If there’s one thing we know about e-commerce, it’s that consumer expectations are always shifting fast. 

Many leading brands are responding by taking their proposition directly to consumers. 

Known as “direct-to-consumer” (DTC), digital channels have helped enable a closer, more direct relationship between brands and their consumers, resulting in a positive customer experience.

Brands like Haus, Warby Parker, and Harry’s are also leveraging the power of design to further close the gap between their brands and their customers. 

Think about it.

A poorly designed and unorganized website can hugely impact sales by making it difficult for customers to browse, search, and purchase. 

Design has the power to make or break your website. 

But how much does your website’s design, layout, and content impact your customers’ experience and their likelihood of purchasing your product or service?

A survey from Adobe found that 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.

Here are some easy-to-follow website redesign tips that can help improve your DTC website design, content, and customer experience.

1. Keep it simple
2. Use scannable content
3. Build a mobile-first experience. 
4. Streamline the path to purchase.
5. Make branding a priority.
6. Use high-quality images and bite-sized videos.
7. Personalize the customer experience
8. Always keep your customers in mind.

1. Keep it simple

One of the top rules you should remember during the design process is “KISS”—Keep it simple, stupid. This design principle states that designs work best if they are kept simple. 

The more elements you have on a page, the more it takes away from the entire point of the website, which is closing a sale. Keep your design clear, clean, and simple—and keep the focus on your products and services that ultimately will lead to sales.

For example, the homepage is your first chance to make a good impression, so don’t waste it.

Include an eye-catching title, a prominent call-to-action, pictures that capture your products being used, and your best-selling products.

Here are two examples of DTC websites that are doing it right.

2. Use scannable content

Another way to keep things simple is by ensuring all the content on your website is clear, concise, and scannable. 

You can spend days crafting long descriptions for your products, but no one will read them. The key to successful content for a DTC website is to provide helpful, actionable content. Most customers want to get in, shop, and leave. So, if you want to connect with your customers and drive sales, you need to make your content scannable.

One way to achieve this is to keep sentences and paragraphs short, use bold text or multiple header sizes to call attention to key information, and use bulleted or numbered lists to break up large blocks of text throughout the website.

Here are a few examples of DTC websites that are doing it right.

3. Build a mobile-first experience 

A large number of users will be scrolling your website on their phones. According to Lisa James from The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience, “By the end of 2021, it’s predicted that mobile devices will make up almost 73% of total eCommerce sales globally.” Consumers are now demanding and expecting mobile experiences that are quick, seamless, and simple, and brands must be prepared to deliver.
Here are a few helpful mobile-first website redesign tips:

• Optimize your images and find a balance between size and quality, especially with full-page banners.
• Don’t forget about text size! Make sure your content is legible on a mobile device.
• Keep product pages lightweight and concise—get rid of any page distractions.
• Link your logo to the home page (you’d be surprised how often this gets overlooked).

4. Streamline the path to purchase 

Reduce clutter by removing any unnecessary clicks or barriers that can stop a visitor from making a purchase. 

For example, let’s look at the checkout page.

Don’t ask for unnecessary or excessive information. Ask yourself, do you need the company name? The second street address field? If not, remove it.

Ideally, an optimized checkout form should have 6 to 8 fields, but any reduction in the number of form fields will reduce frustration.

Use a single-column layout. 1) It’ll be easier to have a mobile-first design. 2) Our eyes naturally scan from top to bottom on a single line.

Here are other things to consider:

• Have a clear navigation menu and appropriately named sections, so your website is organized

• Have one clear CTA on every page

5. Make branding a priority.

When shopping online, people want to buy from established brands—they want to feel confident your website will not steal their credit card information. If you’re going to build trust between your brand and your customers and drive sales, you need to put some serious thought into your branding.

For example, when a customer goes from an Instagram ad to your mobile or desktop website, it should all feel the same. An easy way to achieve this is by ensuring the typography, the colors, the messaging, and the photography are consistent across all devices and channels. The key is to conduct a web design review to test and optimize your website for various devices.

If you’re unsure who you are as a brand, these questions might help you.

• What is the story behind your brand?
• If you had to describe your brand in three words, what would they be?
• What makes your brand different from other brands out there?
• What do you do better than anyone else on the market?
• How do you want others to see your brand?

Consider the following additional website redesign tips:

1) Create a mood board for your photography

2) Create a style guide for your website

6. Use high-quality images and bite-sized videos

A picture is worth a thousand words. If you want people to buy your products, you must show them what they’re buying through high-quality product images. Listen to this: 22% of returns are due to a difference in the product appearance compared to what the website displayed. This is why taking several shots of each product and creating a slideshow for each product listing is important. Sometimes customers need to see a product in action before they can decide if they want to purchase it. Another idea is to use bite-sized videos to engage with your customers. 

Leverage the power of video in the following ways:

• Lightning-fast product demos
• Customer testimonials
• Backgrounds such as banners on pages 
• Product-in-use & lifestyle video

Keep your website videos no more than 30 to 60 seconds long.

7. Personalize the customer experience

Customers love a personalized shopping experience. To win over new customers and retain your old ones, you will need to provide them with a simple, effective, and hassle-free customer experience.

According to Epsilon, 80% of customers were more likely to purchase when provided with a personalized experience.

A few ways to personalize the customer journey include:

• Install a live chat widget to answer questions, make recommendations, and assist customers with any inquiries. 
• Product recommendations
• Personalized emails are essential for direct-to-consumer businesses. 
• Develop special promotions based on user behavior

Examples of companies that have succeeded with a personalization strategy include: Care of Vitamins and Harry’s.

