What has changed on LinkedIn and what has been announced for 2021?

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The new year has started, so it’s good to see: What’s new on LinkedIn and what’s next? We have known LinkedIn as a professional social network for many years and there is also a lot to be gained on LinkedIn for your business. LinkedIn is constantly implementing changes, so we have listed the 5 new indispensable functionalities of LinkedIn for you!

Why you should use LinkedIn for your business!

We have seen a growth in daily use and the number of active users on LinkedIn for years. LinkedIn will also see strong growth in use in 2020, mainly due to the corona virus, where personal contact is often lacking. Being visible online has become even more important and perhaps even indispensable. This growth is also something to keep an eye on for companies, because a company page is something that can no longer be missed nowadays, even for small self-employed people.

We tell you what has changed on LinkedIn in 2020 and what has been announced for 2021:

Post reminder

Do you find it difficult to post regularly and therefore remain visible to your network? There is now the solution! You can now set up a post reminder on LinkedIn, so that you are reminded every month to write an update and share it with your network.

Make more connections

For a while now, business page admins have been able to invite 100 connections per month. LinkedIn has already increased this to 250 invitations per month in some cases. A very useful development, because the larger your network, the more people you reach with your message.

You can also see which administrator sent the invitation. Unfortunately, the function to send a message with the invitation is still missing.

Product pages on the company page

LinkedIn announced late last year to add product pages to the company page. This is the perfect way to present your products and / or services to your network. How and when is not yet known, but this is certainly something to keep a close eye on.

Expansion of the administrator roles on the company page

Soon there will be more options for administrators. For example, 3 roles can be divided: the main administrator, content manager and analyst. You can also add administrators who are not yet connected to you.

Engagement report from your company page

When you work with uploaded lists within campaign manager, you recently have access to a new function. You now have access to a report that gives you insights into how the companies you have targeted are responding to your ads, very handy!

Need help using LinkedIn?

Curious and are you curious how we can help you with LinkedIn? Our specialists are ready for you! Fill in the form on this page and we will contact you!

Conversion optimization guide

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It is a term that we see more and more often in the marketing world: conversion optimization! Not surprising, because conversion optimization has many advantages to offer and is also becoming increasingly important today. But what exactly is conversion optimization? And how can you start with it? We will cover this concept in detail in this guide and we will also give a number of tips to make it possible for any website to achieve more conversions. So read on quickly if you want to turn your current visitors into more customers or leads!

What is conversion optimization?

Before we extensively discuss the conversion optimization step-by-step plan with the associated benefits, we will first start with the basics of conversion optimization. This obviously starts with the question “what is conversion optimization”? “Simply put, this includes all actions that focus on optimizing a website (or website page) in order to achieve more conversions in this way.” This concept comes from the English term conversion rate optimization (CRO). Almost every page has a purpose. This can be something simple, like reading a text and clicking a button, but it can also be a bigger goal. You can think of making a purchase or requesting a quote. These examples show that there are different types of conversions. A common distinction is that between micro and macro conversions. Micro conversions are goals that have a little less value and are therefore a bit easier to achieve. Some examples of micro conversions:

  • Clicking on a button
  • Visiting a page
  • Download PDF

Macro conversions are goals to which more value is attached and which also require more effort from the visitor to proceed to the conversion in question. Examples of macro conversions are:

  • Make a purchase
  • Request a quote
  • Taking out a subscription

All in all, it can therefore be concluded that there are many different conversion goals on a page. Conversion optimization focuses on optimizing a page, so that more visitors reach a certain conversion goal. Whether this is a micro or macro conversion, CRO makes it possible to optimize these goals.

Why is conversion optimization important?

Conversion optimization is important for almost every website. Imagine the following situation: your site is easy to find in the organic search results and attracts a lot of traffic, but hardly any visitor converts. That is of course not a desirable situation! It is a shame if you have invested a lot of time and money in good online findability or paid advertisements, but then eventually notice that too few conversions result from this. By using conversion optimization it is possible to gain insights into ways of increasing the number of visitors to convert. It is also an excellent way to increase the ease of use of your website.

Benefits of conversion optimization

In addition to increasing the number of conversions of a page, using conversion optimization has many other advantages to offer. Conversion optimization, for example, generally does not require drastic changes to the website, because it is already possible to achieve decent results with small adjustments. This means that (usually) not much time is needed to start up a CRO process. For example, changing the CTA text of a button or displaying reviews can quickly lead to more conversions. You also don’t have to change the way you conduct your current online marketing activities. CRO really takes place on the page itself: it does not change the way visitors arrive at the website.

