6 Conversion-Boosting Benefits of Online Videos

If you’re not using videos on your website, you’re missing out on some golden opportunities for your business.

Why?

Because people love watching videos, and it has a super high conversion rate. According to Forbes: By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017. What a huge number! If your business relies on getting qualified customers from the web, then video is a potent and powerful marketing tool.

Statistics like these are great reasons why you need to start incorporating video on your website. 

Following are 7 ways that using video boosts conversions, with the stats to back them up.

 1. More attention from your customers.

If I see a video on a web page, then the first thing I’m going to do is watch the video. I might scan the content very quickly, but I will definitely watch the video. If I like what, I will watch the whole thing and even email it to a friend. Think about it for a moment. If you connect with the person on the video or like the product, you will buy it or use their service. And Animoto says that in 2021, we’ll see a surge in live video coupled with real-time shopping on both Facebook and Instagram.The take out here is that video is a huge attention grabber and can enhance the buying experience.

2. Surviving the first ten seconds.

Yep, that’s what you have—about ten seconds for the customer to form their opinion of your website. If they like what they see, they may hang around a bit, but if it looks too dull and wordy, they’ll leave. Now, what happens if you throw a great looking video in the mix? What’s going to happen? Their eyes will go straight to the video, and they will more than likely click the play button. And according to WordStream, video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more.Based on these stats, you have a higher chance of keeping people on your website if they can watch something about your businesses. Whether it’s entertaining, informative, educational or instructional – they will be on your site longer if they have something that engages them more than words.According to Crazy Egg, a word of warning here: just because landing page videos have been seen to increase conversions doesn’t mean you can throw up any shoddy video and expect results. Don’t shoot any old video, and expect it to work because it won’t and may have the opposite effect.

3. Helping answer question

Video has a massive cut through rate and answer a customers question very quickly. Most shoppers have the same questions when they are about to buy something online like; how does the product work, what are it’s main features and can I see it in use? Using a video to explain all this in less than a minute is a great way to improve conversion rates.The marketing guru in the USA, Neil Patel, reckons that viewers are anywhere from 64-85% more likely to buy after watching a product video.If I were going to launch a product, I’d have an explainer video for sure, based on these compelling statistics.

4. People love sharing videos

If you like a product or service video, you are going to share it with someone. Think about a new bike your thinking about buying. If you Google’ buy bikes in Sydney’ and you find a website with an excellent video telling you about a particular bike you’re interested in – you are going to share it with a riding buddy or partner. I love surfing, and I’m always looking at the latest surfboards from my favourite brand. Check out how these guys use video to explain the board and push their brand – it’s so powerful.

If they like it as well, you’ll probably buy from the site. It just goes to show you the power of video and what an effective sales tool it is. Forbes back this up by saying that 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision process.

5. Tell your story in under 60 seconds

Videos make your business sales pitch super-easy. You can quickly explain to users your unique selling point or tell them about a new service product. According to wyzowl, 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. Explainer videos are not that difficult to create. We know this because we do it all the time at Hopping Mad Designs.

6.Videos build lots of trust

People will respect and trust you much more if you put yourself out there and make a video. It can be challenging for many business owners to get in front of a camera and talk. But, there are huge dividends as customers will meet you online before meeting you in person – this builds a level of trust and a connection. If there is a connection between you and the online customer and you seem genuine, then the trust factor goes way up.Making that connection with people looking for your particular product or service will help improve conversion rates, according to WooCommerce in their blog article ‘the psychology of an online shopper’: Videos is also a great way to connect with your customers. They’re both visual and auditory, so they’re more memorable than other forms of media — viewers remember 95% of a message when watching it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it

Action Steps

If you are wondering how to incorporate video into your marketing mix, here are a few essential steps to keep in mind:

  • Hire a professional, local explainer video company to shoot your product or service videos. Your iPhone won’t be good enough for this – you have to call in the experts.
  • Show the product from different angles and zoom in where necessary.
  • It’s always good to get a video testimonial from a customer – these have exceptional value if they seem genuine and not fake.
  • Do this regularly, and don’t treat it as a once-off. 

About the author

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Steven Waldberg helps Sydney business owners improve website conversion rates through content marketing, clever web design and SEO copywriting.

If you want to smash your compettion online give me a call on 02 9360 8514.

Psychological Triggers to MAKE PEOPLE BUY From YOU! (How to Increase Conversions) Sales Tricks

In this post, I will be giving you a secret edge over your competition when it comes to driving customers to your website with ten simple tips. Getting more sales has more to do with psychology than you would imagine.

Being in the web industry business for over 20 years, plus having my own business, I have learnt a few simple psychological sales tricks that I’m happy to share with you.

Try implementing these and see what happens to your sales. I use them all the time and BOOM they are super good! Killer results all the time.

You will be amazed at what a few simple tweaks to your website can do for you.

Tip # 1. Get as many great customer & product reviews.

People read reviews. Yes, they do see many fake reviews and can see the real ones from the fake ones, but actual honest reviews that are positive will have a massive impact on a consumers buying decision. If you have a Shopify Sore, an e-Commerce shop, are selling anything online, or are any business that has reviews, you should focus attention to nurturing all your positive reviews.

You might even go so far as to implement third party software like TrustPilot, where customers can leave reviews. The beauty of software like this is that you can’t alter any negative reviews. They are there to stay for everyone to read. These negative reviews add to the authenticity of the positive ones. But, the psychology behind these is enormous. Potential buyers or customers will trawl through these right before they hit the buy button.