8. Always keep your customers in mind.

Designing a DTC e-commerce website can be tricky and complicated. I recommend you conduct a thorough web design review, then test things out and find what works for your DTC brand.

By testing and keeping your customers in mind, you can implement some of these website redesign tips to create the best shopping experience so people keep coming back. Once you have their attention, your website must be optimized to take them from discovery to purchase. One of the quickest ways to build brand loyalty and turn customers into loyal, life-long customers is to build your shop and brand around them.

The process of a website refresh or website redesign can revamp your business and propel your growth.

If the website redesign process is planned properly, it can also help you improve your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance. If the process is NOT handled correctly, it can become a complete disaster, ruining all the SEO traction you’ve gained throughout the years.

Poor planning and execution of the entire website redesign process can hurt your SEO and take your growth back to zero. The agency partner you choose for your marketing website redesign needs to have the right skills, planning, and strategy to match your business goals.

Internally, we use an SEO checklist throughout the entire client engagement to ensure we redesign your website without losing SEO. Keep reading to walk through our SEO checklist and learn exactly how to apply these steps during your next website redesign.

Often a redesign focuses on updating imagery and user journey. However, SEO can be overlooked in the process. It’s impossible to overstate how important it is to preserve your SEO while redesigning your website.

What Do We Mean by Preserving Your SEO?

A website redesign entails massive changes and improvements to your site’s visible and hidden aspects. It may involve changing all the essential elements of your site, including domain name, URL structure, content, code, photography, and visuals, to achieve the fresh new look and backend structure you desire.

A lot goes into the process of building a high-performing marketing website. You can explore our process in detail in this article: “Why You Need A High-Performing Website.” While success is the focus, the results can be problematic and can hurt your SEO game if you’re not careful.

When we say preserve your SEO, we aim to help you develop a formula that enables you to make the right improvements while still keeping your website at the top of the search engine results. 

Getting Started: Redesign Your Website Without Losing SEO

1. Plan Carefully to Maintain and Grow Performance, Speed, and Conversions

47% of customers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less.

Hubspot

Consumers interact and buy more with websites that load faster. In a recent test, Walmart found that for every 1-second improvement in page load time, conversions increased by 2%. Small upgrades can have a big impact. Fast loading times also help your website to rank higher in search engines.

While performing a website redesign, it’s important to improve the loading time for your web pages. 

Here are a few ways you can reduce the time your page takes to load and improve your website’s technical SEO:

• Minify your CSS and JS code
• Use a caching plugin – WP Rocket ???? for WordPress has great results ❤️.
• Compress & use Modern formats (WEBP) for your image files – Ewwww is wonderful and very inexpensive.
• Add a Content Distribution Network – WP Offload w/ Amazon Cloudfront or Digital Ocean Spaces is a simple and amazing CDN.

2. Update Your Website Without Losing Momentum – Preserve Your SEO!

It takes a lot of time to build traffic. You’ve worked hard to get where you are right now, and you don’t want to start over again. Protect your investment by following a practical, step-by-step SEO checklist that will help maintain your page’s elements in order.

3. Determine the Goal of Your Redesigned Website

A successful website redesign starts by setting a SMART goal. You need to understand the changes you want, how you want to achieve them, and the time it will take you to complete them. 

Depending on the needs of your website — which you should consider when following the SEO checklist — these goals may include:

• Developing your site into an SEO-friendly content management system (CMS)
• Improving your visibility, SEO ranking, conversions, and user-friendliness
• Revamping the looks of your website to align with your new, improved brand or products

Setting clear goals helps ensure your website redesign will yield better results. 

4. Analyze Your Current Website — Identify High-value Content

Before commencing the redesign process, analyze your current site’s performance and compare the metrics as they relate to your new goals. Check the average conversion rates, existing SEO ranking, overall traffic, domain authority, high-ranking keywords, overall time people spend browsing your site, and your bounce rate.

Statistics like the number of sales generated, form submissions, and unique visitors coming to your site will help you rate the current performance and know and improve what works while dropping the less productive efforts. 

Identify the content that is driving the most engagement: clicks, leads, and sales. Keep a list of high-value content URLs to share with your website redesign partner/agency.

Handy SEO checklist for your website redesign:

Step 1: Update Internal Links to the New Pages

During the website audit, you’ll notice the general performance of all your website’s pages. You’ll recognize the pages that aren’t performing to your expectations, those that are outdated, redundant, or misaligned with your business goals.

Depending on your results, you can delete them entirely or redirect them to new and high-performing pages. Also, set up 301 redirects for any URL structures you altered during an audit. 

Updating the links ensures that you don’t lose any traffic since the visitors clicking on your old links will receive a redirect to the existing content on your new page. 

Step 2: Upload Your Old Sitemap to Your Site Crawler for SEO Audits

A sitemap is a physical presentation of your website, including all the relevant URLs. 

After launching your new site, ensure you update the XML sitemap and send it to the search engines (Bing or Google). Aligning your XML sitemap, 301 redirects, navigation, and page structure to show your website’s new structure will help the search engines to know the changes you made much faster.

Step 3: Update Schema — Breadcrumbs, FAQ

Updating your schema markup helps Google draw more data from your pages and create rich snippets (the enhanced search results which offer extra information like product ratings, dates, etc.). Rich snippets are a great SEO strategy since they receive higher click-through rates than the standard results.

There is a schema markup for almost all types of data. B2B websites can create markups for their articles, breadcrumbs, site links, videos, and FAQs.

