Do you know the difference between a tactic and a strategy? Lots of people use the two terms interchangeably. But it’s important to know they’re two distinct approaches, and the one you choose for any given situation can be the difference between successful websites and ones that are poor performers.
- A strategy defines long-term goals and how you plan to achieve them.
- Tactics are much more specific and focus on small, measurable steps. Essentially they break down the tasks needed to reach a strategic goal.
Implementing tactics without strategy is like driving without a map. Having a strategy, but not deploying tactics to implement them is like having a great road trip planned, but not starting the car. In either case, you don’t get to your goal.
IQnection is a Philadelphia web design and digital marketing agency that believes a strategic approach to website design is the best way to meet your business goals, including how to increase dwell times and conversions on your site.
Website Conversion Rate Optimization Tactics
If you want to increase user engagement with your brand, you must give people a reason to visit your site and then linger there long enough to be persuaded that you hold the key to resolving their problem. The time spent on site is a metric that Google calls “dwell time”. Increased dwell time indicates that your site is speaks to a visitors needs or problems in a helpful and engaging way.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) refers to people taking an action on your site. That could mean clicking on your phone number to initiate a call, filling in a form, downloading a case study, or signing up for a free trial. Your goal is to increase the percentage of visitors who take action or “convert” on your website. For instance, if your CRO is 10 percent, that means one in ten people who visit your site actually convert. Average conversion rates across all industries hover in the 1.5-3% range.
There are many CRO tactics. Determining the ones that will work for you depends on factors like your industry, target audience, and business model. There are some, though, that tend to work for multiple types of businesses.
A click-through rate (CTR) reflects the number of people who click on a link to your web site from an ad, email, social media post, or other marketing channel. CTR is an important metric to track and its obvious why. The more visitors to your site, the higher opportunities for visitors to convert. CTR can also indicate the relevance of the content you are generating to get people to your site, whether that’s an email, ad or other tactic.
Live chat and chatbot features on your website give people the personalized experience they’re looking for. It helps them research your product or service, find useful information, and ultimately make a purchase. It’s not difficult to see why chat boosts conversion rates: If a visitor spends less time searching and more time getting answers via a chat agent, they are on a faster path to a conversion.
The SEO/CRO Connection
While CRO looks to convert website traffic by encouraging visitors to take action, SEO focuses on boosting traffic to your site. Working together, SEO and CRO drive rankings and conversions, a winning combination for attracting and retaining new customers.
Of course, your SEO campaigns must be designed to attract the right kind of traffic or you won’t see the conversions you’re hoping for. Along with choosing the right SEO keywords, you’ll want to:
- Create SEO content that matches a user’s intent. People use all types of searches, including informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational to get the information they need. When your site’s content matches what people are looking for, Google rewards you by boosting your site’s ranking, which means more exposure and more traffic.
- Optimize content for conversions by using calls-to-action that link to conversion-focused content.
- Get your site ranked higher by improving its mobile experience. That means making sure it loads fast, is easy to navigate, and is touchscreen ready.
How a Philadelphia Web Design Agency Can Help
Are you on the fence about working with a digital marketing agency for your website design? Knowing the benefits of partnering with an agency that has years of experience in helping businesses achieve both short and long-term goals can help you make up your mind.
- If you’re struggling to keep up-to-date with algorithm changes, the latest trends, and new digital marketing tactics and strategies, and how these things should influence your website design process, a professional agency makes sure you’re never left behind.
- A great agency is both reliable and accountable. They’re there for you when you need them and, if a strategy starts to lose steam, they review the data for insights and pivot to a new tactic.
- Even if you have an internal marketing team, an outside digital marketing agency adds more team players and extends your expertise in highly specialized or technical skill sets like SEO or social media.
- You get access tools and technology that provide advanced insight when wielded by people with expertise.
IQnection is a Philadelphia web design company that starts every project with a strategic approach. We dig deep to understand who your customers are and what kind of experience they expect form your website. We evaluate the competition, review your website architecture, and your SEO position. All of this contributes to the final website design.
One of the greatest advantages to working with a digital marketing agency? You get to stay focused on what matters most: growing your business. If you’re ready to learn more about how IQnection can help you develop tactics and strategies that boost traffic, conversions, and revenue, contact us today.