Make sure you address all negative reviews courteously and professionally and never ignore these as they WILL stand out and have a massive impact on the buying decision.

Tip # 2. Create curiosity among buyers.

The more curious people are, the more likely they are going to trawl through your site and look for answers.

The best way to trigger a customers curiosity is to have little gimmicks like spin to win or pop up boxes with snippets of information that get them aroused mentally about specials, giveaways, promotions, freebies etc.

Try to create some cool pop up boxes with attention-grabbing headings that spark that curious element in someone. Offer them the opportunity to win a random coupon or a price reduction if they click on the learn more button – I bet anything they will!!

Tip #3. Use Photos or Videos to Help Customers Visualize

I bet you didn’t know that photos or a video on your web page were the # 1 conversion factors as to whether they buy from you. If your customers can visualise the product and see themselves using it, they are more likely to buy from you. Simple as that!

For example, a photo of a soccer ball here is a great way to show parents how much the kids are going to love playing with their new present. If you have an online e-Commerce store, then photos are vital in the consumer conversion process. Also, try as you can see here to use pictures in a real-life scenario or context. It makes a huge difference to see these photos used by someone.

Also read: Signs that it’s time to redesign your website

Tip #4. Use Price Anchoring to Push Prices Higher

Price anchoring is a great way to get people to hit that all-important buy now button. What you do is place two products you’re selling side by side and put three pricing tiers under each product. Most people ( and you are probably saying that this is you ) will take the middle row which you can label most popular. It looks excellent value compared to the most expensive option and looks better quality than the cheaper option. It’s the middle path, and this is where most people will click. They are more than happy to compromise and hit the middle buy now button. You might also like to highlight this row with a shaded background to highlight this even further.

If you are running an e-Commerce store, never have one price set at say $14.95. Offer more options, so consumers feel as though they are getting the best deal from you.

Tip # 5. Include Product Pictures with Human Faces

If you use a human face to sell products, buyers are more likely to identify with this. If the consumer can identify with another person, it creates a sense of aspiration that they want to be like that person in the photo. It makes sense. If I want to buy a lounge for my house, I would want to see a smiling happy photo of two people sitting on their lounge. This type of sales psychology works across all industries and niches. For example, dentists would use pictures of smiling happy people with white teeth, and a gym would have fit healthy people on their website. Using another person image creates trust.

Even better, if you could have a video of someone promoting the product or service, this would be such a powerful psychological trigger to buy.

Tip # 6. Fear of missing out

We see this all the time, and it’s such a vast psychological sales trigger. Fear of missing out drives people to buy because they feel as though they will miss out on a great deal if they don’t buy it now.

Everyone uses it from real estate agents through to online shops. Reason being, it works so well. Think about statements like:

  • 25% off for today only
  • first 50 callers will receive a 50% discount
  • don’t miss your chance to win a free holiday
  • last 2 rooms available
  • go in-store for today only and get 70% off the retail price

All these create the fear of missing a great deal and encourage consumers to buy. If you want to sell products quickly leverage off people fear of missing out on a great deal. It works all the time.

Tip 7: Clearly State Your Prices as Low

Never just put one price and leave it at that. Always put words like: from only or just before the price and see what happens to sales. Even better, why not put phrases like; for a limited time only just…..

Its statements like this before telling them the price that creates a fear of missing out and encourages them to buy now. If you walk around Westfield Shopping centres, you see signs like this all the time outside the shops. You walk past them and before you know it your inside browsing. It’s these signs that create the sense that you’re missing out that causes you to rush in and buy.

For online businesses, you can employ the same tactics and see the results.

Tip 8. Give something for FREE

Everyone loves freebies. Who doesn’t? I do and so do your customers. Offer them a free consultation or a free giveaway in your marketing and see what happens. You might even throw in a time frame to get them moving. Like, a FREE giveaway for the next 7 days or something along those lines. At Hopping Mad Designs, we love to do a FREE 30-minute design consultation or a FREE 30 min SEO consultation. All of these trigger a very positive buying response in potential and existing customers.

Stuck for ideas?

Don’t stress we are here to help you come up with some great ways to help you improve your sales and overall website conversion rates. It’s not rocket science and can be done really easily.

Call Steve on 02 9360 8514 and I’m more than happy to have a free chat with you over the phone to give you some quick wins and tips about improving your websites sales appeal.

7 Quickest Ways to Start Marketing your Website

Following are 10 of the quickest ways to start marketing your website online. Yes, they do cost money but to be perfectly honest with you there is no way around this. It is just the way it is in the digital space in 2015.

ONE:  Be Proactive with your Social Media

Everyone is using social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter. LinkedIn or Instagram, activity on all social media platforms is now considered a must for business. Even if you have never done this before or you are just dipping your toes in the water for the first time, social media marketing (however small initially) will start to attract new eyes on your website. I know it’s hard, and in many cases a lot of small businesses simply do not have the time to be active in this space, but you should be posting something regularly about your business.  When it comes to engaging with the public through these social platforms, make sure you do not post random, silly articles or tweets. Be professional, put some thought into it and you will fine that over time (yes this does take time) you will start to get a bit of a following. Always try to be relevant with your posts and lead them back to something related to a product or service offering you have. Got a Xmas special? Put it on Facebook. Thinking about a giveaway? Why not tweet about it. Have a great new product shot that looks absolutely stunning? Put this on Instagram?