Similarly, direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses can use product and review schema to aggregate ratings, improve brand diversity, and reach more customers. 

Adding and verifying schema data is an essential step. It is converting unstructured data into data that search engines can quickly identify. It doesn’t have to be tedious, and the benefits far outweigh the effort required.

Follow the steps below to add and verify the schema data of your website:

• Visit Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper and choose the type of data to mark up. There are many options to pick from, including articles, local businesses, TV episodes and ratings, Movies, Events, FAQs, products, etc.
• Keep adding markup details from the data items list.
• Once done, click “Create HTML.”
• Then, add the Schema Markup to your website.
• Lastly, test the Schema with the help of the Schema Markup Validator.

Step 4: Migrate Your New Domain with Google Search Console

The Google Search Console, alongside 301 redirects, will help you inform Google about your site migration and show the search engine where to find your content. This process is sometimes referred to as SEO migration. 

It involves transferring your authority, search engine ranking, and indexing signals to mark the significant alterations in your website and URL structure. This process helps you redesign your website without losing visibility, ranking, and traffic.

Step 5: Complete a Comprehensive ADA Compliance Audit

ADA (Americans with Disability Act) compliance makes your site accessible to search engine crawlers and opens your site to a wide variety of users. As a result, ensure that your website supports using different assistive technology, has the correct font size, perfect choice of colors, and allows keyboard-only navigation, among other tips. Complying with the ADA opens your brand’s access and improves your website’s general ranking.

We have a comprehensive guide on Website Accessibility that’s a great read. Check it out!

Step 6: Disallow or Remove Superfluous Sections, Tags, Authorities, etc.

A cluttered website appears distracting and unattractive to users — definitely take note of this when creating your high-performing website redesign plan. By default, a website that’s less appealing to users will also be a stumbling block for search engine crawlers and affect your SEO ranking. Remove or disallow any unnecessary sections and tags to make your website functional, intact, and attractive to many users. 

Some items you may want to exclude in your next website redesign include:

• Unnecessary hero text
• Pop-ups obstructing page content
• Background images
• Splash pages
• Automatic videos and music
• PDF files
• Large images

Step 7: Ensure Proper HTML and Semantic Markup

Semantic markup refers to using a markup language (like HTML) to convey concise information about an element in a document. It allows the search engine crawlers to better understand and identify the content they’re scanning.

A proper HTML and semantic markup involves understanding how machines and users read through your content and the hierarchy of all the elements in the content. Properly marking the headers (h1, h2) and paragraphs (p) makes your content easy to read, understand, and rank. 

Conclusion

A website redesign or refresh is perfect for making your site more appealing and your brand’s growth effective. It’s important to be aware this process can lead to massive destruction in your SEO ranking, especially if you don’t plan it out strategically. Follow the complete SEO checklist steps above to help maintain your site’s authority, ranking, and traffic even after the process. 

Need help? Get in touch, and let’s chat about your project!

High-performing websites are not just sites that have the right design and good content. They should also have the right technology working for you behind the scenes.

What do we mean by a “high-performing” website?

• Does your website feel overwhelming, confusing, or complicated?
• Has your traffic slowed down?
• How many leads, sales, or new members does your site bring in monthly?

HIgh-performing marketing websites are designed to solve all of these problems and more! Let’s take a moment to explore this in more detail.

1. High-performing websites move the needle.

We define a high-performing website as a website that is fast, relevant, delivers high-quality traffic, and converts well. It also generates plenty of click-throughs and is optimized for search engines. Optimizing your website can bring increased traffic, leads, and sales.

2. High-performing websites solve a problem for the customer.

A high-performing website provides the best possible user experiences and solutions to your customers’ problems. When planned well, your website can help form a direct relationship between the company and its audience. It helps build trust, drive traffic, and increase revenue for the company.

3. High-performing websites stand the test of time.

Your website should stand the test of time and be adaptable to changing trends and technologies without losing value. It should have technology and plugins that can be sustained long-term, providing value to visitors over many years. A high-performing website can also help you create and nurture an engaged audience who shares your content on social media and revisits your site repeatedly.

What is the difference between a $100k vs. a $10k website?

The truth is, not everyone needs to invest $100,000+ into a website redesign. But for some brands, it’s absolutely essential.

The difference in the performance of a $100k website vs. a $10k website can be huge.

A $100k website is built using a more robust strategy and is designed for a different purpose. It will have the potential to deliver more revenue and more opportunity for growth. It could also have a higher ROI and lower costs of operation.

Here’s how to know if you need to invest $100k+ in a high-performing marketing website.

If you’re a growing brand looking for a long-term solution to a high volume of traffic, leads, and sales, then a customized, high-performing marketing website is an investment that can pay off for many years to come. Learn more here.

Let’s go behind the scenes to learn what makes a website “high-performing”?

Investing in high-quality design, user journey, content-led SEO, and traffic optimization is crucial if you’re trying to build a successful business. High-performing websites are not just about aesthetics. They are optimized for speed and search engine success too. This means that the website has a clear call to action, it loads quickly, the navigation is seamless, and the content is relevant to the visitor’s search.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the building blocks of a high-performing website.

1. A solid foundation built on SEO.

When designing a client’s website, we always begin with the end in mind. We understand their brand objectives deeply to design a customized high-performing website specifically for them.

