The Dawn of Post-Click Marketing
John Miller wrote a great piece for SearchEngineLand recently about what he calls “Post-Click” marketing. The basic idea is that what happens after the AdWords click is just as important, if not more so, than the click on the keyword itself. In other words, getting a visitor to your site is only half the battle.
This insight holds equally true for B2C companies. Perhaps even more so given the fierce competition for keyword inventory among online retail sites. With increasing click costs and already thin contribution margins, the online retailers we talk to tell us there is no more important metric within their control than conversion rate (generally defined as orders/visits per unit time). Up to this point, online retailers have leaned heavily on costly promotions such as free shipping, price discounts, and “buy x get y”. Let’s not forget that margins are tight and getting tighter in the online retail business.
So there’s a problem. Where do retailers turn to to convert more visitors into buyers, drive down acquisition costs, and increase margins? There is a significant need in the market to optimize the post-click experience for every visitor. At CleverSet, we study this problem every day and see many opportunities for sites to do just that.
Here are a few tactics we’ve picked up on from some of our customers.
1. Define the primary use cases for which your site is designed. Compare these use cases against the actual behavior of users on your site. Are they aligned? Do people get lost or bounce right back out when they come through natural search? Answers to these fundamental questions can be found in your analytics and with a basic use case framework you can go a long way to understanding how well your site is optimized for post-click.
2. Optimize the order path. Make it as easy as possible for people to complete the ordering process. Sounds obvious but you’d be surprised at how many sites out there make it difficult and/or confusing for consumers. Closely examine the order path, remove unnecessary hurdles, and assist the customer in completing the transaction.
3. Deliver a user experience that is personalized and relevant to the interests of every individual user. Give visitors something fresh and new, with useful information, that will give them a reason to stick around, explore products and browse.
Check out how awinestore.com has seen significant revenue lift by personalizing the site experience for their customers.
Comments