Atlantic Business Technologies, Inc.

Author: Atlantic BT

  • Statistics That Really Matter for Website Success

    Is your website a valuable part of your organization? Is it helping you meet your business goals? When you hired a web designer, you must have had expectations in mind for the site. Is it even reaching the lowest bar? Do you have the website statistics you really need? 
     
    Unfortunately, most business owners and executives can’t answer these questions. We see this often in interviews with new clients. They might know what their websites look like. Or, they may even point to a few statistics. But many can’t go into much detail about their online marketing performance. Nor can they do it in real-world terms.
     
    That’s easy to understand. It can be hard to know which metrics to pay attention to, or to find the time to review them at all. Yet, we believe that every decision-maker should know how their website is doing. It’s such an important part of their organization. They should be aware of what they are and aren’t getting from it.
     
    You need actionable information to get the most from online marketing. We’re going to give you a handful of questions. Use them to figure out if your website performance is as strong as it should be.

    What Are You Trying to Accomplish?

    Website metrics and analytics are meaningless if you don’t have business goals to tie them to. You must know what direction your business is going in. Otherwise, how can you feel good about the time and money spent on online marketing? No amount of planning or design can make up for that. Surprisingly, eCommerce sites can struggle with this often. Those starting from scratch can lack a business plan.  As John Proctor, Atlantic BT’s Senior Solutions Account Executive, states, “It’s always vital to begin with a business focus rather than a technical one…The technology is designed to accommodate the business, not the other way around.”

    Also, having firm goals in place makes everything easier. You can narrow in on the strategies and tactics needed to reach them. This can also keep your entire team on the same page. When everyone shares a goal, the best ideas and contributions can get the entire group over the finish line.

    Do You Have Intermediate Conversion Steps?

    In a lot of organizations, getting to a new sale or partnership takes several different steps. It might not be the case that someone will visit your website, read an article, and then take action right away. When that happens, it’s crucial to measure progress towards the little conversions. Look at repeat visits to a specific page or an e-book download. These are the things that move your prospect towards the right end result.

    Are You Focusing on Meaningless Statistics?

    There are several stats marketers pay attention to that don’t mean a lot. For instance, the number of ‘likes’ you get on a Facebook post. This doesn’t tell you much about your branding or potential for future sales. Likewise, page views are wildly overrated. These kind of indicators can tell you something about popularity, sure. But, initial interest has to turn into follow-up actions. That is what will create real value for your organization and your customers. There is a difference between entertaining potential customers and engaging with potential customers. The ones you actually connect with, will come back. And their interest will most likely lead to business results. 

    What Do the Trends and Results Say?

    The truth is, real results, like sales, will determine how good your online marketing is. But, perhaps you’ve only recently launched a new website or you’re testing fresh ideas. As a result, these types of statistics are not available. Then it’s a good idea to see whether things are at least trending in the right direction. That can give you a sense of whether your efforts will pay off in the long run. Giving up at the very start won’t allow you to learn anything new or see the real results that could come to pass. Even small numbers are valuable as long as they continue to grow.

    Start Getting Better Online Marketing Results Now

    At Atlantic BT, we design and develop websites. But that’s not all. We also specialize in helping our clients see real-world indicators of success. If that’s what you’d like from your creative team, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

  • Are You Missing the Ultimate SEO Tool?

    Business owners and executives often come to us for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What they almost always want is a number one position in Google’s rankings. But what if you could do better than that?
     
    Strange as it may seem, you can move in front of the first listing on Google for a given search party. Not only that, you can do it quickly. You only have to be familiar with search engine snippets and quick answers.
     
    You have seen and used these already. When Google is trying to help you answer a question, they give you the best match answers. Try searching for something like ‘chocolate cake recipe.’ Like magic, you’re presented with what you were looking for and ahead of the normal search results.
     
    As a marketer, you can see how having your own snippets showing up in Google’s search listings could help. It could generate lots of traffic to your website. But, how can you draw those visits to your pages? We want to give you some tips you can use to improve your visibility through snippets and quick answers.

    Keep Working on Your Organic SEO Campaigns

    Most snippet and quick answer traffic flows towards websites already at the top. In fact, these sites are usually in the top three of Google’s search listings. Are search spiders crawling your site often? Then there’s a good change your quick answer content is at a high ranking.

    Dig Deep into Your Frequently Asked Questions and Customer Conversations

    Knowing what your customers are thinking about and searching for is essential. It’s the key to generating snippets on your website. Then you can develop content with the right subheadings and brief answers. Paragraphs are popular, but there are other types of content you can use. Tables and mathematical formulas, for example, are great. Especially if they are useful to the user.

    Emphasize Natural-Language Text on Your Website

    You won’t get snippet or quick answer traffic by following SEO rules from a decade ago. Repeating generic keywords again and again won’t cut it. Answer questions with natural-language text. You’ll be far more likely to attract views and visits, both by Google and its users.