We create solid, unique, interesting content and use various testing tools to optimize their website for the search engines. Finally, we ensure all their website pages have the right keywords in each page’s title and meta description so it ranks well in the search results. SEO is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

2. Deep understanding of the user journey

There are two aspects to your user journey: the user experience (UX) and the user interface (UI). The UX is the website’s design that helps users navigate it easily and find what they are looking for. The UI is the layout of information on the website, allowing users to understand where they are in their journey and how they can find what they need. Together, these two aspects help create a high-performing website by ensuring users have a simple time navigating your site.

When building a high-performing website, it’s important to keep both UX and UI in mind. User Journey is a detail that is often overlooked, but one that can deliver a significant lift in conversions.

3. Each page has a distinct purpose

To boost conversions, every web page should have a distinct purpose.

According to a report by Good Firms, 84.6% of web designers say that crowded web design is the most common mistake businesses make.

You can avoid making that mistake by ensuring each landing page has one main purpose. Research your traffic trends to discover what types of content are needed for that specific page. The call to action is very clear when each page has one purpose. Customers get their questions answered, they know what we want them to do (opt-in, schedule a call, buy something, etc.), and this minimizes confusion while adding value.

4. Unique, original photography, images, video, audio

A high-performing website does not include generic content and stock images. Instead, it should be an opportunity to create something special that reflects your brand and makes it unique on the web. True marketing websites should be personalized and original, so you stand out from your competitors.

“90% of online shoppers say image quality is the most important factor when making online purchases.”

– Meero.com

Use imagery to highlight what makes you unique. Incorporating unique and custom photography, images, video, and audio for your website makes a lasting impact on visitors.

5. Website personalization and customized experiences

When you truly understand your customers, they notice.

Customized experiences are powerful motivators for consumers. Brands can use data (they have explicit permission to collect) to create an individualized web experience for each customer. You can tailor your emails, ads, and content using past purchase data, geolocation, and site behavior.

You can achieve personalization on marketing websites by including tailored recommendations based on their activity, showing them dynamic content, and exclusive offers for your customers. This kind of personalization can enhance the user experience, address customer needs and desires, further encourage them to feel more connected to your brand, and eventually convert into a buyer.

6. Conversion copywriting

When it comes to writing copy for your website, it can be challenging to write your own compelling sales messages that convert prospects into buyers. According to the 2022 State of Content Marketing Report by SEMRush, 40% of brands surveyed say they outsource their copywriting. Outsourcing to the experts can make all the difference.

Great website copy stirs up your emotions, flows smoothly, and can influence behaviors.

Unfortunately, some brands push content marketing and copywriting to the back burner. It’s often overlooked until web traffic, leads, and sales numbers start to decline. That’s why we prioritize copywriting and content marketing for every high-performing website we build.

7. Demand generation site architecture

For a business to succeed, it needs to be able to generate demand. In this context, “demand” means building brand awareness, increasing traffic, and connecting with more people who are interested in buying your product or service. It’s “the big picture,” if you will. A good demand generation strategy increases brand awareness and accelerates traffic and lead flow.

Demand generation site architecture is part of a custom-built website that uses content, social media, downloadable content, podcasts, webinars, videos, and other digital assets to create a predictable pipeline for your sales process.

8. Internal link structure

Internal linking is a strategy that helps us connect different parts of your website to boost performance. Ensuring your internal links are connected properly will help Google (and people) find and view all the pages on your website. When used strategically, internal links can help you rank higher in search engines, improve usability, and increase conversion rates. Another benefit of internal linking is that it makes your website easy to navigate. Search engine crawlers read through these links, which helps them to understand your website and its content.

Aren’t all websites designed to be “high-performing”?

Short answer = No.  

We’ve just walked through several of the extra steps we take to develop high-performing websites for our clients. Each step demands time, effort, skill, and attention to detail.

Most low-budget websites are not built following these standards. Many template websites are simple and not customized – meaning you’re just plugging in your brand information into a pre-made template.

Not everyone needs a high-performance website.

High-performing marketing websites can generate high conversion rates by using advanced coding and essential features like we’ve discussed above. While these features are essential for brands looking to grow their traffic, leads, and sales, not everyone needs a website with this much power under the hood.

Many business websites don’t need advanced technology, plugins, and customization. A simple Squarespace or Wix website might be fine for some small brick-and-mortar businesses. If your budget is small and you’re not expecting to generate traffic, leads, sales, or members through your website, a simple template site might be a good budget option.

Artistic expression and the latest fads can age poorly.

The latest website design trends are not always high-performing. Sometimes, you see a website with all the bells and whistles. Often, they are trendy and artistic, yet they do nothing for performance. Many design trends have gained popularity in recent years, such as bold fonts, flat designs, and heavy use of animations. These trends are often implemented on websites with no regard for usability or performance.

Avoid copying others in your industry.

Do you want to look like everyone else in your niche? Probably not.

Beware of the copycat website. A copycat website is a website that is purposely designed to look like another website. This happens when brands only look at other websites in their industry for inspiration.

If you’re copying another company or brand’s design, content, and overall layout, will you really stand out?

The main reason copycats fail is that they don’t focus on building their own brand identity instead of focusing solely on what other companies are doing well.

Comparisons: HPW vs. WIX, vs. Squarespace, vs. template website

There is a common misconception that all websites are designed to perform well. Let’s compare a high-performing marketing website with a template website, Wix, and Squarespace.

The key difference between high-performing and template websites is that the former has a specific purpose – custom-designed for your brand. You can use the latter for any type of small business or service. Wix, Squarespace, and template websites are all designed to provide a simple, straightforward, basic business website. 

