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Jan 27 / Shauna Nicholson

How To: Calculated eCommerce Investments Yield Results

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eCommerce is a constantly growing opportunity source. Knowing how to capitalize on opportunities requires more factors than any one blog post can handle, but it’s an incredible mechanism for business.

Business websites can hold similar potential, when used correctly. “Used correctly” means regarding a business website with the similar time, strategy and consideration as you might a brick-and-mortar.

How we determined investments: The Research

There are many critical pieces of data I examine before making recommendations on a project. Here are a few examples:

  • Current and historical website performance
  • Multiple offline business considerations (such as new markets, fulfillment constraints and benefits, etc)
  • Traffic origins
  • Search demand
  • Market opportunity
  • Competition
  • Conversion rates

Once a complete audit is finished, recommendations on moving forward can be made. Recommendations detail what it takes to achieve detailed performance goals and return on investment projections.

    Returns on Investment: The Results

    Then the project kicks off. I love logging into Google Analytics and seeing those green arrows. They indicate results; namely, gangbuster traffic. Looking further into the analytics revealed increasing conversion rates (read: SALES), a bounce rate that surpassed my original goals, and diversified traffic streams.

    How we got here: The Tools Using carefully evaluated data, strategies were created to best capitalize on opportunity for sustained  growth. Some of the investment tactics we used:

    • Used social media to share educational, entertaining content (Site traffic up by over 600 visits/day!)
    • Established relevant SEO with content marketing (Ranked and linked for keywords that convert traffic)
    • Made both major and minor user experience (website design and layout) updates (Made it easy for the user to convert)
    • Stabilized infrastructure (Ensuring increased website performance, as well as improved search engine ranking)
    • Used Google Adwords to drive traffic throughout updates for “quick wins” (Keep cash flow moving in during construction)

    And this is only the beginning!

    Obvious disclaimer: All projects are unique, so don’t automatically anticipate the same results I’ve had in this instance for your own. As I’ve said, it takes a calculated projections to completely understand what an eCommerce (or business) website is capable of–and not capable of.

    I invite you to share your stories in the comments. What has worked best for you?

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    Filed under Conversion Rates Posts, Marketing Posts, Social Media Posts, Strategy Posts
    • Alan,
      Great additions--thank you!

      There are so many analyzer softwares out there and they're only improving. Some provide "heat pad" views of where users are most active on the sites; others go so far as to provide a real-time view of user navigation! Though the latter isn't something I necessarily recommend for the long-term (time sucker!), it's an incredible tool for beta-testing a new application.

      In-bound keywords can be very telling. It's essentially free market research. Keywords let you know how your user market describes what they're looking for and what terms they use. At the same time, it can let you know if you're search terms are attracting the RIGHT user type.
    • Glad you ask "what has worked best," Shauna . . . though your tactics don't leave a whole lot to add.

      Here's one post-launch step to assure e-commerce sites are in sync with those who come to browse and buy:

      --> Generate traffic reports at least weekly from site log files or add-on software (StatCounter, Deep Log Analyzer, MindVis, Power-Stats, OneStat) to monitor and analyze:

      * How users navigate through the site

      * What makes them click from page to page

      * What info is most popular ('stickiest' pages, most unique visitors/returnees)

      Logs or monitoring programs also let administrators and e-marketing advisers track inbound keyword phrase searches and traffic origins for critical data and possible tactical tweaks.

      Responding to what's learned helps drive -- and convert -- "gangbuster traffic" by improving user experience, raising visit frequency, extending stays and generating those green arrows that earn b-i-g smiles.
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