From a user standpoint, not all online experiences are created equal. But a bad experience can taint a business and hinder ROI. Every day, we’re contacted by potential clients who are looking for answers to one question: Why aren’t our online tactics making us money?
The good news for these businesses is that they know there’s a problem, and that Spyder Trap can provide a solution. Sometimes, unless customers are actively complaining, it can take a little bit more examination to figure out the shortcomings of a digital strategy. Here are four signs we look for that tell us it’s time for a strategy update.
Sign #1: Your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns aren’t converting
You’ve been spending money each month with Google AdWords, trying to convert sales. Each month you spend and each month is a disappointment. Something’s clearly gone wrong. There are two sides to look at to find the problem: the PPC campaign itself and the page the campaign sends users to.
PPC campaigns can be very easy to jump into without planning, but Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is all in the details. Are you targeting the right audience? Are you spending enough? Are you tracking the results? With even one part of this process missing, you could be leaving money on the table.
Even with the perfect strategy, a PPC campaign won’t succeed without pointing users to a quality landing page. All the clicks in the world can’t translate into sales if the landing page isn’t optimized for conversions. Effective calls to action and intuitive web design will make conversions a much easier task to accomplish. Take a look at both sides of your PPC efforts and see which areas might need some help.
Sign #2: Your mobile presence isn’t a priority
Mobile is everywhere. In fact the odds are good that you’re reading this on a mobile device right now. If a mobile user doesn’t get a good experience from your site, that user will leave. No business wants users leaving—not until a purchase is made at least. If losing users who actually find your site isn’t enough to encourage you to become mobile friendly, maybe this will: Google will start giving ranking preference to mobile-friendly sites in April. It will become harder and harder to attract potential customers to your business without optimizing for mobile. A good responsive website will solve these problems with just one set of code. Picture this: your website optimized for every device, every time. Looks good, doesn’t it?
Sign #3: Your search engine rank is unknown
Not having a mobile friendly site isn’t the only way to lose out when it comes to search engine rankings. If you’re not ranking high in searches, it might be time to adjust for search engine optimization (SEO). Don’t just go online and Google SEO “tricks.” There are plenty of them out there, but almost all of them lack substance. Effective SEO requires extensive research of keywords, competition, and website structure. Building quality links takes time and effort making connections with real people. Easy SEO is ineffective SEO, and possibly even harmful. With so many customers starting the purchasing process with search engines, an investment in quality SEO can really pay off.
Sign #4: You have no digital strategy—or it’s been awhile
The last sign that you might need to update your digital strategy is also the simplest. If you don’t have a strategy, it’s time to get one! Without a goal and a roadmap to reach that goal, your efforts are going to fail. Maybe you do have a strategy, but you haven’t revisited it in some time. Same rules apply. The digital space moves much too fast to have a “set it and forget it” attitude for strategies. Digital trends in 2015 already look different than in 2014, and are unrecognizable compared to in 2010. If your strategy is more than a year old, it’s time to get back to the drawing board. Maintaining an up-to-date strategy will help your business keep its competitive advantage. Ignoring it will just open things up for your competitors and slow down growth.
The good news is that Spyder Trap can help in any of the areas in which your business might fall short. Connect with us to start putting your business back on track for growth.