While these websites may perform well for some small businesses, they might not be the best option for a brand looking to grow exponentially. Is the template relevant to your brand? Do you need to stand out in your industry? If your business would benefit from a website that is uniquely your own that reflects your personality and brand, then WIX or Squarespace is probably not for you. 

A high-performing website doesn’t need to be on WordPress/Shopify.

Platforms like EditorX and Site123 have some features that a website needs to succeed. These platforms are also easy to maintain, so you can focus on other tasks without worrying about coding and hosting.

You could also consider platforms like Webflow, which is more complex and robust, or Weebly. These are website-building platforms that let you intuitively design your website. You can also choose from a variety of templates or create your own. 

Q: “What platform is best for my brand?”
A: It depends. If you’re unsure, let’s chat.

Each platform has its pros and cons, and choosing which would be the best for your business can be difficult. If all this feels a little overwhelming, that’s understandable. Simply contact us to help you choose what would be in your brand’s best interest. We’re here to help.

Inspiring examples of high-performing websites

Things we love about Bombas: Buy one, donate one.

Bombas is a company that sells socks for $5.00 and donates one pair of socks for every pair bought. Its unique angle is that they are the only company with a social mission.

Things we love about Warby Parker: The at-home try-on.

Warby Parker is an online retailer of stylish and affordable eyeglasses and sunglasses. They created a new way for consumers to shop for glasses by having them try on frames at home before they buy. They focused on the customer experience and not just on the product itself; with the added help of a social message of buy one, and they give one away to people in need.

Things we love about Adore Me: Their’ find your style’ quiz.

Adore Me is an online retailer that sells lingerie. Their unique angle is their ability to let people take a photo and upload it to receive personalized recommendations for bras, panties, and other lingerie. Their find your style quiz allows people to find their style by taking a quick quiz. This quiz helps them figure out what clothing they should be searching for, how they should dress, and what colors they should wear.

Conclusion

A high-performing website is the foundation of your brand. It should be easy to navigate and provide a great user experience. To create a high-performing website, you need to know what to focus on: speed, content, visuals, or design. 

Develop a clear understanding of your site’s goals and the most important features in your new website. You should then identify the key performance indicators that will help you measure your success.

Today, many consumers expect to interact directly with the company they’re buying from. Marketing strategies change when the middlemen are removed and a company sells directly to price-savvy, conscientious, and experienced internet users.

While selling direct to consumers opens easy access to the customer, businesses face increased competition and pressure to prove they’re the best alternative.

Building a content strategy is a significant challenge for many DTC sellers. Do you have what it takes to crack the DTC marketing space? Here are some of my top tips to make the process easier for even a novice content marketer.

Step 1. Understand Your Customers / Audience

The first step is identifying your audience, their hobbies, challenges, questions, concerns, interests, and where they spend their time.

Your DTC websites should aim at fulfilling the needs of your customers. Developing a fictionalized representation of your target audience based on accurate data will help you build content that addresses their needs and refine it depending on what segment of the sales funnel they occupy,

Some of the features you need to focus on while creating your audience persona include:

• Personality
• Hobbies
• Pain points
• Favorite content channels

Step 2. Use Data-Driven Keyword Research To Drive Strategy

An effective content strategy for your brand demands proper keyword research at the start. Understanding how your competitors fare on the search results and which keywords they rank with will help you fill the gaps in your content and place it at the top.

Pick the top five domains ranking on your keyword and conduct a thorough SEO competitive analysis. Understand your domain’s keyword gaps, analyze the opportunities for the phrases to rank, and make changes to match your findings. You can use available keyword research tools to make this task easier. We love SEMRush.

For topic queries, you can use AI-generated subtopic ideas, see what top-ranking brands are writing about, or brainstorm for the best unique ideas.

Step 3. Map Out Your Ideal Buyer Journey

An effective DTC content strategy requires you to understand what stage of the journey your audience falls into. A marketing funnel typically has three stages: Awareness, Interest, and Action. Depending on the urgency of your buyers’ needs and their level of awareness, they may fall at the top, middle, or bottom of the sales funnel.

Delivering appropriate content at each stage of the buyer’s journey is essential. Presenting the right content at the right time can dramatically improve your conversion rates.

The Awareness Stage

In this stage, we aim to demonstrate to the audience that we understand their journey, we’ve been in their shoes, and we have found a solution that works. We are experts at providing solutions to their pain points.

Your content at this stage should be easy to find and use and offer solutions without directly selling your product. Most topics in this category include how-tos and beginner guides. Here’s one example of a top-of-funnel beginner guide.

The Interest and Evaluation Stage

In the interest and evaluation stage, you aim to pique your customer’s interest, pointing out the possible solutions (your products). Your content for this audience should include case studies, free samples, comparison guides, etc. Most consumers in the middle stage are not beginners. 

Thus, they’re interested in finding in-depth content on the topic and available solutions and considering whether your solution is the most suitable. This is the stage to share more specific expertise. Aim to create the best image for your brand so that your audience will consider your business in the action stage.

The Action Stage

Action is the last stage in the sales funnel. It includes the customer who is ready to buy. They’re prepared to spend money on a product or service to meet their needs. At this stage, it’s essential to prove your offer is the best and encourage them to take the next step (ask for the sale).

This stage also includes past clients and repeat customers. You can offer multiple ways to reach your business (live chat, chatbot, phone calls, or emails). You can also send marketing emails to your previous customers to ensure your business remains on their radar when they’re ready to spend on a similar product or service.

