You may have noticed that the future is a little unclear. What we know, essentially, is that we don’t know much—about outcomes, about timelines, about how things will look after COVID-19. (And...is after even a thing?) Given that uncertainty, one thing has become crystal clear: This is a moment that requires brands and businesses to take a close look at their business models and ensure that they are flexible enough to meet this moment. While third-party retailers and wholesalers are essential pieces of the equation, they can’t make up 100% of your business any longer.
Indeed, the greater proportion of your overall revenue that comes from e-commerce, the better position you will be in to ride out this uncertain time, as long as it lasts. Our research suggests that businesses should aim for e-commerce to account for at least 20-40% of total revenue.
With that in mind, marketing directly to your customers, driving traffic to your website, and effectively converting sales is paramount. Over the last few months, we’ve been working with brands to make this shift, and we’ve gathered helpful insights and important information along the way.
If your website is not currently set up for e-commerce, now is the time to address it. Likewise, if your website has user experience (UX) issues that may be suppressing conversions, it’s time to make those fixes a priority. While the future is uncertain for brick and mortar retail, your website needs to stand in as a reliable alternative, offering a user-friendly, well-designed interface that clearly communicates the value of your product or service and the mission of your work. While online shoppers are engaged, and they have expanded to include new demographics, they are also discerning. It is essential that your website builds trust and puts new customers at ease with simple, intuitive experiences.
How we can help: To meet this moment, we’ve developed a “rapid build” website package that allows clients to migrate to Shopify quickly and inexpensively. Whether you are launching e-commerce for the first time or your current platform isn’t working for you, we can help.
Email is the perfect way to harness the increased engagement and browsing we’re seeing lately. Now is the time to capture email addresses from potential customers and nurture them with special offers and details about your brand. Industrywide, open rates and click rates are soaring—and with our own clients, we’re seeing numbers like we’ve never seen before. Start from the beginning and make sure you’ve got all phases of the user journey covered:
Overall, this unique situation requires rich, timely content to keep new and existing customers excited about your brand, your products, and your mission.
How we can help: Whether you need a month-long engagement to get your customer segments and automations dialed in, or you need ongoing campaign management to continually drive revenue growth through direct sales, we can help.
Of course, it’s always important to publish relevant and helpful content on your website—but right now, that’s more important than ever for a couple reasons:
With this in mind, it’s important to keep a close eye on your website’s search traffic via Google Search Console. Are users still searching for your brand, or are queries shifting to non-branded terms? Which of your products or services are experiencing the largest changes in search volume and traffic? Based on these details, it’s important to proactively answer any potential questions new website users may have within primary content areas and put them at ease as they explore your offerings. Likewise, and as always with SEO, it’s important to ensure that the information you’re providing is timely, accurate, authoritative, and contextual.
Remember that your website is a welcome mat to new customers, and right now, those customers may not be accustomed to shopping online. In order to establish trust in your website, which is important not just to consumers, but also to Google as it indexes your website, be sure that the following elements are in place:
How we can help: We offer multiple tiers of SEO management, from monitoring and maintenance all the way up to a comprehensive approach that includes keyword strategy, copywriting, metadata optimization, and more.
First and foremost, it’s important to build campaigns that align with the current state of things. Don’t show ads of people in crowds or traveling—show images and content that customers can relate to in this moment.
In terms of campaign strategy, we recommend taking advantage of the surges we’ve seen in social media engagement and overall screen time by running strong retargeting campaigns. These campaigns, geared toward capturing conversions from potential customers who have already visited your website, have been extremely effective for our clients.
Remember that although many customers might be hesitant to complete purchases right now, they are more likely to engage with your brand, which will help you to build retargeting lists and create lasting relationships. For this reason, we recommend running campaigns geared around “engagement” (likes, shares, reactions), and then following up with retargeting ads starting to push those users toward a purchase. This sort of incremental strategy will not only expand brand awareness and recognition, but will ensure higher success and lower cost per acquisition with your retargeting efforts.