    Use Citations and Supporting Links When Appropriate

    Credibility is a hot topic in SEO. Google likes search results with verifiable information. Quoting a study, fact, or statistic? Consider adding a footnote, citation, or even an outbound link to support your data. That could give you more authority than your competitors. Even better, it could also bring you more snippet traffic.

    Ready to Put This Advice to Use?

    Stop thinking about what you could do with a strong SEO campaign and act on these ideas.  Contact the creative team at Atlantic BT. We can put our experience to work for you.

  • Is It the Right Time for a New Mobile-First Marketing Strategy?

    A few years ago, we were able to see which way the wind was blowing. Mobile use was on the rise. In response, we started advising our web design clients to take notice. Mobile/web compatibility needed to be a priority. It wasn’t a tough recommendation to understand. Website visits from phones and tablets have surpassed visits from desktops since 2014.

    But, having a mobile-friendly website isn’t enough. Now is the time to start thinking about a mobile-first strategy for your online marketing.

    Why should you use this marketing philosophy? And how? Let’s look at what you need to know.

    Why Mobile-First Makes Sense

    Mobile devices are now the primary means of connection to the internet for most of us. The majority of us, including your customers, prefer to use an iPad or Galaxy. Even if we have a laptop ready at hand, we often don’t choose it.

    The numbers bear this out. Smartphones are flying off the shelves. Studies show that 57% of all searches originate from a smart device. It’s likely we’ll reach a point where mobile queries make up two-thirds of Google’s search traffic in a few years.

    This leads to an interesting conclusion: mobile visits to your website are the norm. It isn’t that some of your customers are coming to you on a small screen, it’s that most of them are. Why not prioritize that traffic if it makes up the majority?

    When Campbell University partnered with Atlantic BT for a website overhaul, modernization was a priority.  Mobile traffic to Campbell.edu was skyrocketing, with an increase of 1277% since 2011. You read that right. 1277%. ABT designed Campbell’s new site to accommodate this influx. The result was a significant upgrade for the Campbell site and brand.

    What Does Mobile-First Web Development Look Like?

    Embracing a mobile-first mindset doesn’t mean turning your internet strategy upside down. It simply means you assume a potential customer will be visiting your pages from a phone or tablet. As a result, you should structure your content appropriately.

    Here are a few details that make your website more usable to mobile visitors:

    • You can improve your web hosting so your pages load quickly
    • Optimize items with smaller images and content blocks for speed
    • Design a responsive website layout that will adapt itself to the size of the display screen it’s on.
    • Use radio buttons and drop-down menus instead of long forms and text boxes
    • Deploy calls to action that are easy to engage with from a screen that a user will tap
    • Make your navigation as simple and intuitive as possible. Then a user doesn’t have to dig through a lot of content to find what they’re looking for.

    These tips are not all you can do, of course, but they can help you get started. A good business web development partner can help institute the upgrades you need. Best of all, going mobile-first won’t affect your ability to attract desktop buyers.

    Mobile-first web design is all about getting more from your online presence. Now might be the perfect time to put it to work for your company.  

    Need help from a web development team that can handle both small and large projects? Contact the creative team at Atlantic BT to schedule a free consultation today!

  • Do Online Visitors Like You? Really, Really Like You?

    Do Online Visitors Like Using Your Website?

    Usability is a big topic in web design, but it often feels like an abstract concept to business owners. They want their sites to be more usable and engaging, but what does that really mean? And what are online visitors looking for?

    When your website is as usable as possible, customers stay longer and interact with your content more. It’s not hard to understand why. Think of all the things in your life that you have chosen – like appliances, apps, or automobiles – because you like using them. There are many other products you could have purchased that would do the same things, but you chose the ones you did (at least partially) because you liked their usability.

    More usability means increased marketing power and higher revenue. But how do you make customers love your website?

    Make Your Website Faster

    You may not realize it, but there are several things you can do to speed up your website and have it load more quickly for visitors. You can:

    • Upgrade your web hosting for a few dollars a month
    • Take away over-sized images
    • Remove unnecessary plug-ins.

    These might not seem like major improvements to your website, but they all give customers a better user experience. No one likes waiting for a website to load, so don’t frustrate them with slow pages.

    Maximize the Readability of Your Content

    The readability of your website has two distinct parts. The first is the organization of your writing. Small paragraphs are easier to scan and organize than long blocks of unbroken text. They feel less overwhelming to visitors who may skim before reading your messages from beginning to end. The second component has to do with word choice. For maximum readability, avoid using unnecessarily large words or jargon that might not be familiar to your readers.

    Engage With Visitors

    Your customers might not be concerned with the same topics or details as you. As a rule of thumb, it’s better to cater to their interests over your own. In other words, know that you have a marketing message that needs to get across, but layer them in with content that’s focused on the subjects your readers and customers want to know about.