One of the biggest advantages of conversion optimization is that almost everything can be measured online. We marketers are often inclined to rely on our own opinion, which sometimes makes this difficult to substantiate towards a client. Fortunately, this is not the case at all at CRO! With conversion optimization you let the data speak for you, because the results are based on the figures and the behavior of consumers on the site. To measure is to know, so you can excellently justify to your client or client why you chose something.

Conversie optimalisatie stappenplan

Now that it is clear what conversion optimization entails and what the various advantages are, we will now discuss the step-by-step plan of a CRO process.

The step-by-step plan of a CRO process can be divided into four steps.

  1. Issue
  2. Hypothesis
  3. To test
  4. Evaluation

You start with the problem, of course. It is important to see what can currently be improved on the website. A number of questions that can help with this are

  • What could be better?
  • Why do visitors drop out?
  • What do visitors encounter on the website?

Tools such as Hotjar and Google Analytics can help very well here. Even if you think that everything is going well on the website, it is still possible to find areas for improvement. For example, it may turn out that a page has a high bounce rate or that a button yields virtually no clicks. These may be interesting pages / elements to include in your experiment.

Once you’ve found the problem, it’s time to formulate hypotheses. For example, if you notice that a button on a certain page yields few clicks, this could perhaps be a hypothesis: ‘By changing the color of the button from green to red, I expect the button to yield 25% more clicks.’ is to formulate multiple hypotheses, so that you can check which hypothesis is correct afterwards.

After you have formulated the hypotheses, it is time to test! It is important to think in advance about which type of experiment you will use. We are going to cover the different types of experiments later in this guide. Once enough visitors / respondents have taken part in the test, it is time to analyze and evaluate the results. If it turns out that your hypothesis is correct, you can decide to make this change on the page. Even if the results show that the hypothesis is incorrect, you can only learn from it! In that case you know that it does not work and you can then take this along as a learning point.

Experiment

CRO is often confused with A / B testing. On the one hand, this is understandable, because A / B testing is an important part of CRO. Conversion optimization is much more than just devising and executing experiments. A / B testing is not the same as conversion optimization, but it is an important part of it.

Testing your ideas is one of the most important steps you take during the CRO process. By experimenting you can see or test the proposed hypotheses. These experiments can then show whether the hypotheses you have formulated in advance are correct or not. Whether your idea works or not, you can at least learn a lot from it.

In an A / B test, visitors are randomly divided into two equal groups. The visitors themselves are unaware that they are taking an A / B test, which makes it possible to measure unconscious behavior. We humans exhibit unconscious behavior more often than consciously, especially on websites. Since you can’t ask for unconscious behavior, you have to test it. This is where an A / B test or some other kind of experiment comes in very handy.

You can research a lot of things with the help of an A / B test! Some examples of this are:

  • CTA text
  • Color of button
  • Place of a button
  • Media use (think of an image or product video)

There are different types of experiments, such as an A / B test, multivariate test and a split URL test. An A / B test is probably the best known of these kinds of experiments. This is an experiment where only one adjustment is made and then tested. In a multivariate test, multiple variables are adjusted and then tested. For example, you can experiment with the color of a button, its location and the text all at the same time by means of a multivariate test. A split URL test is very different. Visitors are sent to different pages. This makes it possible to test an entire page with different variables. Based on this, you can see which page has performed better and you can ultimately decide which version to choose.

Conversion optimization tools

The great thing about conversion optimization is that there are a lot of tools available that can help / improve the process. This makes it possible to give advice based on data, which ensures that you can substantiate everything properly. Some of the most famous tools are Hotjar, VWO and Google Optimize. We are going to discuss these tools further here!

Hotjar

Hotjar is probably the most famous tool when it comes to heat maps. With the help of these heat maps you can map the behavior of visitors: what they click on, how far they scroll and how they navigate over a page with the mouse. Especially with the help of the recordings you get a very concrete insight into how visitors behave on the page. For example, do you notice from the heatmap that visitors do not see a very important part at the bottom of the page? Then it can be useful to place this section higher on the page.

VWO

VWO is a program that many CRO specialists use. With the help of VWO you can perform various experiments, such as A / B and multivariate tests. However, you can do a lot more with this tool! You can create heat maps, use on-page surveys and analyze forms. It is therefore a very extensive tool that you can use to manage a CRO process.

Google Optimize

Google Optimize is a tool from Google with which it is possible to set up experiments. It is very easy to use and one of the biggest advantages: it is free! This is an ideal tool to start if you are just starting in the CRO field. You just have to put a piece of code on the website and you are ready to start experimenting.

Because the program is from Google, it is very easy to link with other tools such as Google Analytics. By linking it to goals in Google Analytics, it is possible to get a good picture of the progress of the experiment.