How we can help: Whether you need to run a single campaign to achieve a narrow objective or need our help developing a robust, cross-channel strategy, we can tailor a paid media approach to fit your business goals.
People are expecting deals right now, so don’t fight it. If you have any older or limited inventory to push out, now is the time. With many apparel brands working with China on manufacturing and experiencing supply-chain issues, now is a great time to source locally; not only does this support your local economy, but your customers will appreciate the shift in strategy.
In terms of your overall brand, be sure to reflect this moment with content. Show your costumers that you’re with them, give them ideas for what to do, and show how you can help them right now: Fashion tips for working at home, skin-care regimens, family entertainment, rekindling romance with partners, dealing with stress, tips for home cooking, drinking, gardening, gaming, and the rest.
In short, don’t try to rise above this moment; be a part of it.
As we enter Q4, the holiday season brings both opportunities and challenges for lifestyle brands. This year, with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday falling later than usual, brands must navigate a compressed calendar. With only one shot to get their promotions right, early preparation and a well-executed strategy will be key to maximizing revenue. Here are some tips and a detailed roadmap to ensure your brand thrives during this busy season.
Now that you're armed with essential tips, here’s a week-by-week roadmap to guide you through the holiday season.
Week 1 (Early October): Establish Your Promotion and Budget
Week 2 (Mid-October): Prepare Creative Assets and Website
Week 3 (Late October): Build Campaigns and Get Gift Guides Live
Week 4 (First Week of November): Finalize and Test Promotions
Week 5 (Mid-November): Launch Your Holiday Campaigns
Week 6 (Thanksgiving Week): Make the Final Push for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Week 7 (Post-Shipping Cutoff): Emergency Gifting and Gift Card Campaigns
To make the most of Q4, lifestyle brands must balance early preparation with last-minute flexibility. A strong, well-executed strategy—starting early, using personalization, and leveraging urgency—can help brands stand out in a crowded market and maximize revenue. Stay tuned for more service-specific holiday tips, and if you need assistance refining your Q4 approach, the team at Good & Gold is here to help. Contact us today for expert guidance.
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential for any eCommerce and online business. One of the latest innovations shaking up the industry is Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE).
But what is SGE, and how is it impacting click-through rates (CTR) for eCommerce websites and online businesses?
This article delves into the implications of SGE for eCommerce businesses, exploring how this new technology affects search behaviors and what businesses can do to adapt.
Search Generative Experience (SGE) is Google's groundbreaking feature that uses advanced generative AI to enhance the traditional search engine experience. Unlike the standard search algorithms that focus on ranking pages based on keywords, SGE delivers more contextually relevant, personalized, and interactive results. This AI-driven approach aims to understand the user's intent better and provide them with comprehensive answers directly on the search engine results page (SERP).
SGE can generate detailed responses to queries, often pulling from multiple sources to create a synthesized answer that appears at the top of the search results. This innovation marks a significant shift in how users interact with search engines and, consequently, how businesses need to approach search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing.
This change aligns with Google's broader mission to make information universally accessible and useful but introduces new challenges and opportunities for online businesses.
The introduction of SGE is significantly altering the landscape of CTR, which is a key metric for evaluating the effectiveness of search-based marketing strategies. Here’s how:
With SGE providing detailed answers directly within the search results, users may no longer feel the need to click through to a website to find the information they need. This shift could result in a decrease in CTR for traditional organic search results, as users might find their queries sufficiently answered without leaving the search engine results page (SERP).
Traditional SEO practices, which have long focused on optimizing content for specific keywords to rank higher in search results, will have to evolve. Businesses will need to consider how to optimize for SGE, focusing on providing content that complements the AI-generated responses or offers value beyond what SGE can provide directly.