Step 4. Create Amazing Content

One of the success points of B2B marketing is creating awareness and offering solutions to your customers’ pain points long before they ever need your product or service.

Remember that marketing often involves soft-selling your product to your ideal customer. Again and again and again. In a way that is helpful, interesting, fun, and engaging.

You’re planting seeds in their mind, so later on, when they’re ready to make a decision, your brand is at the forefront of their mind. 

• Play the long game.
• Entertain, educate, and inform.
• Be consistent.
• Answer a question in every post.
• Connect on a human level.
• Engage with your audience, comment, like, and tag them.

Content that educates and answers the questions of your prospective clients positions you as an educator and authority in their field of interest rather than a typical seller. Gaining their trust will make them think of your website when they need similar solutions. 

Content that has little value to clients increases bounce rate, and sooner or later, Google will stop giving it attention, and your content marketing efforts won’t bear any fruit.

Step 5. Consider User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is any content created and shared by a brand’s customers or other outsiders who are not part of the company’s team. It mainly reflects the users’ opinions, ideas, experiences, or feedback on the brand’s products and services. UGC can take the form of a text, video, photo, or audio and can be posted on websites or social media handles, mostly reviewing a brand’s products/services.

UGC can be a powerful tool in a well-thought-out content strategy. It’s a budget-friendly selling technique for brands that proves real people have used your product and have something to say about the experience. Your audience will more easily trust what your customers say than your words about your products.

It’s also easy to implement. You can post a call to action requesting your audience post using specific hashtags, leave a review, or join a challenge. Some of the companies that have implemented UGC successfully include:

• The Monsoon’s (fashion retailer) hashtag #MyMonsoon campaign
• The Doritos doritoslegionofthebold.com site launch
• Starbucks’ #RedCupContest contest
• Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign

Step 6. Repurpose & Share Your Content – Again & Again

Your efforts to create great content are wasted if no one sees it. To ensure your content gets seen by the right people, at the right time, share it widely and place it in all possible channels that your particular audience regularly accesses.

Cross-promotion and repurposing of high-quality content can dramatically increase your traffic, leads, and sales. One high-impact blog post can be repurposed into a variety of different mediums. Consider using the information in your blog post to record a podcast, a video, a checklist, a how-to guide, a whitepaper, a social media post, a slideshow, a quiz, a Q&A session, or a live video interview, etc.

Some methods you may use to amplify your content include:

• Social media marketing (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok)
• Paid advertisements (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads)
• Backlinks to the content
• Sharing to your mailing list
• Asking the leaders in your field to share your content on their platforms (they probably have a large following of the audience you’re targeting)

Step 7. Engage with Your Audience

Social media appears at the top of a direct-to-consumer content strategy due to its popularity and benefits. Reports indicate that over 60% of consumers buy items through social media platforms. Social media allows you to meet and interact with your audience worldwide quickly and offers a powerful platform to create awareness for your brand. 

Social media marketing platforms offer an unprecedented opportunity for brands to connect directly with their customers. The ability to communicate with your customers in real-time and receive their feedback enables you to adjust your products and services to best suit their needs.

Imagine for a moment you had a memorable experience shopping online. You shared your experience on social media, tagged the brand in your post, and the owner of the brand replied directly to you, they commented thanking you for your feedback and showing gratitude for your kindness.

• Do you feel a little closer or more connected to that brand now?
• Are you more likely to shop there again?
• Would you feel more inclined to recommend it to your friends and family?

The simple act of hitting “like” on a comment, replying directly to customers, or tagging them in a comment can have a huge impact on customer loyalty and recurring business.

Need Help Reviewing or Improving Your Content Strategies?

Content marketing requires continuous effort, strategy, and innovation. You must keep learning and implementing to keep your DTC content strategy ahead of your competitors. 

The tips here offer an excellent bridge to the winning side of content marketing. They’re easy to follow and enable you to develop your content strategy plan like a pro, even if you’re a beginner. 

Need help with your content strategy? Let’s connect!

We are strong advocates for human rights; therefore, we wholeheartedly support reproductive freedom. We believe every person has the right to make decisions about their body and personal health without government interference.

For this reason, we are proud to stand with a coalition of 30+ digital agencies across the country. The Agencies for Reproductive Rights pledge to provide the financial support required for employees living in states with limited health care options to access the care they need.

We’re committed to helping employees find the resources they need to access health care, find reputable causes seeking donations, and learn how we can make a difference in this fight.

For further details about Agencies for Reproductive Rights and this growing coalition of agencies who stand up for human rights, please visit AgenciesForReproductiveRights.org.

Thank you to Andrew Shotland and Local SEO Guide for ushering this initiative.

38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive or confusing. A bad website design is something you simply cannot afford. You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.

Unfortunately, many people make mistakes when it comes to their website redesign. Let’s walk through a few common pitfalls to avoid when starting your marketing website design or website redesign project.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 1: Going with the Cheapest Bid

We know you’ve got a budget to stick to and many more expenses than just your marketing website design. But skimping on your website redesign and choosing a web design firm solely because they have the lowest price will cost you much more in the long run.

When meeting with website designers, think of things beyond cost, such as their background, companies they’ve worked with, and previous work, and if their goals, ideas, and attitude align with yours. You want to choose a team that understands what you’re looking for and can execute your vision accurately, even if that means paying a bit more upfront. Trust us. You won’t regret it.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 2: Going with the Highest Bid

There is a common misconception that the highest bid is always the best. We haven’t found that to be true for web design. While price is undoubtedly a factor in decision-making, remember that the highest price isn’t always the best quality.