If you are unclear about how social media can work for your business, it’s best to get in touch with people that have experience in this field like us at Hopping Mad Designs.

TWO:  Email Marketing Campaigns

People hate receiving ‘spammy’ emails. We get them daily and I can tell you I hate them. But, if you are able to collect information from people who have visited your website and you are able to target email them ( obviously with an unsubscribe option) – this is a great way to reach out to people. Yes a percentage of people may hate them but for those that accept these, the return on investment is huge. There are heaps of these types of email platforms out there ( they are even free), so start thinking about a daily, weekly or even monthly email campaign. If people like what you have to offer, then the conversion rates on these campaigns are HUGE – this is what it’s al about and this is what is going to bring in the dollars.

I you would like help setting this up please speak to us and we can implement a email marketing system up for you. We are great with platforms like Mailchimp and Salesforce.

THREE:  SEO or (Search Engine Optimisation)

This is the big one. Every business needs SEO and if you haven’t thought about starting a campaign then you need to really get going on this. SEO benefits all businesses as they all want to rank on Google to get customers. Why? Because Google is the only place people look when searching for a product or service. If you business is not there when they are searching then guess what? You loose out big time.

Get proactive today and start your research on getting an SEO company to help you with this. NEVER have a DIY approach to your SEO as this needs to be handles by people that are skilled with Google’s latest changes. It is not as easy as it looks and there are many pitfalls and dangers when working with an SEO company. Choose wisely as going with the wrong team will spell certain death for your online marketing. SEO is the king of all your internet marketing so if you are unclear – speak to me Steven and I will tell you all there is to know about SEO and how it can help you make money.

FOUR:  Google Adwords

If you do not have the time to wait for you natural organic SEO ranking to happen, Adwords is an alternative. This is the way Google makes it’s money and most people end up doing some form of Adwords or PPC campaign during the lifetime of their website. Essentially, Adwords is what you see on the right hand side and the top 3 results of the search page on Google. The most you bid per click the higher you go. Oh yes…watch you money go as well as Adwords can be ( for competitive keyword searches) frightfully expensive. I am talking up to $100 per click in some cases. That’s right, every time someone clicks your ad is could cost you that much. This is why you need to be extremely careful with your Adwords campaign and honestly it’s best if you leave it ( like your SEO) to people who have a thorough understanding of this.

Unfortunately, with Adwords the ROI can be quite low but if you want to be on Google, there is really no other immediate option.

FIVE:  Writing Great Website Copy & Blogs

Its great to have a great looking website. It’s fine to look as though you have spent a fortune getting it designed. But, what the user reads is going to be as important as the graphics. Web page copy has got to be sales focused and extremely relevant to your offering. Each individual web page must be professionally written if you have never done this before. Also, you need to start thinking about writing blogs. This is termed content marketing and is a great way of building the reach of your website with content.

PLUS great web copy, top graphics, clear calls to action and easy site logic with radically improve your customer conversion rates. Similar to what I am dong with the blog at Hooping Mad Designs, you should be doing as well. All blog articles will get indexed by Google and you really never ever know who will stumble across these and read them. Publish enough content and you will start to dominate your niche online. Read a few of my blogs and you should get where I’m coming from.

SIX:  PR can help drive traffic

This is really a no brainer. The more PR you do, the more people are going to get to know about your business. Anytime you have something important to say try to get this out to other more well known websites. Get them to publish an article about your news and this should get picked up by other bloggers and press agencies that will increase your exposure. Plus the more people that link organically back to your website, the better it is for your search engine rankings. This is a real WINNER and although this is somewhat difficult to do, especially for small business or people that have never done this before, it is really a great profile raiser. If unsure about the next steps here – please speak to us and we can organise your PR on a regular basis. This need not be as expensive as you think. We can come up with a cost effective PR campaign that will bring in web traffic

SEVEN:  Remarketing is a cool little idea

Imagine having and advert for your website follow browsers wherever they go online. Yes you are kinda stalking them but it serves as a gentle reminder that they have been on your website previously and you are still there if they need to engage or buy from you. These ads are now everywhere and they are quite a nifty little marketing tool that can be used in conjunction with your SEO / PPC campaign to further drive traffic to your website.

 

Whilst all these tips are great ideas, actually implementing these are another thing entirely. When it comes to anything to do with the online space; including Google, it can freak some people out. It is not hard and as a director of a marketing agency I , myself find that I am always having to do research and having to find the time to spend on social media and SEO. It’s really time consuming and even if you do spend days on this, it can all go pear shaped and give little return if you do it incorrectly.

I am not saying this to drum up business for Hopping mad, but I am saying this to help [people understand that the digital space is complex and there needs to be a game plan if you are going to make it work properly and see dividends. Al I can say is get professional advice and help before you start anything…especially with your SEO!

Hopping Mad Designs Reviews SEO in 2015

The very first major shift in Google’s ranking strategy is the way it will rank websites that are not mobile compatible on all hand help devices. They have made it abundantly clear that from April /May onwards any website that is not responsive will not rank as high as sites that are. Webmasters and site owners that have gone to the trouble and effort to make their site responsive will be rewarded. Alternatively, those that have not are going to see the outcome and they are not going to be happy. As Hopping Mad reviews SEO trends in 2015, this is the one that I would say is going to cause the biggest stir. There are many businesses out there that are still unaware of the impending nightmare that is about to descend on them in terms of mobile rankings. So this is a big warning. Get your site fully responsive.