As SGE becomes more prevalent, the importance of securing featured snippets and rich results (like images, videos, and other interactive content) grows. These elements are more likely to capture attention within an SGE-enhanced search environment, offsetting some of the CTR declines for traditional links.
While overall CTR might decline, the traffic that does click through may be of higher quality. Users who proceed beyond the SGE responses are more interested in the products, leading to better conversion rates.
SGE is transforming the way consumers search for and discover products online, which has significant implications for eCommerce businesses. Here are some of the key impacts:
One of the most immediate impacts of SGE on eCommerce businesses is the potential reduction in organic traffic.
For many eCommerce businesses, particularly smaller ones, brand visibility on Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) is crucial for attracting customers. However, as SGE offers more detailed answers within the search results themselves, the space for traditional organic listings may become more limited. This can make it more challenging for eCommerce brands to stand out, especially if they are not among the top results or if their content is not featured in AI-generated snippets.
The rise of SGE asks for a shift in SEO and content strategies for eCommerce businesses. Traditional keyword optimization is no longer be sufficient. Instead, ecommerce businesses need to focus on creating content that is optimized for AI interpretation, such as by addressing common customer queries concisely and directly. Additionally, structured data and schema markup are becoming increasingly important to ensure that product information is easily understood and featured by SGE.
On the positive side, SGE has the potential to enhance the customer experience by providing more accurate and tailored search results. For example, if a user searches for a specific product, SGE could generate a detailed product comparison or a summary of reviews, helping customers make more informed decisions. This could lead to higher quality traffic, as users who do click through to an eCommerce site may be more ready to purchase.
SGE's ability to present rich media and visual content directly within the search results is another factor that eCommerce businesses must consider. High-quality images, videos, and other rich content formats play a more significant role in attracting attention within an SGE-dominated SERP. Businesses will need to invest in creating compelling visual content that can stand out in this new environment.
To thrive in the age of SGE, eCommerce businesses must adapt their strategies to align with this new search landscape. Here are some actionable steps:
Focus on creating content that is easily digestible by AI, such as concise product descriptions, FAQs, and other content that directly answers common questions. Implementing structured data is also essential to ensure that your products are prominently featured in AI-generated responses.
Invest in high-quality images, videos, and other forms of rich media that can enhance your visibility within SGE's search results. Consider creating video content that showcases your products, as videos are more likely to be highlighted by SGE.
As SGE improves the quality of search results, ensure that your website provides an equally high-quality user experience. This includes fast loading times, mobile optimization, and a seamless checkout process, all of which are critical for converting high-quality traffic into sales.
SGE is a game-changer in the world of search, offering users more detailed and contextually relevant answers directly within the SERP. For eCommerce businesses, understanding **what is SGE** and how it impacts CTR is critical for adapting to this new search paradigm. While SGE presents challenges, such as potential declines in organic traffic and increased competition for visibility, it also offers opportunities for businesses to attract higher-quality traffic and improve conversion rates. By optimizing content for AI, investing in rich media, and refining paid search strategies, eCommerce businesses can continue to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven market.
In the world of digital marketing, data is king. Understanding how your ads perform, where your traffic comes from, and how users interact with your website is crucial for making informed decisions. While standard ad platform tracking and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offer valuable insights, they come with certain limitations. In this blog post, we'll explore the pitfalls of standard ad platform tracking, the challenges of GA4, and how third-party tracking solutions can provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of your marketing efforts.
Standard ad platform tracking, such as those provided by Facebook Ads or Google Ads, often suffer from platform bias. Each platform tends to attribute conversions to itself, leading to over-reporting. This bias can distort your understanding of which channels are truly driving results, making it difficult to allocate your budget effectively.
Ad platforms typically track data within their own ecosystem. This siloed approach means that cross-platform insights are limited. If you're running campaigns across multiple channels, it becomes challenging to get a unified view of your customer journey and overall marketing performance.