Conversion optimization tips

To conclude this guide about CRO, we will discuss a number of tips that you should pay attention to when you start with a conversion optimization process in practice! You can also use these tips to get an idea of ​​how conversion optimization can be applied in practice.

Create trust

Trust works very well with consumers. This plays very much on the principle of social evidential value, one of Cialdini’s principles of influence. Social proof helps (insecure) visitors make a decision. You can of course provide a very nice piece of text why visitors have come to the right place, but consumers are more likely to trust other consumers. So make sure your site has sufficient social proof. You can use this by offering visitors the opportunity to leave a review. It is important that you use reviews from real customers and do not post fake reviews, as this can be harshly punished and you damage your reliability.

Think from the perspective of the consumer

We marketers usually like to involve our own opinion in our work. At CRO, however, it’s not about what you like, but about what works best for visitors. Your website works as a means to fulfill a visitor’s goal. You will probably not like some things that you have to adjust, but you have to let go of that. If it yields more conversions, the less beautiful design does not matter of course!

Scarcity

We all recognize it: a notification with a product that there are only 3 articles available or that the promotion expires within 12 hours.

These are all attempts to create scarcity. In most cases it also works well, as urgency is created in the visitor. It is important that the information you provide is accurate and therefore not made up.

Time

A CRO process can take quite some time, because you need to have enough visitors to participate in your experiment. For sites that attract thousands of visitors per day, less time will be required to make reliable statements compared to sites that attract dozens of visitors per month. It is therefore advisable to leave the test as long as possible, as this increases the chance that your results are reliable and can also be substantiated.

Also use CRO?

Wil je meer informatie ontvangen na het lezen van deze CRO gids? Of ben je al geïnteresseerd in het inzetten van conversie optimalisatie? Neem in dat geval dan vrijblijvend contact met ons op! Onze medewerkers helpen je met alle plezier verder.

How to: How to turn shopping cart dropouts into conversions!

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Curious how you can ensure that your visitor stays in the webshop and converts in no time? It can be arranged simply and quickly. Prevent shopping cart dropouts with our 3 top tips!

Tip 1: Make your customer journey a paradise for the visitor

The visitor to your webshop comes in for a reason. They are linked to your website or know your company through a good friend. Most consumers are looking for a product that fully meets their needs and that naturally includes a user-friendly website where this product can be purchased. If the visitor notices that a website is faltering or not compatible with their smartphone, the consumer will quickly click on the mean red cross. Of course you want to prevent this! To achieve a steady conversion rate, you need to take a number of steps:

  1. Smartphone compatibility: Is your webshop actually optimized for smartphones? You may be reading this now and you think: are there still web shops that are not? Hell yes. Due to the enormous growth in multifunctional smartphone use, it is therefore essential to adapt the customer journey to the market and the technology. Make a mobile website work optimally in terms of speed and user-friendliness. The conversions actually meet you!
  2. Optimal ordering process: Problems and hiccups are really a no-go in the experience and ordering process. So make sure that a visitor can easily and conveniently fill the shopping basket with his favorite products, but also quickly return to the shop overview to add multiple products to his basket. This way you ensure that the visitor can continue his purchases in a satisfied way and not leave your webshop out of irritation! This also means that it must be a clear field where the visitor must enter his data. For example, provide opportunities for “guest” buyer and of course have “create an account” come back for an optimal bond with your webshop. Also focus on the automatic filling in of customer data, the less effort it takes: the better!
  3. Navigation optimization: Maximum 3x clicks is the rule! Does the visitor easily find their way through your webshop? Then the navigation structure is optimal! The consumer does not want to click more than 3x before he can access his desired information. You can easily solve this by optimizing the structure of the webshop so that good navigation offers a solution to the consumer in no time!
  4. Create a simple check-out: A visitor feels appreciated through an extensive range of payment options. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to payment methods. When the salary has not yet been paid, people sometimes want to appreciate a choice in ‘paying afterwards’. Think of Klarna and AfterPay. Other well-known payment options are credit card, PayPal, iDEAL or Bancontact. In addition, we must now assume that “mobile payment” is also the method of payment. So make sure that when you click on checkout, the bank application is opened immediately and your visitor can complete his payment in an easy way. A 1-click checkout is the way to generate satisfied visitors, because you ensure that he can make the decisive click to payment from one page! Conversions? You will see it!

Tip 2: Convince the visitor with a secure payment environment

What is the importance of a secure payment environment? We are happy to tell you all about it! It is important that customers gain confidence in your company and you do this by offering secure payment options, among other things. What exactly is that piece of trust and what is a secure payment option? We explain!

