By: Peggy de Lange, responsible for B2B marketing at freelance platform Fiverr
In the coming months, it's crunch time for entrepreneurs, perhaps even more so than usual. With special discount days and the holidays on the agenda, this period can mean a significant boost for revenue. However, it's not a given, as this year the holidays are not as they used to be. Dutch consumers have not been this gloomy about the economic situation in twenty years.
With this low confidence and historically low willingness to spend, there could be a hard blow if you rely on achieving a crucial part of your annual revenue during the next 10 weeks. You certainly don't want that. So, you need to ensure that people do not scroll past your digital store. Below are three things you can do to make a difference with your webshop.
Get on page 1
Online, your direct competitor could be on the other side of the world; the content of your website competes with millions of businesses. So when your content ranks high on Google, consumers are more likely to click on your website. Working on that involves search engine optimization, boosting your visibility so that Google's algorithms recommend your site more often. A ranking on page 1 significantly increases the number of clicks. On the first page of Google, the number 1 has a click-through rate of 34.2%. The second position about 17%, and the third has a click-through rate of 11%. As the famous joke goes: "The best place to hide a body is on page two of Google…"
SEO is powerful but unfortunately not simple, and the competition to appear at the top of Google is certainly not small. Hiring an SEO expert is far from a luxury. Organic traffic is the optimal way to attract customers to your website. First, it is cost-effective. Second, it can result in higher conversion rates because it brings high-quality leads. People are literally searching for the items you sell, and if the experience of your site (see tip 2) is good, they are likely to make a purchase.
Who, what, where, how much
When a consumer visits your website, the goal is for them to buy items. That will happen more often than not. According to the latest retail trends, consumers will do more research and spend less while paying extra attention to the sharpest price.
Therefore, you need to eliminate as many doubts or questions as possible. Present your information in such a way that they do not have to click through to see the price or view various color options. Your customer wants to know what it is, where it is available, how it will benefit them, how long it lasts, how much it costs, and why it is better than other competing products. Consumers like to be well-informed when making a purchase decision, so capitalize on this!
Customer-ready checkout
Online payment in an easy way is one of the best conversion drivers of online shopping. What may seem like a practical challenge that doesn't matter much is vital for the experience your site offers. Many e-commerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce have built-in payment options. Configuring the payment is just as easy as selecting and adding account numbers. Ensure your site has this, or at least offer IDEAL and PayPal. Not only will consumers not drop out of the queue, but it also gives your site authority and reliability. PayPal also has buyer protection built in, just like credit card payments, which makes consumers feel better protected and trust your site more.
There are dozens of (often essential) steps to selling online. Think of "mobile responsiveness," hyper-automation, generative AI… That can be quite daunting. Just get the basics right; the top three steps are a good start. Don't be afraid to invest, both in digitization itself and in experts who can help you. Just as you take inventory of your store monthly and periodically paint the facade, a site needs constant attention and maintenance.
