Some 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians made promises at the beginning of the year to pay their debts and return any borrowed items. This could be considered the forerunner of today’s New Year’s resolutions. Common resolutions now include losing weight, exercising more, and learning a new skill or hobby.
If you own/operate an ecommerce business, it’s a great time to make some New Year’s resolutions about your website so you can get it in tip-top shape for the coming year. Here are a few suggestions that can help to make 2020 the best year ever for your business.
1. Stay Engaged on Social Media
You’re probably already posting content on various social media forums and pages. Great job! It’s one of the best ways to contact and inform potential and existing customers. The next step, then, is engaging with them. It’s time to open up communication and interact with your followers. Social media is the way people share their thoughts and opinions, and you want to be part of that. Let your social media users know who you are. Strong social connections build customer loyalty.
2. Clean Up Old/Dead Pages
If you’ve been operating a website long enough, chances are you have a few pages with old content or even some 404 pages. Cleaning up those old or dead pages accomplishes two things: It makes your site look better and work more efficiently, and it can also provide an SEO boost. Take a look at each page on your site. Are they up to date and current? Do they reflect the status of your business as it moves into 2020? Update old content and redirect 404 pages to relevant pages.
3. Start a Marketing Calendar
The year is full of holidays and special events, and the beginning of the year is a great time to sit down and strategize how you will maximize those times. Plan when you will have sales, how you will market them, and how you will merchandise products. Doing this ahead of time will ensure that you stay on budget with your marketing spend and have enough inventory to get through each sale.
4. Prioritize Mobile
It is estimated that by 2021, more than half of all ecommerce sales will be made on mobile devices. In fact, on Cyber Monday in 2018, around 30 percent of all purchases were made using a mobile device. So, if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on a lot of business. It’s not enough that your site can be accessed on a mobile device; it’s essential to make sure that it works well in a mobile environment, too.
5. Revamp Your Landing Pages
Potential customers arrive on one of your landing pages when they’ve clicked a link or ad—which means they’re looking for something. In other words, they’re already interested. Your landing pages should be designed to capture that interest immediately. Each page should encourage only one thing that you want your visitors to do. Don’t clutter up the page and confuse them. It’s okay to have a long page, but break the content up with a call to action in the middle of the page and again at the bottom.
Sadly, most New Year’s resolutions quickly fall by the wayside. But if you keep these five resolutions regarding your website, 2020 can be a banner year for your business!