Online Sales Doubled in 10 Months, Advertising Cost Down, Profits Up
Client
Babbitt’s Sports Center is a family-owned motor sports dealership based in West Michigan. They have sold motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and jet skis for more than 40 years. Babbitt’s also sells OEM parts and accessories for major manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, and Arctic Cat. Until 2003, Babbitt’s was a local retailer serving their local area. But, realizing the power of the Internet, the company decided to offer their products on the web. This dramatically expanded their market and profit.
Situation Analysis
To expand their market, Babbitt’s invested in an e-commerce web site and, to attract customers to their site, six landing pages. They also began a rather large and expensive Google AdWords campaign. The orders came pouring in, but profits were minimal. The cost of the Google AdWords campaign consumed the profits from the increased sales—until they came to Mindscape. After we began managing their online advertising efforts by reworking their existing sites, Babbitt’s moved from paying for 100 percent of their traffic to paying only 6 percent in some instances.
Mindscape Analysis
We immediately recognized what was wrong. Babbitt’s former web development company had not finished the job they set out to do. They created components needed to achieve online success but they failed to include any SEO tactics and never explained how to use them. That’s where we came in. We used our expertise and created a focused SEO Web strategy. This strategy would remedy their current problem to increase traffic and search engine rankings and decrease the amount of money spent on Google AdWords.
Action Taken
We began by reviewing their Google AdWords campaign. While any Web site owner can use this program, determining the most profitable keywords or phrases for a particular industry is far from easy. And, using the wrong keywords is the best way to waste money. We conducted keyword research to determine which keywords were most commonly used when a motor sports search was conducted. We also did keyword research to find the most popular search engine phrases and then applied them to the landing page’s URLs. For example, “Polaris parts” was the most popular phrase used for that brand so we used that phrase to create the domain name www.polarispartshouse.com. Because the search term is contained within the domain name, the site gets “extra credit” for that particular phrase. We used the addition of “House” to create a brand across all manufacturers (ie Arctic Cat, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc) Finally, we reworked Babbitt’s existing site to make it more appealing not just to visitors, but also to search engines.
Results
In just 10 months, online sales DOUBLED while the cost of visitors plummeted. Before the SEO strategy was implemented, 100% of the traffic coming from search engines came from their AdWords campaign. This meant Babbitt’s was paying for 100% of their site traffic. They had zero traffic from free or “organic” searches. Today, many of their sites gain an amazing 94% of traffic from free “organic” searches, leaving 6% obtained through Google AdWords. Babbitt’s now enjoys top placement for nearly all of the keyphrases we target. This greatly increases the amount of free traffic and decreases the amount spent on Google AdWords. By reducing search engine marketing costs, Mindscape dramatically increased the profitability of Babbitt’s online sales.
Online Sales Increase When Understanding Sites Visitors
Client
Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lake Express is a high-speed ferry operating on Lake Michigan. Their one-of-a-kind vessel is the only high-speed ferry operating between U.S. ports. Since 2004, the Lake Express ferry has been shuttling passengers between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Michigan. From May to October each year, the vessel carries approximately 100,000 passengers across the lake.
Situation Analysis
Lake Express had a basic brochure site that was hard to modify. This meant that content was not updated frequently and new images were rarely added. This caused the site to be dull and made it difficult to attract repeat visitors. The old site was designed and updated by different designers, which caused a visual inconsistency throughout the site. The design pattern was erratic and the navigation even more so. The site was far from user friendly. It did a poor job of keeping the interest of its visitors. Visitors would come and as a result of the difficult navigation and lack of content, quickly leave. We needed to remedy the site’s inconsistency, in order to increase “stickiness”, or the average time a visitor spent at the site.
Mindscape Analysis
Lake Express was in need of a new site that would promote ease for everyone involved. Our first objective was to create consistency and coherence throughout the site. Next, the navigation needed to be simplified. Finally, Lake Express needed a Content Manage System (CMS) to provide them with the ability to quickly and easily change content and add images when desired.