The last 2 to 3 years has seen a clamp down, and rightly so on dodgy link building and poor on page, lazy attitudes to websites. That is, Google has come down hard on those websites that exists merely as a reference point. A brochure online that is there cause it has to be there. These sites over the years were probably not doing too badly by the mere fact of the age of their URL. Well 2015, is going to see the end of this as content marketing strategies becomes the focus of Google. Strong, well worded landing pages that deliver real insight into what the consumer is searching for is going to work well in 2015. If you think that you are going to be at the top of the search results with thinly worded pages that are light on relevance and content then think again.

Possibly one of the worst things any SEO agency could do for their clients is to focus on a set of keywords and nothing else. This is an unfortunate situation, brought about by SEO companies that are forced into implementing spammy techniques as they are on extremely tight budgets or even worse; they just don’t know what they are doing. Google wants link diversity. Simply put they are looking for a completely natural back link profile and anything other than this will result in penalties. I can assure you that this practice is extremely common in Australia among many of these ‘so called’ SEO companies and 2015 is going to spell the end of these unscrupulous tactics. If you are one of those businesses (and you should know this) that have tried to penny pinch and go with the cheapest SEO providor then Google has you in its cross hairs and you better watch out. I am not just saying this to try to scare you into using our services. My reviews are designed to help well intentioned businesses that have gone into a SEO contract with an agency based on the sales spiel they have heard. Most business people act with the best intentions in mind and unfortunately this is not the case when it comes to SEO. WHY? I honestly cannot tell you but it has a really bad reputation and this is due to the actions of many bad elements who think they can prey on the naivety of hard working honest people. We are here left to pick up the pieces of a fragmented online marketing campaign that has turned sour. So all I can say is pay a very unrealistic low price for your SEO and the consequences will be absolutely dire.

If you think social media is just for the children then think again. The signals we are getting from other SEO review websites in 2015 is that social media is going to play an important role in what Google determines is ‘of value’. If your website has got something to say and is worth sharing, liking or tweeting, then this will be detected by the search engines and better rankings will follow.

The SEO landscape has shifted radically over the last 5 years. Pre Penguin and Panda updates suffice to say it was OK to link build en masse. It really didn’t matter who you hooked up with in terms of doing your SEO. Any old company was fine so long as they were able to but links at a reasonable price. The jigsaw puzzle (and it really is one) that makes up the SEO fabric is comprised of many elements. You really need to be across all of these if you expect to be on top of your game. There are companies out there who have got a handle on this and respect what they have to do in order to be industries best. In many cases, they have teams of people looking after every strand of their SEO and internet marketing. No stone is left unturned when it comes to ticking all the right boxes.

So where does it leave you the business owner who may not necessarily have the resources or the capacity to do everything needed to comply with Google. Well, the answer is simple. Be natural with everything you do online and never try to manipulate your rankings fraudulently. This is especially true in the SEO environment we find ourselves facing this year. Be really careful with everything you do and tread lightly and cautiously when it comes to who you decide to partner with.

If I had to review 2 grave mistakes businesses make and need to address is:

 

  • be realistic in your timing expectations to rank. This is not going to happen overnight and is a very lengthy process. So you have to be in this for the long haul
  • try not to be too tempted with SEO pricing. In know this is hard, but please understand me when I tell you the inherent dangers of trusting someone who is offering their services at third world rates. I have written about this on many occasions and all I hope is that the message sinks in.

 

Why Work with a Digital Marketing Agency?

If your business is not up to speed and not connecting with the tech savvy, mobile consumer base, then the future looks grim I’m afraid to say. This is why its vital for the survival of your business that you start thinking about using the services of a digital marketing agency. An agency that is immersed with the latest trends online and knows what it takes to connect with a new generation of consumers. Businesses in Australia now have a great opportunity to really engage with their audience but firstly they must hook up with the right digital marketing agency to make this a reality.

What is a Digital Marketing Agency?

A digital marketing agency, simply put will help your business grow online. They have a thorough understanding of all online marketing platforms that are at their finger tips to help push, promote and drive your brand digitally online. These platforms are extensive and growing all the time, but the most common and popular digital marketing platforms are: search engine optimisation or (SEO), Google Adwords, Retargeting, Web Design, Conversion Rate Optimisation, Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing (blogging). This may seem like a huge shopping list but this is really the main areas that businesses need to focus on if they are to stay ahead of the curve in this very fast evolving digital age. This is where a company like Hopping Mad Designs can step in and help with your entire digital marketing strategy and campaign.

We have the perfect blend and mix of designers and tech people that can look at your business holistically and see how it is positioned in the digital space. We then come back with a complete marketing digital marketing framework that you can put into place so that your business becomes increasingly competitive and attractive online. This is not an overnight solution but one that needs nurturing time and constant attention. I would suggest calling us on  02 9360 8514 to learn more about Digital marketing and the massive benefits it can bring to your business, company or organisation.

Why Do You Need to Work with a Digital Agency?

Like any part of your business you need professional advice and help from only industries best. You would never have a DIY approach to legal or accounting matter and the same goes with your digital marketing. Let me break this down for you and give you an example.

