Optimising a Website for a Split Audience
Project Type
E-Commerce Platform Build
Our Role
SEO for Sport, UX Design, Web Design, Web development.
Location
Bedford
Our client is affiliated to the second oldest regulatory body for the sport of boxing and one of the four major sanctioning bodies that regulate the Noble Art worldwide. They are also the only official distributor for Cleto Reyes boxing merchandise in Europe.
WBC approached us to help gain more visibility for their online European Merchandise store.
Initially they approached us wanting SEO services to gain better visibility for their online store
However, after analysing the detail of the project we decided a strategic approach was needed to truly benefit their business.
With our SEO expertise in Sport, we could have easily optimised the site and increased traffic, but our data showed that the website wasn’t performing well.
Even if we directed traffic to the website, there was little chance of the customers converting as it was difficult for them to navigate and find product.
We dove head-first into our favourite starting point: analysing the data.
Searches show intention. Every time someone types something into Google they have search intent. It might be to engage, to act, to buy or to book.
People are actually searching for the problem you solve or a product to buy, so you pull traffic to your business. You do not have to push out advertisements to persuade people to buy. Traffic to your website from search engines is people already interested in your products or services. The visitor is also searching at the time that they need you, so they are more likely to convert or engage with your website than someone who views an advert at a time when they are not ready to act.
We shared with the client our research. They needed a new website, with relevant and crafted content, that would engage and delight their audience.
We quickly realised that the site was trying to do two things.
Remember we said that our were the sole distributor of a boxing brand in Europe? Well, half the customers wanted boxing equipment, whilst the other half were looking for memorabilia and souvenirs.
This lack of targeting showed there was a disconnect with the audience. To succeed, we were going to need to target our audiences and organise the content on the site both technically and practically.
We decided to split the two sales points.
Moving away from the strategy of promoting generic products, like gloves or belts, and towards highlighting the brands. If you were a boxer looking for gloves or training equipment, this was the place to be.
Likewise, if you were a superfan looking for a replica belt or souvenirs, you need look no further. This strategy enabled us to define the structure of the website, hone on-page SEO and target our audience, effectively.
We built a new website where we split the two brands as soon as the customer landed
This immediately sent them where they needed to go. We went back to basics and stripped the site back, standardising and creating consistency across all the shop content as well as bringing life to the imagery – using examples of the products in real life, rather than always sitting static on a white background.
We also created a blog section packed with tailored content to delight, entertain and inform their customers.
We included news, feature articles and product information – all compelling and engaging content, with tailored SEO – to gain more traction with their audience and start a dialogue through their social media channels.
Sounds obvious, but you want to get noticed. To get people talking.
The results speak for themselves
The website now ranks on the first page for both their branded products and their memorabilia, and traffic to the website has skyrocketed.
Search traffic increased by 457%
Sales increased by 177%
By going back to basics, developing a clear strategy and specifically targeting the audience with relevant content that they would search for, we were able to significantly boost the profile and presence of their range of products on the website.