Action Taken
We started by developing a new overall strategy for the site. We streamlined the navigation to make it more user friendly. We accomplished this by grouping similar topics together and including a dropdown menu for access. We developed a design standards format for the site to ensure that any future updates contained a consistent look and feel. Finally, we included a CMS to give Lake Express freedom and many new options. They could now create photo galleries, announce upcoming events, or advertise current promotions on their own, without having to rely on us to apply changes.
Results
Lake Express was provided with an analytics program that gave them the ability to observe their visitors browsing patterns. They could see which pages were visited most and for the longest and also which pages were visited the least. Lake Express uses this information to improve their site wherever necessary and expand upon the most popular pages. Lake Express also used their statistics to enrich their visitors experience by creating new sections such as a photo gallery containing pictures from each season and a “What’s New” section containing recent news articles about the company. The site has seen an increase in traffic, length of time on the site, and most importantly, online sales.
Identify Your Buyers To Make Your Site More Successful
Client
Arbor Mortgage provides loan and debt consolidation services to consumers with less-than-perfect credit that would otherwise have difficulty finding help. Examples of loans include home improvement, foreclosure, or bankruptcy. Arbor Mortgage started in 1998 as a Grand Rapids based business, but has now opened a second office in Grand Blanc to service all of Michigan. As the company grew, their brand image became unsuitable and out dated. Arbor Mortgage was in need of something fresh that better displayed the ways they affected their clients’ lives. They had a new logo developed in hopes of creating a new image, but needed to do more.
Situation Analysis
Arbor Mortgage, one of Western Michigan’s most well known brands, was using traditional media such as radio, TV, phonebook, and newspaper advertising to drive traffic to their web site. Although the site captured leads, it was very basic and attracted few visitors by itself. It needed to be optimized for the search engines and a call to action needed to be added for shoppers. The overall site lacked useful tools, such as a mortgage calculator, that competitor sites offered. And to add to it, they were in the beginning stages of a corporate rebranding.
Mindscape Analysis
The web site was doing its job for the users who were being directed to it through other advertising methods. It was brief, it was fast, and it was easy to submit an application for a loan. It fell short generating traffic on its own and communicating to users who were shopping around. The site needed content and tools for users to interact with and the search engines to index. It also needed a new look to fit the new brand.
Action Taken
Our goal was to redesign the site to fit the new brand, but more importantly make the site appeal to its target market. With the new look in place, we kept the easy, quick forms for users who already knew they wanted to do business with Arbor Mortgage. But for the shoppers, we took the site to the next level. We developed a tool that asked a series of questions. Once answered, the web site would produce recommendations on which type of loans were most appropriate for their situation. We also implemented standard tools such as mortgage payment calculators. The new site gave users the answers and Arbor Mortgage leads. A win-win situation.
Results
Within one month of the new site being launched, Arbor Mortgage experienced a 233% increase in daily traffic. Arbor Mortgage’s site has since went from 190 visitors per day to over 600 visitors a day (~320% increase).
Identify Your Users, Strategize, Become Successful
Client
Muskegon Summer Celebration is an eleven-day event that incorporates a wide range of art fairs, picnics, beach parties, rides, restaurants, and sponsorships. But its main focus is music. Summer Celebration has present hundreds of national artists such as Aretha Franklin, Santana, Daughtry, Poison, and The Steve Miller Band to name a few. They use many different medias to promote the event, including radio and print, but have realized the Internet is the most powerful because of the amount of people it can reach. While there was already an existing site before working with Mindscape, it was not producing desirable results for users or sponsors. Visitors spent very little time on the site learning about the event, so the results were minimal.
Situation Analysis
Summer Celebration had a web site with a nice design but poor functionality. It wasn’t user friendly or interactive and had no calls to action. The site did a poor job of captivating and keeping the audience past the homepage. Visitors would come and quickly leave because there was little to carry them through the experience.
Mindscape Analysis
Summer Celebration’s existing site discouraged visitors from continuing their search because it was difficult to use. We had to make the site “sticky.” “Stickiness” is a web site’s ability to hold visitors interest long enough to convince them to act or purchase. Improving the “stickiness” would increase visitors and the length of their visit. The longer they are on the site, the more they learn about the event and the more sponsors names are presented. We needed to make the site more user friendly by creating a new design based on functionality instead of just aesthetics.