Probably the most complex, yet profitable thing you can do with your digital marketing is search engine optimisation. For anyone who doesn’t know about SEO or has never done this in the past, it’s really all about getting your website on the first page of Google. There is so much literature and information about this online that people tend to try and have a go at it themselves or use a friend or go with a recommended company that has no experience in this space (this last point always baffles me). The point I am trying to make is that SEO is a risk / return marketing medium. By this I mean, make the right choice, go with the best digital partner and the rewards will be huge. Risk it and go with a dodgy providor and the downside is huge. Cause SEO makes up the fabric of so much of the digital space I have seen businesses have to close their doors cause they chose poorly from the get go.

Again, I really want to emphasise here that it is imperative and absolute MUST that you find the right digital agency as the consequences for your business of a poor selection are too horrific to contemplate.

4 Tips to be on the Lookout When Selecting Your Digital Agency Partner.

Tip # 1: make sure they can prove to you past performance and online digital marketing work they done in the past. This is all about measurable results and return and investment and you want to see physical proof. Without this it can be a case of all smoke n mirrors and a bunch of cheap sales talk.

Tip # 2: Watch out for those SEO or Digital agencies that will do your internet marketing for free till your websites keywords are sitting on page 1 of Google. These guys are a bunch of rip off merchants and are out there to completely scam you of your money. The tactics they use to rank: really underperforming, easy as hell to rank keywords….just to prove their worth and sign you up) are going to come back and bite you later on once Google sees the linking activity with your website. This can get technical and I do not want to bore you, but just stay well clear of these agencies. They are easy to spot and even advertise themselves using Google Adwords….BE WARNED! Seek out the best and the rewards will be huge.

Tip # 3: Use an agency that will do all your work in house. You want to find that right digital agency that has the perfect mix of web design, copywriting, SEO and social media skills. This is very hard to find as most companies then to pigeon hole and specialise in 1 area of work. Be on the look out for this as you DO NOT want to work with a digital agency that just focuses on SEO or web design.

As an example if you browse our own portfolio of work you will see that we are able to easily straddle of types of digital marketing including web design; which is really a strong point for us. Needless to say, check our own SEO rankings and how good they are. This should give you an idea of what we can do for your company. Not only does our own website look great but it’s ranking on the search engines for all of our keywords.

Tip # 4: Content marketing takes on many forms but now should be an essential and vital part of your digital marketing. Consumers, internet users and your client base, need to be informed about your business and the best way to do this online is through blogging and using your social media platforms. Whatever you post, tweet or publish will be read by the masses. This means that your content has to have a plan, a strategy behind it, so having an agency with team of copy writing specialist is a huge advantage for your digital marketing – make sure you do not forget about this point and be very u8pfront with whoever you interview to see if they can provide this niche service.

I just want to say here that this is not a self promotion, or a cheap plug for hopping mad designs; this comes directly from someone who has been there and done that in the digital space and has seen first hand how awesomely good things can be, if they are done properly. I have also seen, unfortunately what can and does eventually happen to businesses that base their decisions purely on the marketing dollar and are always on the look out for the cheapest option on the table. It’s a bloody disaster – take my word for this.

 

What Web Content Does Google Love?

I think the best way to approach this is to give a real life example of what I mean. Let’s say for example you are a cosmetic surgeon and you have many part to your business. That is your services include liposuction, rhinoplasty, breast enlargements and even face surgery. Ideally, you want all those individual services to come up on page 1 of Google when someone types in those keywords.

So for example, if I am looking for a cosmetic surgeon in Sydney who can provide me with a liposuction procedure, all I am going to do is type in the words ‘cosmetic surgeons liposuction’ into Google and I will probably base my choice on the websites that appear on page 1. I will probably click on say 5 or 6 websites and base my decision on what looks and what reads best.

Herein lies the beauty and power of your content marketing and what Google loves so much about it. Let me delve into this deeper to make my point clearer.  Google will rank those pages (and you can use the liposuction page as an example) that have fresh, new relevant content that is specific to liposuction. This means that the pages must be all about liposuction and provide me with as much information as I can possibly want about it. This does NOT mean that you can write some basic content of just a few hundred words and expect it to rank. It needs to be a meaty article with lots of content that all web browsers and potential liposuction customers could want. Once you have done this properly and the article has roughly 1000-1500 words, then it should rank on Google.

I want to add a note here that is very important. Yes the page will rank, BUT if it is in a very competitive area like liposuction there will need to be an SEO campaign implemented to boost the authority of this page. So once you have all your ducks lined up neatly all you need to do is wait for the Google magic to happen.

This in a nutshell is how is works and how one can get their content to be loved by Google and in turn give that individual web page the best chance of getting as much online exposure as possible. It’s not rocket science it’s just common sense and if you follow these rules you can’t go wrong.

Saying that I want to list a few DONT’S when it comes to content writing:

  1. don’t try and stuff as many keywords as you can on these pages in the hope that search engines will favour it. This just makes the article page unreadable and will just turn people away – not what Google likes.
  2. Don’t copy and paste from other sources and think you can get away with it. PLAGIARISM IS A massive no no and your page will never ever rank.
  3. Don’t vary the topic. Stay relevant, be consistent and don’t waffle on about nothing just to fill space. Make sure what you write is going to be interesting enough to make people want to stay on the page. The longer they stay the better the chance they will make an inquiry.

If all this sounds too confusing and you want to learn more about how writing effective web content can help with your SEO and rankings, then get in touch with us here at hopping mad designs.