Many digital marketing agencies try to be all things to all people. Higher advertising, staffing, office space, and overhead can sometimes affect their pricing strategies.  Many agencies in this category operate much like a factory. Your project is handed off from person to person, multiple times throughout the process.

If you want a more personal working relationship with your web design agency, it pays to spend time interviewing them upfront. Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel a connection with the web design company or feel like you’re being treated just like a number, that may be a sign to look elsewhere.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 3: Not Connecting With the Right Web Design Agency for Your Brand

Speaking of personal working relationships … personal connections matter. Especially with your web design firm. If you hire an agency on a whim or without a thorough meeting to discuss what you’re looking for, you risk a major disconnect between your brand’s goals and the image and your website.

This is a partnership. You want to feel comfortable enough with the agency you choose to redesign your website so that you can fully trust them to create a site that’s going to capture your brand voice and image so that visitors get a grasp of who you are, what you stand for, what you offer, and your values from the very first second they log on to your site.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 4: Not Understanding Your Needs Before You Begin

Is your website going to be used for lead generation or sales? Is it an e-commerce platform? A portfolio? An online business card? What are your goals in terms of monthly visitors and conversions?

These are all questions you must have firm answers to before beginning your redesign. Otherwise, your design team will be “shooting in the dark,” and you’ll have no way to measure the success of your new website.

Another consideration is your website accessibility. In recent years, the accessibility of a website has become increasingly important. It’s now an essential consideration for all DTC (Direct to Consumer), and B2B website designs. Review your current level of accessibility, and be sure to consider updates to remain in compliance with federal ADA laws. To read more about Website Accessibility, check out our comprehensive guide here.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 5: Going Too Niche/Templated

The market is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive. This means you need to stand out from the competition. The last thing you want is to get lost in the sea of competitors because your website looks identical to every other website in your niche. 

Avoid template websites that look just like every other website in your niche.

In a crowded market, a custom web design for your brand is important. It sets you apart and distinguishes you from the rest. Just because an agency has built hundreds of websites in your niche doesn’t necessarily make them the best choice for you. Set up a meeting and see how well the agency can create a website that captures your unique voice and brand. This will help you stand out in your industry instead of blending in and looking exactly like everyone else.

Website Redesign Mistake No. 6: Ignoring Copywriting, Images, Ongoing Content Needs, Website Maintenance, and SEO Updates

It is not enough to merely have a website. You must optimize your website so you can harness all the power it possesses. By constantly updating it, adding new content, custom images, and ensuring you’re keeping up with SEO and technology changes, you can ensure your website remains relevant year after year.

Recommended Updates for B2B and DTC Websites:

• Modern, accessible, and mobile-friendly website design
• Staying on top of SEO, and search engine algorithm changes
• Publishing regular, helpful content that answers customers’ questions
• Making the most of custom images, photographs, and videos

Design matters. But it isn’t everything. It doesn’t matter if you have the most beautifully designed website. If you’re not optimizing your website for SEO, you’re not going to reach your target customer. All of your design efforts will be for nothing.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a critical factor in your website’s success. It’s worth hiring a web design team to ensure your site is at the forefront of SEO trends so you remain at the top of the search rankings. 

Updated apps, software, and plug-ins are essential. A website is not a set-it-and-forget type of deal. It needs regular updates and maintenance for it to run optimally.

Did you know that 95% of websites are running outdated and vulnerable software?

This opens you up to a slew of risks for malware and other cybersecurity issues. If a customer notices your website is out of date, not updated, or their browser won’t let them access it for security concerns, they’re going to leave your website and never look back! For these reasons, it’s imperative to have a team who can regularly oversee your website and perform updates as needed to keep your website in tip-top shape and keep your customers safe while they browse your site. 

Publish regular, helpful content that answers customers’ questions.
You also must ensure your content is regularly updated. A lot of businesses benefit from regular blog posts on their website. This is a fantastic opportunity to answer your customers’ common questions and concerns. It also helps you establish yourself as a leader in the market.

Avoid this by hiring writers or a team of SEO specialists who can provide you with fresh daily, weekly, or monthly content. The newer and more helpful your content is, the more valuable it becomes. This increases the odds that visitors will share your content with their social networks, putting even more eyes on your website and growing your reach even further.

Final Thoughts

In this day and age, you simply cannot afford to put your website on the back burner. Websites are often a first impression and gateway to reach new customers. You want to make the best first impression possible so that you can start a long and loyal relationship with your customers.
If you’re ready to start a new website redesign project, or you need help optimizing your current website to generate more traffic, leads, and sales, let’s chat!

Gulo Solutions Can Help

Are you ready to make something spectacular that will leave your customers awe-struck? Gulo Soutions can help. We’re an experienced and trusted digital agency that specializes in web strategy, web design and development, digital marketing, and SEO and conversion optimization. Start a conversation — contact us today to learn more.

Three-quarters of Americans with disabilities use the internet daily, so creating a website with features and functions that improve accessibility is crucial – especially for DTC and CPG companies.

An accessible website is more than just a moral issue; failing to cater to people with disabilities could result in legal action. Federal courts handled more than 2,500 website accessibility lawsuits in 2020, and law firms sent out thousands of demand letters to companies like yours. 

In this guide, learn more about online accessibility, why you need to have an accessible website, and how you can work with your agency to create one.

What Is Web Accessibility? 

The U.S. General Services Administration says accessibility “focuses on how a disabled person accesses or benefits from a site, system, or application.” That means you should design and develop websites and technologies so that everyone can use them. 

