The way people use websites has changed dramatically. The status quo lasts months. Days, even. That’s why we needed to come up with a new approach for Safeguard that meant they could maintain the level of success we’ve helped them achieve. The last time we redesigned Safeguard’s website was in 2012. Since then we’ve realigned our approach to Safeguard’s digital marketing on many, many occasions – usually with noticeable success. So when we started to hear Paul tell us that meaningful conversions from the site were down, we knew we had to adapt again.
“Traffic is up but conversions are down…”
The goal of Safeguard’s website is simple: generate more sales and enquiries.
To hear traffic is up but conversions are down presents a challenge. Especially when you know it’s the right kind of traffic. It’s at that point you dig into the data and knowledge you’ve got to hand and work out why. We did the research. We knew we were doing a good job of generating relevant new visitors to the site. The data from Google Analytics told us that. Visits were up 36% year-on-year. Those visitors just weren’t doing what we’d like them to do.
A bit more digging and the issue was crystal clear.
Since we redesigned the site in 2012, visits from mobiles had gone up by a huge 261%. Even when we looked at 2014 vs. 2015, visits from mobile had gone up almost 90%. The shift is huge and the problem was evident: the site we’d built in 2012 wasn’t catering for over 45% of visitors.
“Why are people using mobile?”
Once we’d spotted the trend, we knew where to look. It’s easy to point out there’s more mobile visitors; everyone knows there’s been a shift in that direction. The bigger challenge is isolating the visitors to Safeguard’s website and working out why they’re using mobile.
“The people Safeguard are targeting might not be able to afford laptops and broadband so their 3G enabled phone is the only way they can use the internet.”
In a nutshell, Safeguard manufacture and sell retractable security grilles. They’re a burglary prevention solution. They’re nicer – and safer – than window bars and far more cost effective than alarms. Most people buy them reactively. That means they’ve either been burgled or know someone whose house was broken into. Thinking logically, most customers don’t have a laptop to search on because it’s been stolen. There are also a high percentage of customers who live in areas where there is a high crime rate. Those areas tend to be less affluent areas. The people Safeguard are targeting might not be able to afford laptops and broadband so their 3G enabled phone is the only way they can use the internet.
That means we need to design with two key things in mind:
1. How to create an experience that caters specifically to Safeguard’s mobile visitors
2. How to design a site that is set up to achieve and exceed Safeguard’s goals
“Let’s approach this mobile first…”
Mobile first is a buzzword you’ll hear a lot in our industry. I’m not usually a fan of buzzwords but I’ll give this one a pass. When you design a site that works on mobile, you strip away all the unnecessary bits* and end up with a website that is focused on the important stuff.
We went back to the drawing board and, with research, realised there were three important avenues visitors would go down:
1. They know what they want and are ready to order online
2. They know they want grilles but want someone to help them with the buying process
3. They are looking for an alternative home security solution and need guidance
On that basis, we created two very clear actions that appear throughout the site.
1. Order online
2. Request a callback
In addition to the call to actions, we also knew that the Order Form needed refining so that it worked on mobile. We also needed to refine it so that the it used language consumers use, not industry language.
When we were talking about radial locks, we moved away from the features of the lock and outlined the benefits. We went from the number of pins it had to how hard it is for thieves to break.
When we were explaining the fitting kits, we moved away from telling people about what’s in the kit to how easy the kits made the installation process.
“What happens next?”
We’ve been working with Safeguard for years now. What’s next is for us to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ll keep track of the performance of the new site and make sure conversions go up. We’ll develop the site further.
We’ll try things and keep doing what works.
We will continue to adapt and solve the problems that Safeguard have. If you’ve got a website that isn’t performing, let us take a look at it and see if we can solve your problems too. All you need to do is call us on 01926 358 200 or fill out our contact form.
View the Safeguard website here.
* This definitely wasn’t the first word I used. It was another four letter word that on reflection probably wasn’t suitable for a work blog.