Action Taken
We had two goals for the new SummerCelebration.com – make it easy and educate! The site needed to get the visitor beyond the homepage so they could actually learn more about the event. We reprioritized the content based on user feedback and interest level. We made it easy to cross-reference music acts with locations as well as events. We made it easy to buy tickets and made the overall site search engine friendly so more people could find the event who were not being reached my other traditional media. We presented sponsors appropriately throughout the site to appeal to everyone. We also added a Content Management System (CMS) to give Summer Celebration the ability to make changes, such as updating content or adding pictures, on their own.
Results
After a strategy and design overhaul, the new SummerCelebration.com became instantly successful. The first year experienced an increase of 23% in visitors and 48% in the number of pages viewed per visitor. By the second year, traffic was up nearly 50% to nearly 1,000,000 visitors during the event itself. Page views increased another 72%! In addition, event sponsors experienced an increase of 70% in advertising impressions as a result of properly communicating to the target market.
Traffic & Leads Increased 1000+%
Client
American Log Restoration repairs and restores log homes and cabins. Based in Northern Michigan, they’ve been serving customers for over 30 years and have worked on homes all over America. When American Log Restoration contacted Mindscape, they needed help and they needed it fast. Business was slowing and their website was not producing results.
Situation Analysis
American Log Restoration was failing to take advantage of its most important resource, their web site. Their web site was dated and not attracting visitors. It lacked Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and an overall web strategy. American Log Restoration belonged to a highly competitive niche and required strong SEO tactics to gain traffic.
Mindscape Analysis
Our objective was to revamp American Log Restoration’s entire web site. The web site was not search engine friendly, not user friendly, and it did not communicate an accurate message to their market. There were no calls to action produce leads nor were there any tools to collect user information.
Action Taken
Our overall goal was to create a new site that was friendly for everyone, users and the search engines. The new site, developed from scratch, integrated SEO codes to please the search engines and increase rankings, while the design appealed and communicated to the target market. We added lead generation tools, such as “Ask the Log Doctor”, with specific calls to action. Visitors can now sign up for the monthly log maintenance tip or request a quote. Finally, we further increased search engine rankings by including the names of all fifty states in the content. If someone searched for “log home repair in New York,” American Log Restoration, based in Northern Michigan, would appear at the top of the rankings.
Results
Within the last three years, the American Log Restoration web site had increased visitors by over 1000%! They went from having 40 visitors a day in 2004 to 470 a day in 2007. Leads immediately increased from 1 every 3 days to as many as 10 per day. The change was remarkable and was exactly what they needed to help their company succeed.
Visitors up 340%, Quote Requests Increase in 7 Months
Client
Eagle Tugs manufactures commercial aviation, military, industrial, and transit tow tractors (known in the industry as “tugs”). Tugs are heavy-duty vehicles designed to either push or tow extremely heavy loads or materials. Tugs are used at the airport to transport luggage or move airplanes. Tugs are also used in factories to move heavy machinery or large shipments. Eagle Tugs caters to an extremely niche market, so they needed a web site that appealed and spoke directly to that group. What they had before Mindscape was a site that was not generating traffic or leads.
Situation Analysis
While content and its keywords have influence on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), codes used when developing a site also play a role. Eagle Tugs site had poor rankings because it lacked elements, such as specific programming codes, that attract search engines. Eagle Tugs also had a poorly designed site that was difficult to navigate and was not user friendly.
Mindscape Analysis
Eagle Tugs former web developer failed to include programming codes to enhance SEO and attract search engines, something we concentrated on while rebuilding their site. To help jumpstart the new web site, we suggested a keyword focused Google AdWords campaign to generate instant traffic. ACTION
Action Taken
We started by redeveloping Eagle Tugs existing site. We made the site easier to use by simplifying the navigation and overall design. We also created a call to action by including a quote request form to involve the visitors and generate leads. We included coding to improve SEO. Finally, we conducted keyword research to determine the most popular words and phrases used in searches for tow tractors. We then used those exact terms to create a Google AdWords campaign.
Results
Over the next seven months, Eagle Tugs experienced phenomenal traffic growth due to both our SEO work and our Google AdWords campaign. In 7 months, the website experience an increase of 340% in traffic while obtaining new quote requests daily.