Responsive Web Design, SEO, Google in 2015, you have been warned

So What is a Responsive website?

Simply put, when you are on your mobile phone and you find yourself pinching and scrolling on the screen to see the tabs, the site is not responsive. If it is mobile friendly you will find that when it displays on your screen it fits neatly on the screen. All buttons are visible and easy to tap on. Once hit they then go to another internal page. You will know what I mean when you arrive at a website and you are on your iphone and you think ‘ what a pain’ cause you can’t use it properly. The navigation looks miniscule and the text is tiny. Most people will simply exit a website that has not been optimised for the iphones and androids.

This is where Google has stepped in and thought, why should we rank a website that offers this bad experience for our users. Remember, Google wants to display and showcase search results for their users that are not only relevant for the keywords but also for the experience. Sure a website may have high authority and may be ranking well on desktops, but why should Google rank this site on mobiles if the whole end experience is poor.

The proof is already there and the wheels with Google are in motion. Here’s an experiment. Pick up your iphone and search for anything. You will see that in the description next to each individual result the works ‘ mobile friendly’. Now I am not saying with 100% certainty that this is going to have an effect on the rankings moving forward in 2015, but Google doesn’t do anything in half measures.

They have even contacted webmasters via their web master tools to alert them that their web site has been indexed and is not mobile optimised.

By connecting the dots I can say with a certain level of authority that 2015 will be the year that if you have not got a responsive or mobile site, then watch out. The consequences can be dire. Whilst you may rank well for the desktop version of your site, your rankings are likely to tank and be hit hard for all other devices.

OK, before you panic, I would say you have a bit of time up your sleeve. Cause, Google will give businesses ample time to make the necessary adjustments to get the designs and coding sorted. I would say that you have until May, June or July to get your house in order. After this period, who knows what will happen. But as a business owner myself all I can say is that when it comes to Google and SEO, prevention is so much better than the cure. So act now – get a responsive site asap!

So What Do You Do Next?

The best thing is to get in touch with your web developer and see if they can convert your website to responsive. If you have an open source CMS, like WordPress, Joomla or Magento, then this may only take a couple of days. For example we have been able to make sites responsive in a couple of days. It was a quick fix. If on the other hand your website has been built using a proprietary or some obscure CMS, you may be in a bit of trouble if you cannot get in touch with the people that built your site. In any case its best to deal with someone who can make all this happen so that the end result is all very search engine friendly.

This is where a company like Hopping Mad Designs can help. We can manage this whole process for you with a minimum of fuss and hassle. It’s really a no brainer, putting aside the whole SEO aspect, why would you not want your website to be consumer friendly? After all the mobile search market is only going to get bigger and either you are going to go with the tide or swim against it. It’s your call but you have been warned well in advance of the ramifications of ignoring this.

Why I Can’t Find My Website on Google

OK, so how do I find that elusive SEO and web agency that will be able to deliver the kind of measurable results I am looking for and help my website get found on Google? Well, it’s not easy and there are many traps and pitfalls to avoid, and be on the look out for. Make 1 false move and it could spell disaster for the unsuspecting and trusting business person. Don’t be a sucker and loose out on the full potential a great Google ranking can bring to your business. Be savvy, be smart and NEVER compromise on quality when it comes to SEO and Web design – this is the only way you are ever going to get found online.

So, following are some tell tales signs that you need to be extremely wary of when engaging your digital marketing and web strategists.

Watch out for those SEO companies that say they don’t want any money upfront for their service and they only want payment once they can prove they have got you a ranking. This is a BIG warning sign and there are heaps and I mean heaps of SEO shonky companies out there trying to sucker you into this. It’s a massive scam and the worst thing about this is that their sales people are so convincing and backed up by fake, bogus, fabricated, call it what ever you like testimonials, that many businesses end up getting duped. It’s really prevalent out there so be careful? Why, I hear you ask? Cause these guys will use very dodgy trick in the book to rank you and once they have you confidence they then lock you into a contract. Once Google ( and this may take a few weeks), indexes these crappy, insanely dodgy back links, your site is going to get slammed hard and be hit with a Google penalty or manual action. This is real nasty and it will all be too late for you to do anything as you will have already signed that very tight contract. I see it all the time and have witnessed businesses with great products and awesome service offerings get hammered online because they ended up using these incredibly shift SEO companies.

 

Be on the watch for web agencies that tell you that they can design and build you are great website that is custom designed for a really cheap rate. Whilst this may sound all well and good when you are starting out and looking to save some money upfront ( and I appreciate that all businesses want to save as much as they can), but when it comes to your website this aint going to work. Again, there are companies by the hundreds out there online looking to fleece you of your money by pretending to offer customised design when all they actually do is give you a stock standard template. The consumer researching online is less likely to engage with a dull, ‘same as’ style website if they have been systematically bombarded with these over time. They want something different, they want something that is going to wow them and a site that is going to implant your brand in their mind. This unfortunately, will not happen if you get a website that has been designed and built on the smell of an oily rag. I know this sounds harsh and you may think that I’m just trying to prop up and sell our web services at Hopping Mad, but all I am doing is trying to highlight the online environment and how difficult it is to succeed. Truth is you have to be bigger and better than the next company. This is just the way it is and I’m here to telly you that it’s only going to get harder.