Standard ad platforms often use last-click attribution by default, which credits the final touchpoint before a conversion. This model can undervalue upper-funnel activities like awareness and consideration campaigns that play a crucial role in guiding customers down the funnel.
GA4 introduces a new way of tracking and analyzing data, which can be complex and require a steep learning curve. For marketers used to Universal Analytics, adapting to GA4's event-based model and navigating its new interface can be daunting.
GA4 often employs data sampling when processing large datasets, which can lead to inaccuracies. Sampled data might not fully represent your actual traffic and user behavior, leading to potentially misleading insights.
With increasing privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, GA4 has implemented stricter data collection practices. While this is a positive step for user privacy, it can result in less granular data and limitations on tracking certain user interactions.
Third-party tracking solutions excel in providing cross-platform attribution, allowing you to see the complete customer journey across multiple channels. This holistic view helps in accurately identifying which touchpoints contribute most to conversions, enabling better budget allocation.
Third-party trackers often utilize advanced algorithms and methodologies to reduce data inaccuracies and biases. This ensures that you get a more precise understanding of your marketing performance without over-reliance on any single platform's data.
Unlike standard ad platforms and GA4, third-party tracking solutions offer greater customization options. You can tailor tracking to fit your specific business needs, set up custom attribution models, and create detailed reports that align with your marketing goals.
Third-party solutions provide in-depth reporting capabilities, combining data from various sources into a single dashboard. This unified reporting helps in making more informed decisions and understanding the true impact of your marketing efforts.
Many third-party tracking providers prioritize privacy compliance, offering tools and features that help you adhere to regulations while still gaining valuable insights. This balance ensures that you respect user privacy without sacrificing data quality.
While standard ad platform tracking and GA4 offer valuable insights, they come with significant limitations that can hinder your ability to fully understand and optimize your marketing efforts. Third-party tracking solutions address these challenges by providing cross-platform attribution, enhanced accuracy, greater customization, comprehensive reporting, and advanced privacy compliance.
Investing in a robust third-party tracking solution can be a game-changer for your marketing strategy, helping you make data-driven decisions with confidence and ultimately driving better results for your business.
In the world of branding, every project tells a story—a narrative creative from collaboration, creativity, and a shared vision for the future. At Good & Gold, we've had the privilege of embarking on such journeys with remarkable entrepreneurs like Amanda Hughes, the visionary behind The Ice Cream Stand and Cream & Coffee.
In the summer of 2023, Amanda, the owner of The Ice Cream Stand nestled in Downtown Syracuse, approached us with a desire to breathe new life into her beloved ice cream shop. Collaboratively, we embarked on a mission to create a vibrant brand identity that captured the essence of her woman-owned ice cream shop.
From brainstorming sessions to design mockups, together we crafted a lively brand identity that perfectly complemented the spirit of her shop—a colorful celebration of homemade delights and community connection.
Fast forward to early 2024, Amanda approached us again with a new vision taking shape. Enter Cream & Coffee, the Ice Cream Stand's cool, homemade little sister—a fusion parlor nestled by the lake in Skaneateles, NY. With Amanda's business plan in hand, we embarked on a new mission, this time helping build a brand from the ground up.
Drawing inspiration from the rustic charm and historic allure of Skaneateles, we set out to create a brand identity that felt warm and inviting. Handmade touches, warm neutral tones, and a touch of nostalgia of the historic lake town formed the cornerstone of Cream & Coffee's brand identity.
The result of this branding journey is two unique brand identities, each hand crafted to honor the personality and individuality of the shops they represent. Our experience with The Ice Cream Stand and Cream & Coffee has been a testament to the power of collaboration, creativity, and a shared passion for capturing the vision and essence of a small brand.
At Good & Gold, we take pride in contributing to the journey of turning entrepreneurs' and small businesses' dreams into reality. To learn more about the journey of branding & logo design, sign up for our monthly newsletter to get access to our latest eBook - Introduction to Logo Design & Brand Development.