Travel blog
Challenge
A blog run by a team of 4 lost 70% of their organic traffic to a Google algorithm update. Due to great content, this was one of their top-converting segments. The website's revenue has been coming from affiliate commission and ad impressions, so the drop looked like a death sentence to them.
Solution
Access to Google Analytics and Search Console gave us the initial overview of the situation. A major part of the problem was that Google now suspected the blog of plagiarism, while in fact it was the source of original content that other websites reused generously.
Timeline
- March 25: We receive the distress call from the team
- March 27: Two days later we know what happened
- March 28: We take our action
- April 2: Five days later traffic is back on track
Outcomes
- We helped the team recover their organic traffic in 6 days.
- In addition, we identified the ways to improve conversion for other segments in order to reduce dependency on Google.
E-book author
Challenge
An established writer with 20+ years of experience and several printed novels discovered that it's hard to captivate and preserve the reader base. The author wisely embraced the e-book format, but asked for help with smoothly connecting the main webiste to the store.
Solution
First, we reframed the problem: it was not the one of increasing conversion between the website to the marketplace, but the one of growing the audience and increasing users' lifetime value. Existing website was just one of a number of avenues through which readers could access the shopping leg of the journey. We listed major UX strategy shifts that spanned well beyond the website proper:
- The author had to accept that the users would not rush straight to the shopping cart on their first visit
- Readers — both existing and potential — needed time to think and a reason to return
- Visitors had to be assured that their voice mattered and they were heard
- Visitors had to be rewarded for their active participation
- Visitors had to be given a chance to buy items other than books, though not necessarily priced on the same level (think "foot in the door")
Outcomes
The changes were introduced gradually, so the effect was spread across months. Within 6 months the users had a platform that they not only enjoyed coming back to, but felt like introducing their friends to as well.
- The balance of new-to-returning visitors impoved from 75/25 to 65/35 and keeps growing slowly but steadily
- Average order value grew by 31%
- Average daily orders grew by 29%
International freight forwarder
Challenge
While freight forwarders do not usually see their websites as primary source of business, a website can be linked to, and it can be linked to from a highly negative context. This businesses needed to fight off an onslaught of negative comments. Searching for their name returned "stay away" sentiment generated by anonymous online persons.
Solution
Drawing on our reliable network of websites and negotiation skills, within two weeks we were able to move the bad mentions of the business to the second and then straight to the seventh page of Google's search results for this business name.
Outcome
The business quickly distanced itself from the negative coverage before any ill effect had a chance to become long-lasting.