Having a bad website is the fastest way to waste your ad budget. Make sure your site is fully optimized before running your next digital marketing campaign to increase your chances of optimal results.
The pursuit of every digital marketing campaign is, of course, to drive top-notch traffic to a website or landing page, capturing qualified leads and creating conversions. Yet, directing visitors to a clunky website can quickly drain an ad budget and give limited results.
Here, we explore the significance of website optimization and outline five actionable steps to ensure your website is poised to deliver optimal ad results.
Here, we explore the significance of website optimization and outline five actionable steps to ensure your website is poised to deliver optimal ad results.
Steps to Website Optimization
So, if having a bad website is the fastest way to burn through an ad budget without seeing results, what makes a good website? Here are our key factors:
User-Centric Design
The evidence suggests that a visitor to your site needs just 3 seconds to make an initial first impression. That’s not enough time to start reading, so appearances should be the priority.
Humans like to engage with interfaces that are intuitive, clear, and aesthetic. If these adjectives don’t currently describe your site, then now isn’t the time to start running ads.
Our biggest recommendation? Start by streamlining the design of your site. Cluttered pages, excessive copy, and bizarre spacing overwhelm rather than inspire, and confuse visitors. Embrace clean and uncluttered design, facilitating intuitive interaction and avoiding information overload.
Humans like to engage with interfaces that are intuitive, clear, and aesthetic. If these adjectives don’t currently describe your site, then now isn’t the time to start running ads.
Our biggest recommendation? Start by streamlining the design of your site. Cluttered pages, excessive copy, and bizarre spacing overwhelm rather than inspire, and confuse visitors. Embrace clean and uncluttered design, facilitating intuitive interaction and avoiding information overload.
Streamlined Navigation
Building on your design, your site should be easy to navigate with a clear site map. It should instinctively lead to the next steps of your funnel, channeling your visitor down the page and encouraging them to stick around.
Optimizing your navigation also means including links that work, a site map, and cohesive CTAs.
Optimizing your navigation also means including links that work, a site map, and cohesive CTAs.
Mobile Responsiveness
The number of customers shopping online via their smartphone has more than doubled in the last five years, and via mobile is the number one means of accessing the internet. Yet, many brands still put mobile responsiveness second.
It all comes down to knowing your audience. If you’re driving ecom traffic via social media ads, failing to optimize for mobile will mean you’re missing sales. However, focusing on a B2B lead gen campaign via LinkedIn might get better results prioritizing design for desktop.
Regardless, you should have responsive design for traffic, wherever it comes from. Optimize your website to seamlessly adapt to different screen sizes and devices and make it easy for potential customers to consume your content.
It all comes down to knowing your audience. If you’re driving ecom traffic via social media ads, failing to optimize for mobile will mean you’re missing sales. However, focusing on a B2B lead gen campaign via LinkedIn might get better results prioritizing design for desktop.
Regardless, you should have responsive design for traffic, wherever it comes from. Optimize your website to seamlessly adapt to different screen sizes and devices and make it easy for potential customers to consume your content.
Rapid Page Load Speed
Consumers are digitally impatient — they will not wait for your site to load. Time spent optimizing image sizes and formats creates a great first impression, and capitalizes on your potential customer’s purchase intent.
Enhanced Content Quality
When you’ve won the click, you’re halfway there. When a potential customer arrives on your site they already have a general idea of who you are and how you can answer a need they have.
At this stage, your audience doesn’t have time to wade through bad copywriting to learn more about you. Difficult-to-follow content will cause visitors to drop out of your funnel and seek a remedy from one of your competitors. Invest in great content that guides visitors to a sale and watch your conversions increase.
At this stage, your audience doesn’t have time to wade through bad copywriting to learn more about you. Difficult-to-follow content will cause visitors to drop out of your funnel and seek a remedy from one of your competitors. Invest in great content that guides visitors to a sale and watch your conversions increase.
Optimizing for Success
When an ecommerce client of ours approached us last year to run PPC ads, we took a look at their site and initially turned them down. The strength of a website really is the foundation of any ad campaign and we knew that their website simply was not strong enough to successfully run ads.
Instead, we spent one month running an optimization project with them, using the above steps to optimize their site for the best results. From April 2022 to the end of May 2022, we worked exclusively on their website audit, correcting 404 errors, fixing broken links, adding meta descriptions, creating alt descriptions, correcting structures, performing keyword research and more.
Instead, we spent one month running an optimization project with them, using the above steps to optimize their site for the best results. From April 2022 to the end of May 2022, we worked exclusively on their website audit, correcting 404 errors, fixing broken links, adding meta descriptions, creating alt descriptions, correcting structures, performing keyword research and more.
Table 1: Our clients’ data after just one month of website optimization work, including a reduction in errors and warnings, and an increase in organic traffic.
In just one month, we were able to reduce the number of errors and warnings on the site, building the domain authority, and increasing their organic traffic. Following this optimization, this ecommerce brand went on to see incredible ad results, making the most of their budget.
In just one month, we were able to reduce the number of errors and warnings on the site, building the domain authority, and increasing their organic traffic. Following this optimization, this ecommerce brand went on to see incredible ad results, making the most of their budget.
Embracing a Data-First Approach
In digital marketing, data comes first. We never make guesses or act on hunches; instead we make data-oriented decisions that are proven to generate results. In web optimization, this is clear.
To set your ad up for success, it’s critical to lay the correct foundations. Making subtle tweaks to your copy, changing that slow-running script, and making small changes towards a user-intuitive design are proven steps to increase ad ROI.
Looking for expert help to optimize your web page before you begin a campaign? Get in touch with our technical team today and book a free audit. We’ll help you identify those changes and give you a clear roadmap to ad success.
To set your ad up for success, it’s critical to lay the correct foundations. Making subtle tweaks to your copy, changing that slow-running script, and making small changes towards a user-intuitive design are proven steps to increase ad ROI.
Looking for expert help to optimize your web page before you begin a campaign? Get in touch with our technical team today and book a free audit. We’ll help you identify those changes and give you a clear roadmap to ad success.