This is the twelfth post in a blog series about how to launch an eCommerce business years 1-3. You can view the previous week’s post, “Does Paid Advertising Scare You? Here’s Some Advice” here.
Mature websites are intuitive and easy-to-use, with just the right amount of content on each page. But how do you know if your website is mature?
Start by using Google Analytics and Hotjar to track activity on your website (see previous blog for more info how to use these free tools) . This lets you know what pages are working and where you could make improvements.
Here are some general questions you should be asking yourself as you review the data:
Is the right audience arriving at the site?
Is the audience being delivered the right message?
Is the site offering the right products?
Is the product being offered at the right price?
Based on the answers to these questions, you can start to build a more mature site. At CleverFunnel, we can build you a pretty sweet website (our team has literally built thousands), or you can choose to continue DIYing it. Totally up to you. Steadily making incremental changes is by far the most effective way to build a mature eCommerce business.
Let’s take a look at the three frameworks we use every day here at CleverFunnel to assess a site’s maturity and identify opportunities for improvement:
- PDM
Here at CleverFunnel, PDM stands for Persona – Driver – Messaging. These three little words form the basis of everything we do. Every time we run a test, we’re either trying to learn more about a company’s Persona (who their target audience is), their Drivers (what motivates their audience), or their Messaging (how to effectively communicate with their audience via posts, web copy, creative, and so on).
It’s important to evaluate your website through the lens of PDM and align the copy and creative with your core Drivers. This will help you make powerful changes to your website that drive conversions and generate value.
- DIAMOND DESIGN
The goal of Diamond Design is to get users off of the homepage and drive conversions in as few clicks as possible—ideally four or less. Users who explore beyond the conversion page are directed back to the conversion page as often as possible.
Diamond design is an approach to web design that we at CleverFunnel created based on our experience building thousands of websites, and it has helped our clients drive conversions and keep customers on site. Fun fact, Diamond Design has now been recognized by Google, so it’s kind of a big deal.
- THE GOLDEN CONTENT RATIO 3:2:1
Every website has three types of content: Trust & Credibility, Educational, Conversion. All the copy and creative on your site should feed into one of these categories.
But how much Trust & Credibility content should your site have versus Educational content? And how much Conversion content?
The mature site should have 3 parts Trust & Credibility Content for every 2 parts Educational Content for every 1 part Conversion Content.
Why does your site need so much Trust & Credibility? Because customers are highly skeptical, and they’re inclined to distrust new eCommerce sites. If they feel the slightest bit scammed or pressured, they’ll click that red “x” and move on with their lives. It’s your job to win them over. Some examples of content that build credibility are testimonials, reviews, press, videos, and logo sections.
Educating your audience about your product and your industry is also a highly effective way to win new customers. Give them everything they need to make an informed decision and feel good about it later.
You should strategically place both Trust & Credibility content and Educational content throughout your website to guide the buyer journey and keep them continuously engaged.
And finally, Conversion content. When it comes to Conversion-specific content, less is more. You want to hook customers in with your credibility content, educate them on your products, and make buying from you as painless as possible.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Starting an eCommerce business is like building a rocket in your garage and expecting it to take you to the moon—it might not work, and even if it does, there’s a good chance you’ll get hurt along the way.
The good news is you’re not the first person crazy enough to try this. There are many others (myself included) who have tried, failed, and tried again. By learning from our many (many) mistakes, you can launch an eCommerce business that makes it safely to orbit and beyond.
In this blog series, you’ll get a step-by-step guide to creating and launching your eCommerce business years 1–3. We go over how to create a functional brand, set up your website, and develop an advertising strategy that scales with you. We’ll go through the various pros and cons, so that you can feel empowered to make the best decisions for your business.
My name is Chris Franks, and I’m the founder and CEO of CleverFunnel, a digital marketing agency that focuses on using straightforward, data-driven strategies to drive real results for our clients.
I’m also an avid lover of indie music, fly fishing, baseball, and sunscreen (although that’s more of a genetic necessity). I wrote this with the hope that my story could help other young entrepreneurs achieve their goals, without losing their savings (or their sanity) in the process. If any bit of this helps you, it’ll have been worth it.