    Make Your Site Easy to Scan and Navigate

    You might not obsess over the navigation and search features within your website, but they can be a source of frustration for your visitors. If it’s easy for them to find exactly what they’re looking for, they’re likely to hang around your site. Conversely, if someone who isn’t a loyal customer can’t find what they want on your website, they may leave quickly and visit a competitor.

    Atlantic BT faced this issue when working with the North Carolina Department of Revenue. We all know that taxes are often complicated. A website that is difficult to navigate doesn’t help anyone during tax season. ABT  reorganized and modernized the DOR site, adding user-friendly access to essential pages. We also made sure that the site was mobile friendly for taxpayers on the go. The DOR re-design focused heavily on the user. Since then, the site has seen increased traffic and usage.

    Ready to Boost Your Online Marketing Results?

    At Atlantic BT, we are experts in web development for companies and institutions of all sizes. If you want to put these ideas in action – and get some customized recommendations for your organization – contact us today to schedule a free consultation!

  • How to gather all of your eCommerce site requirements.

    Ready to start down the eCommerce path? If you’re starting from scratch, you’ve more than likely looked into how much an eCommerce website costs. Or, maybe you’re overhauling an existing or low-performing eCommerce website. You’ve researched your eCommerce platform options and are heading into the next step of formulating your ecommerce strategy.

    We often see a pattern with clients as they begin their eCommerce journey. They struggle with prioritizations during the strategic planning phase.

    Unfortunately, they fail to develop a structural approach to finding all site requirements, leading to inaccurate project scope. Even worse, poor planning makes the development process more stressful.

    Here are three keys to successful eCommerce requirements gathering to help you develop the best ecommerce strategy for your business. In addition, access a free worksheet to help you in the process.

    Understand the difference between business, functional, and technical Requirements.

    Gather business requirements for your team.

    Begin to formulate your ecommerce strategy by identifying your business requirements. These are the needs of the site from a business perspective. For example, business requirements might include:

    • Pricing rules – B2B accounts have negotiated discounts and terms.
    • Shipping rules – Some products have exclusions or special requirements.
    • Order fulfillment workflow –  Some products are drop-shipped while other orders may be fulfilled in your warehouse.
    • Legal / regulatory requirements – Some industries adhere to strict legal and privacy policies.

    Gather functional requirements for users.

    These requirements should reflect performance goals based on the customer’s experience. Here are examples of functional requirements with follow up questions:

    • Product reviews are needed to increase conversion rates and stand out from the competition.
      • Will moderated reviews be a part of the process?
      • Are anonymous/guest reviews acceptable?
    • Product tours (photos/videos/etc.) will increase user engagement.
    • A shipping calculator is needed to set expectations and decrease cart abandonment.
    • Saved carts or printable quotes helped users stay on track. Shoppers often need a manager’s permission or a purchase order before checkout.
      • How long can a customer save carts and quotes?
      • Is a created account necessary to receive a quote? Do customers have to provide a phone number and email address?

    Gather technical requirements to facilitate the eCommerce strategy development process.

    These requirements should prevent developers from having to make any assumptions. One example of a technical requirement is password policy. How would you map out the password process step by step?

    Another example would be eCommerce SEO. Your site will likely require URL rewrites to give full control and an automatically updated sitemap.

    Working through requirements for each persona is invaluable, even if there is overlap. The process always identifies new issues and opportunities.

    Address security needs.

    Your ecommerce strategy doesn’t end with identifying your needs. Assess your security posture as part of the initial scope conversations. After that, security should be a priority throughout the project.

    eCommerce can be much safer for your customers than brick-and-mortar retail if security is prioritized. Simply adding SSL to make your site “https” isn’t going to cut it!

    Make sure you’re up-to-date on what risks your eCommerce platform can face. Continuously upgrading will also add to the overall security of your eCommerce application.

    Understand your mobile users.

    We often find that mobile users have different goals than desktop users. In fact, sometimes these goals can vary between device types (like smartphones vs tablets). Including a section in your ecommerce strategy specific to your mobile users will enhance the success of your project.

    Two example scenarios come to mind:

    1. Tablet-based point of sale systems continue to be on the rise. Many B2B companies are leaving desktops to use tablets for a variety of tasks. Inventory replenishment and order management done at the touch of a finger. But, most of these tasks are situation-specific. A user is checking specific orders or looking into a customer inquiry. Reporting and analytics can wait for “office time”. So, the investment into making such features work on tablet devices isn’t justified.
    2. For an industrial/manufacturing supply company, all orders come through established accounts. These orders generally come from desktop browsing sessions. However, product availability and compatibility information is only available on the shop floor. So, a mobile phone optimized experience for technicians becomes a priority. It should focus on providing product information and a simple way to send/share what parts are in stock. Focusing on driving transactions on the device doesn’t make sense.