  • Be transparent to the visitor: Customers like high transparency. This implies; emphatically know where they stand. You realize this by indicating the maximum delivery time, what the shipping costs are and also show the VAT price to the visitor in advance. It is also important that you keep these promises. Indicating that a product will be “delivered within 1 day” also means that you should actually be able to do this. By clearly communicating what the conditions and options are, you create a good sense of trust with the customer, who is then only too happy to buy or make use of your services!
  • Provide a technically optimal payment system: In addition to communication, the technical aspect is also important! If you want to generate faster conversions, you will have to invest in a secure payment system. The customer must be able to see in no time that paying to you is safe and easy. By using a certified (PSP) Payment Service Provider, all payments are securely transferred from the visitor’s bank account to your company and vice versa. With a PSP you ensure that payments are immediately and securely transferred without an intermediary. The faster and safer your payment process is for the customer, the faster conversions are realized. This way you prevent your customer from switching to the competitor!

Tip 3: Gebruik social media voor retargetting

Retargetting via social media is de ultieme mogelijkheid om fans van jouw product extra te ondersteunen in hun buying-proces. Op het moment dat een bezoeker van je webshop zijn winkelmand verlaat en verder gaat speuren op social media, ontstaat er namelijk een nieuwe kans!

Retargeting via social media is the ultimate opportunity to give fans of your product extra support in their buying process. The moment a visitor to your webshop leaves his shopping cart and continues to search on social media, a new opportunity arises!

With retargetting you can ensure that the consumer on platforms such as Instagram or Facebook receives an advertisement from your webshop or even the last viewed product. As soon as customers are additionally confronted with a product or service of which they are already a fan, they will return to the webshop more quickly to proceed to payment. The conversion rate on these types of ads is very high. This is because visitors send a reliable buying signal by placing multiple items in their shopping cart. Retargeting with social media is therefore an ideal way to generate higher conversions and make the visitor even more of a fan of your product!

More tips & tricks from our specialists?

Would you like to know more about preventing shopping cart dropouts? Then contact the specialists of SenS Online Solutions! They can tell you all about how you can best boost your conversions!

3 SEO trends you shouldn’t miss in 2021!

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Google’s algorithm is updated numerous times a year. Most of the updates are too minor to notice, but there are some bigger updates too. Search rules are constantly changing, making search optimization a moving target. The rapid change of SEO makes it crucial to always stay on top of the trends and adjust your SEO strategy.

Familiar with the history of Google updates? Then you know that a fairly predictable pattern is being followed. Google is gradually getting better at finding really relevant content. This means that it will be more difficult to manipulate Google and that good content is the most important thing. As usual, this trend makes people wonder if SEO still matters. It certainly does, but SEO is getting more competitive, technical, and nuanced.

We tell you the 3 most important SEO trends of 2021!

New user experiences affect the rankings

In May 2020, Google introduced the concept of Core Web Vitals – these are three new metrics added to the way Google measures user experience. All three metrics are more or less about page speed: how fast it loads, how fast it gets interactive, and how stable it is when loading.

For example, if there are two pages with equally relevant content, of comparable quality and authority, then it is up to the user experience statistics to decide which page to rank higher.

How can this be optimized?

Core Web Vitals can be measured with a number of Google web developer tools:

  • PageSpeed ​​Insights
  • Chrome UX Report
  • Search Console
  • Chrome DevTools
  • Lighthouse
  • Web Vitals Chrome Extension

Most of these tools also make some suggestions on how to improve each metric.

Mobile-first indexing is enforced on all websites

Google started switching websites to mobile-first indexing back in 2016. This means that the website is ranked based on the mobile version instead of the desktop version.

Four years later, the process is almost complete, but there is still some of the old-fashioned websites that have failed to adapt to the mobile screen. From March 2021, they too will be forced to have a mobile version.

How can this be optimized?

Google has put together a detailed checklist of everything you need to consider when making the transition. Most of the work can usually be done by simply switching to a responsive theme.

Structured data becomes inevitable

Structured data: not exactly a new trend. While the importance of this continues to grow, structured data is not yet a widely accepted SEO tactic.

The most direct use of structured data is to create rich snippets. These are essential if you want to rank for recipes or news articles, for example.

How can this be optimized?

Structured data is pieces of HTML that are added to some of your content. You can do this manually or by using a formatting aid.

Need help optimizing?

In the past, SEO was the main driving force for page rankings. Nowadays you have to have good content first for Google to notice. This task will become increasingly complex in the future. Curious how we can help your company with this? Our specialists are ready for you! Fill in the contact form on this page or send an email to info@sensmarketing.nl.