer landing on your website, follow the tips below to ensure you’re selecting the right layout and options for your users.

1. Show the Product

One of the top ways to focus on users is by using your hero image to highlight the product site visitors want to see. If you’re an e-commerce store, you’ll need to choose a category or share new arrivals.

On the other hand, if you sell a service, you can show the product in action or offer a before and after side-by-side. Think about what you’d most want to see if you were the customer. Put yourself in the user’s shoes.

Ditto Residential is a real estate firm with a focus on revamping and creating healthy, beautiful spaces. To show some of what they offer, they use a hero shot of one of their luxury living spaces. The photo helps people see their overall design concept and get a feel for the light airy look to their style.

Another advantage to the placement of their hero image is they can swap out the look for one of their other properties. If they notice a sudden uptick in consumers looking for larger homes, they might highlight an airy space, for example.

2. Choose Stellar Typography

Your hero image should capture the user’s imagination, but you also need to think through the headlines and other details on your page. To enhance the user experience (UX), choose a color and font size that stands out from the background.

Choose the hero image that allows your text to show up. You may want to overlay a solid transparent color over the entire photograph or choose a different picture with some darker or lighter areas where text will pop.

3. Gain User Trust

Your hero image can go a long way toward showing you’re knowledgeable and trustworthy. Choose an image if your technicians in the field or some other expert insight no one else provides. When people think about your product or service, you want to be seen as the go-to authority.

D.E. Gemmill chose an image of their traffic control marking experts hard at work. The employees look capable and the photo also highlights the brand’s equipment. The truck moves off to the left of the screen, creating a sense of motion and work ethic.

4. Choose High Quality Images

You may know the exact photograph you’d like to use, but when you blow it up to full screen width, it’s a bit fuzzy. Always choose sharp, high-quality photos over anything else. You may need to reshoot the photo in a higher resolution, or go with a completely different selection.

At the same time, you must optimize pictures so your site loads as quickly as possible. Use a high resolution, but compress the image. Test your pages load times to ensure your speed is up to par.

5. Add a Video

A still shot grabs interest, but a video hero image tells an entire story. You can share moments of action, inspire users with what they might gain from a product and set a unique tone for your site.

As with any image you choose, make sure the footage is relevant to your industry and your business in particular. Ideally, you’ll hire a videographer to shoot and edit a clip to use in the background of your website’s header.

Ag America offers lending to farmers. They take a moment to highlight some of the hard work farmers do in a day, showing tractors, a farmer walking the field and a close look at crops. Their target audience will see they understand the business at hand and be much more likely to trust the company with their business.

6. Remember the CTA

Your call to action button (CTA) must stand out against the hero image. You can choose the most interesting photograph in the world but if you don’t ask users to take the next step, you risk losing them to the competition.

First, your CTA button should be a color varying from the rest of your color palette. Many companies use a vivid orange, red, blue or green for their CTAs. Second, you should tweak the size, position and language on your button to see what performs best with your target audience.

Test and Retest

Try different images, headlines and CTAs on your website. Conduct split testing to see what performs best with your audience. Even a change of the wording on your CTA can make a difference in your conversion rates.

Try different options and test after each change. Over time, you’ll find the perfect selection for your users. If you want your site visitors to respond with action, you must tweak every tiny aspect of your page, starting with your hero image and moving on to what sits atop it.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.