    Try our free planning resource.

    Over the years, Atlantic BT has scoped many custom eCommerce projects and developed a worksheet to streamline the ecommerce strategy planning process.

    [general_cta subtitle=”Free Download” title=”eCommerce Requirements Worksheet” button_text=”Get Started” url=”https://lunchandlearn-devf.atlanticbt.com/content/uploads/2023/08/eCommerce-Worksheet.pdf” type=”button button–primary”]

    Relying on a trusted Magento partner will facilitate development.

    At Atlantic BT, we have a dedicated team of certified Magento, (now Adobe Commerce) developers, marketers, and designers to create your eCommerce platform. As an end-to-end cybersecurity partner, we provide secure hosting, application security, and contingency plans to keep your platform safe. To get started reach out to us anytime!

  • How Propper Went From Better to Best

    Propper is a company used to leading.

    In the last 50 years, Propper had perfected their product. As a result, they were now a worldwide leader of tactical gear. The high quality of their work spoke for itself. They had earned impressive government contracts. Also, a robust civilian market had grown as a result of Propper’s dedication to their vision. They didn’t need any help with what they were selling.

    Yet, their eCommerce site hadn’t kept up with their business. It felt outdated.  Its interface confused shoppers, making it hard to navigate. Also its infrastructure frustrated its back-end managers.

    If Propper’s website was a soldier in the field, it was facing heavy fire.

    Something had to change. Propper needed backup. That’s when they called Atlantic BT.

    “Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was a Prussian tactician who adapted war theory for bigger armies and better firepower. In many ways, the work our user experience departments did for Propper’s customer workflow and server load balancing, is what Moltke did for the battlefields of the Victorian age.”  —Stewart Arthur Pelto, Atlantic BT Senior Business Development Manager

    Any military aim requires two things: strategy and tactics.

    The Strategy – The Plan

    Before we could give Propper’s website an overhaul, we needed to gather some intel. We engaged in our reliable discovery process and we learned a lot. We figured out their long-term goals and the nature of their site traffic. Especially relevant was discovering customer habits and buying patterns. We needed to know why so many customers were abandoning their shopping carts. Rather than completing their sale, users were leaving their desired products behind. They wanted to buy from Propper but they weren’t making it to the finish line.

    Propper’s store wasn’t connecting with its customers the way it could. The UX was difficult. The B2B and B2C websites were not communicating, and there were too many top-level domains. Also, there was little room for growth. This wouldn’t work for a company that was, without a doubt, on the up and up. 

    We weaponized this information and developed a multi-phased plan of attack:

    • Develop a user-friendly website that would grow with the company
    • Determine a domain strategy
    • Streamline the checkout process
    • Move to a stronger eCommerce platform such as Magento and Amazon Web Services. Such an update would support the increased traffic.

    The Tactics – The Execution

    Prepared to the max, we strapped on our bulletproof vests and jumped into the trenches. We:

    • Rebuilt the site’s interface, creating a beautiful, modern, and simplified user experience. This included improved mobile capabilities.
    • Moved Propper’s online store to a Magento 1 platform. This provided customized plug-ins and themes to fit their needs.
    • Found a partner vendor skilled in M3 technology and with Magento experience. It was now easier for Propper to manage the inner workings of their new platform.
    • Combined their ERP systems with their eCommerce store, syncing store and online inventory.
    • Created an ongoing marketing plan, using display ads and Google’s shopping listings. We also incorporated coordinating email marketing campaigns.
    • Developed stronger site analytics and security. Room for company growth was provided through Amazon Web Services.

    We stayed in constant contact with Propper’s team to offer insight, as well as fix any technical issues.

    The Results

    We saw results almost immediately after rolling out Propper’s slick new website. Within a year, we had proof that Propper’s customers were measurably happier:

    • An 80% increase in monthly site revenue
    • A nearly doubled conversion rate
    • A strengthened partnership between Propper and ABT. We continue to track the site’s upward progress. We also assist with marketing, analytics, security, and complete site improvement

    By designing a strong and flexible solution to a very common problem, we gave Propper a leg-up. We couldn’t be happier with the revamped Propper.com, and we know that they agree.   

    We are proud to announce that ABT’s Magento developers have succeeded with a new update. Propper’s eCommerce store is now running on the Magento 2 platform. This provides Propper’s store with even more power and flexibility. With increased stability, functionality, and data-gathering, this is an eCommerce win. This new technology will reinforce Propper’s eCommerce campaigns for years to come. With team coordination and development ownership, ABT has empowered Propper. They can continue to focus on their strategic goals and grow their business with the right tools to do the job.

    Learn more about Atlantic BT’s ability to build custom eCommerce sites.