THE BEST OPTION for YOUR BUSINESS

Honestly, the very best option for business start ups, established companies looking to get a bigger market share, organisations wanting to attract more members, is to go with a digital agency that can straddle all your design and internet marketing needs under 1 roof. This means that you should not spread out and give 1 job to 1 company and 1 task to another. Go with a credible studio that can sit down with you. Look at your business at a macro level and offer constructive proven advice and strategy based on years of previous performance. When I see potential clients for the first time I never concentrate on 1 particular area of their business. I tend to look at things in a very holistic and integrated manner, and come from the perspective that we need to tackle all marketing platforms evenly; web, SEO, content marketing, social media, remarketing and Adwords. Everything is interrelated and this is why you MUST spend the time doing the research and go with someone who really knows what they are talking about.

 

I’m so serious when I tell you that the internet landscape is a dangerous place to be if you are left in the hands of people who are just out for the fast buck…they are going to try and blind you with statistics, charts, fake testimonials, and even videos of themselves really looking honest, decent and sincere. WAKE UP people this is all a con and a scam.  Don’t be the next victim.

How To Create a Thankyou Page That Works

You have to be very clear about what you say. Thank them for making the inquiry and let them know the next steps that will be taken in the sales process. If it is an eCommerce site, tell them about delivery dates or timings, if your business offers a service let them know when you will be in touch. It’s these very small details that can make a huge difference to website conversion rates. Remember, these people have gone to the trouble of engaging with you, and buying from your site, so you have to be very aware of what you are send out to these users as a thank you. Effectively, the customer service and consumer nurturing role begins NOW! Make 110% sure that the consumer knows exactly where they stand – never leave them confused or wondering what the next steps are.

Whatever you do, it’s critical to make sure you leave them feeling satisfied and engaged, not confused. The following blog will outline some great tips in creating that perfect thankyou page. A page that will begin the sales process and start to convert what are just browsers and potential clients into full fledged brand loyalist. It’s not hard and doesn’t require too much effort BUT I do suggest that you speak with a graphic design and web agency like hopping mad that can design is up nicely for you and implement it into your website..

What do you want your Thank you Page to do?

People have come to your website and they have made that important inquiry. What’s next? Do you have any outcomes beyond this and what are the goals set for the Thank you page? Yes, you want to thank them for visiting the site and let them know you appreciate their business, but what else do you want? Just cause they have made the inquiry, do you want them to hang around your site, look for other products, do you want them to go to your blog for more information or click on your social media. Ideally, this is a good thing but in most cases they are going to exit the site. They have come for what they are looking for and their business is now concluded.  I personally do not like to inundate with users as soon as they have completed the process with over ‘spammy’ emails as this looks way too sales focused – it will just irritate them. I say best to leave it alone once they have finished with a great thank you message.

6 Thank You Page Content Tips

1) This is a no brainer – you have to say ‘thank you’. A lot of businesses actually forget this. They might tell then that your email is received and that’s about all. This is really impersonal and gets things going on the wrong footing. A big thank you is what is needed here.

2) Be specific about the next steps. Keep it simple and let them know that you will be in touch in the next 24 hours or your delivery will be there within 3 days. If people have spent money on your website, you want them to feel reassured that they will get what they paid for. NEVER LEAVE THEM HANGING or expecting more information.

3) Make sure it’s legible and totally at the top of the page. If it’s a pop up then it’s fine, but if it goes to a separate page within the site, keep it so they do not have to scroll. Any hassles at this stage or extra time needed on the site, will only cause them to exit. Yes, they probably will but you want then to do it with a positive feeling.

4) I think a great idea is to have some links to your social media on this page. Give them 1 last opportunity to like your Facebook page or follow you on Instagram. It’s not too cheesy or over the top but just a gentle reminder for them to get updates on new products or services, they should follow or like you. Simple as that.

5) Don’t waffle on with the content, They have bought from you and do not need to be further sold to. It looks too try hard and may have an adverse affect.

6) Lastly, and this is not content driven BUT relates to the way the page looks – Having the page text heavy with little or no graphic elements will not do it justice. I think it’s much better to make it graphical with your logo or brand. You can take it one step further if you like and have a picture of your team or employees – make it more personal.

All of these are just ideas from my perspective. Obviously, you may like to try a few of your own and do it on a trail and error basis. Perhaps get some feedback from your clients and see what they think. Remember, this is the internet and your website is dynamic. You can change it when ever you like and customise your thankyou page based on you what ever you like. Never have a set and forget attitude as this may make your website a bit stale. Like all things online it needs to evolve and change depending on what it current and popular.

How to Improve Website Conversion Rates

So What is Conversion Rate Optimisation?

Conversion rate optimisation is also known as (CRO) and is the process of looking at the way visitors interact with your website. Rather than simply focusing on driving visitors to your website in the hope that they will eventually buy from you, CRO looks at site visitors habits and addresses flaws in your web page design that might inhibit these potential customers from making an inquiry or buying from the website. Conversion Rate Optimisation affects all websites across all types of industries; including eCommerce sites. In short, if your website has not been optimised for the highest conversion rates, then you WILL  be loosing customers.

Let me give you an example. Have you ever gone to a website and been totally confused about who they are or what they offer? Have you been to a eCommerce website looking to buy a product and been unable to proceed to the check out area? Have you ever landed on a web page and could not find out how to contact them? If you have answered yes to all of these scenarios then you have visited sites that are in desperate need on conversion rate optimisaton.

At Hopping Mad Designs we are experts at pinpointing and highlighting areas of your website that are hampering and hindering potential buyers and clients from contacting or buying from you. We have in house conversion experts that can conduct a full website audit and make the necessary design and interface recommendations that will make your website a more powerful sales and marketing tool. A site that is completely focused on driving those visitors into paying clients. CALL US TODAY ON 02 9360 8514.

What is a Good Conversion Rate?

Conversion rates can vary widely BUT if you look at the major brands and most commonly known websites such as eBay and Amazon, you will find that their conversion rates are around 10%. This means that 10% of the people who visit the site will actually engage with the site economically – that is, buy the product. Now before you think this is way too low, let’s look at the average conversion rates for most Australian websites. They are around 1% and can in some cases be around 0.5%. These figures are quite low and the best way to improve on these is buy addressing the issues surrounding your site and trying to lift these poor CRO percentages.

What Are Some of the Factors That will Affect your Conversion Rate?

There are many factors that affect websites conversion rates. Some are no brainers and some are a little bit more involved but following will give you a guide as to what to look for when examining your low CRO rates:

Website design – Without doubt this is the first factor that will have a MASSIVE impact on your conversion rates. In many cases businesses have gone down the cheap web design path or even tried to have a crack at doing the website themselves and in return have a site that is underperforming and not really working that well. I have seen and spoken to many people who have wanted to save a few marketing dollars when getting their website designed and are now paying the heavy price with really low and terrible conversion rates. It’s a common mishap as the desire to go with web agencies that offer really cheap prices is often far too hard to refuse. The best thing to do now is speak with a professional web studio like Hopping Mad Designs that can turn these abysmal CRO figures around for you. This is the very first and most important step – without proper web design your CRO percentage rates will ALWAYS BE VERY VERY LOW no matter what you do.

Eliminate Flashing Images and Confusing Messages– Flashing signs all over the web page are a massive distraction. People don’t know where to look or where to go on the page. My advice is to keep things as simple as possible, with clear calls to action. Remember, you audience is on your website to find something, so PLEASE try to NOT put any road blocks or hurdles in their path of discovery. If you are the type of person who wants a flashy website with all the bling then please note the affect this will have on your conversion rates.

Inquiry Form Above the Fold – put an inquiry form with no more than 5 fields at the top of the page – perhaps even next to the top banner. People will be more inclined to make that inquiry if there is a form right in front of them. Don’t forget to ask your web agency to add a ‘Captcha’  text box to avoid those spammy emails. More and more companies are adopting this inquiry form box as it does work really well.

Offer Something Free on the Website – People love freebies. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be anything as simple as: free shipping, free giveaway or first consultation free. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s clear, visible and in their face. Having this scream out at the user will help reduce web bounce rates and in turn improve site conversions. Make sure in some cases you cap the time limit to give a sense of urgency about it. Anything to make them stay on your site, fill out the inquiry form or make that call – give it a go and see the type of results you are getting. If they don’t work, try refining, modifying these offers till you hit on the right formula.

Work on your Social Media and Build your Brand – People will be more inclined to buy from someone they trust online. Constantly adding to your social media and attracting a loyal customer base is a great way of brand building, generating loyalty and increasing conversion rates. Keep up your postings on Facebook, Instagram, Google + and Twitter. This may seem like a hassle and a lot of hard work but these social media platforms are there for you to use at your discretion.The more your post the more followers you are going to eventually get and this will give your brand so much more authority, trust and power. Got a new product you want to promote or an upcoming sale you want to tell people about – then put it on your social media and direct them to your site. If they like what they see and are not put off by shoddy designs then they will be more likely to buy from you.

What is your website copy like? – Was it written a long time ago by someone in your company with no skills or was it put together quickly just for the sake of having something up there? Web copy is an area that is often over looked BUT and I really want to hammer the point home here, IS NOW CRITICAL to the success of your website and conversion rates. You MUST get a professional copywriter to have a look at your web content and make sure it’s geared up and written for the consumer. Unless you are a skilled wordsmith then you better forget about writing the copy….spend some money at this stage of your web strategy and you will receive huge dividends. There is nothing more off putting than BAD copy. It’s a real sales killer and will put potential customers in a negative mind set. On top of this Google will reward websites with unique, well crafted copy and push these higher up on the search results. Essentially my point here is that for a website to work you need to combination of great copy, awesome graphics and a user interface that is very consumer friendly. These are the 3 pillars of increasing customer conversion rates and if you follow them religiously you will see fantastic results quickly.

So, How Can I Improve My Websites Conversion Rates?

If you are realistic then you should know that a 10% conversion rate is near or next to impossible UNLESS you are a big well known brand. But let’s put a positive spin on this. You can look to double or even triple your conversion rates in the short to near term by following my 3 pillars. For some businesses this is huge. Imaging being able to double your CRO from 1% to 2% and increasing sales by 100% – this is the power of CRO and this is why all businesses should now be taking this very seriously. Cause if you don’t, your competition will!

Once you have established a formula you can then look at a long term strategy till some day you do reach the pinnacle of a 10% conversion rate. It can be done, it just takes some will effort from your side of things and a willingness to get this started. A will to invest in a web, graphic and CRO specialist agency like Hopping Mad Designs is the very first step. We will take a very strategic approach to your CRO and look at ways to make a few simple improvements to start with that will have an immediate impact. So what are you waiting for call us today and start turning your sales slump around now!