Perhaps the most critical piece of legislation related to website accessibility in the United States is the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which strives to end discrimination against people with differing abilities. The ADA dates back to the early 1990s — long before the internet became the force it is today. That means this legislation doesn’t address the complex issue of web accessibility, so courts have to decide whether ADA principles apply to specific websites. 

Without explicit legislation for website accessibility, judges often use discretion when determining whether a website owner has violated the law. That means some organizations have received enormous penalties for relatively minor violations, underlying the importance of ADA-compliant websites. While making a website more accessible might require an upfront outlay, the costs often pale in comparison to the court-imposed fines that many organizations just can’t afford. 

What Are Common Website Accessibility Issues?

There are various accessibility issues that people with disabilities experience when browsing the internet:

Low Contrast on Text

Low contrast on text makes it hard for people with vision-related disabilities to read your content. 

Missing ALT Text

ALT text is a description of an image on your website. Screen readers, often used by people with vision problems, read the ALT text out loud. 

Lack of Closed Captions or Audio Descriptions

People with vision and hearing issues rely on closed captions or audio descriptions to understand videos on your website. 

Too Many Navigation Links

Too many navigation links can make it difficult for users to move around your website. Pay close attention to the user experience on your website and ensure internal links are helpful and accurate.

How Much Will ADA Non-Compliance Cost You?

While ADA doesn’t explicitly refer to website accessibility, the penalties for ADA non-compliance are crystal clear. You can receive a fine of up to $75,000 for a single violation and $150,000 for additional violations. 

There are many famous examples of companies ending up in court for alleged ADA violations. In 2012, the National Association of the Deaf started a lawsuit against Netflix for not providing closed captioning on some of its content. In 2017, Nike got caught up in a lawsuit because two of its websites (Nike.com and Converse.com) were inaccessible to people with visual impairments. 

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you own a large corporation like Netflix or a small online business. Not making your website accessible to everyone can result in legal action and costly fines. 

Most companies who receive demand letters or end up in court for alleged website accessibility non-compliance violate Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in “public accommodations,” such as stores, restaurants, and hotels. Many attorneys have successfully argued that websites fall into this category, resulting in excessive penalties for companies that failed to provide online features for disabled users. 

What About WCAG?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are different from ADA but just as important. These guidelines — considered the leading international standard for accessibility on the internet — outline suggestions for making websites more user-friendly for people with disabilities. You can refer to these suggestions when redesigning your website. 

WCAG is not a legal requirement for private companies, meaning you don’t have to follow these guidelines. However, incorporating WCAG principles into your web design will certainly improve accessibility for all users and prevent you from violating the ADA. (Note: From 2017, all federal agencies and their contractors must comply with WCAG principles by law.) 

The most recent version of WCAG is WCAG 2.1 A/AA, which lists further technical specifications to make websites accessible. Published in 2018, the guidelines feature new suggestions for making mobile websites more user-friendly, as well as tips for improving the online experience for people with vision and cognitive impairments. 

How to Improve Website Accessibility

Using WCAG as a guide, here are just some of the ways you can improve website accessibility:

• Provide text alternatives for video and audio content that serve the same purpose. 
• Use audio descriptions or text transcripts for videos with audio.
• Present all web content in a meaningful order to improve readability.
• Don’t use web designs that rely solely on color.
• Don’t play audio automatically.
• Make web content accessible without the use of a keyboard.
• Allow users to navigate pages without the use of a keyboard.
• Allow users to pause, hide, or stop auto-updating content.
• Provide users with a way to skip repeated blocks of content.
• Use clear and helpful page titles.
• Identify input errors.
• Label web elements.
• Add captions to live video content. 
• Make sure your website adapts to landscape and portrait views.
• The contrast ratio between text and the background of your website should be at least 4.5:1.
• Don’t use images of text.
• Suggest fixes when a user makes an error.
• Use sign language translations for prerecorded content.
• Use alternatives for live audio.
• Define unusual words and phrases.
• Define abbreviations.

Other Ways You Can Improve Website Accessibility

A WCAG audit is one of the best ways to determine your website’s accessibility credentials. We can help evaluate your website and see how well it adheres to the ADA and WCAG standards. After your audit, you can make the necessary changes to your website and meet the needs of people with disabilities. 

Various tools let you check whether your online complies with accessibility standards. Here are some of the tools recommended by WCAG:

a11yTools for iOS

This WCAG checker app lets you take a screenshot of web pages on your phone and send images to developers who can suggest accessibility improvements.

Functional Accessibility Evaluator 2.0

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can check your website for WCAG requirements and provide a detailed report on its findings. 

IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker

This is an open-source browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that detects accessibility issues for web applications. The extension identifies the source of elements that might hinder accessibility and suggests fixes. 

Web Accessibility for Direct-to-Consumer Brands

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) or business-to-consumer (B2C) brands might not need to make their websites accessible by law. However, these companies should improve accessibility as much as possible to enhance the customer experience and create a good reputation and brand image among consumers. Making your website more accessible can also keep consumers with disabilities on your pages for longer, resulting in more conversions and sales revenue. 

There are countless examples of big brands improving web accessibility. For instance, Walmart optimized its website with accessibility features such as:

• Appropriate images and non-text visual elements for visitors with visual disabilities.
• Screen-reader-text alternatives for website background images.
• A site header area that includes skip navigation links.
• Appropriate use of color contrast ratios.

Why You Should Invest in Web Design for Accessibility

While some of these tools might be useful, the best way to improve accessibility is to invest in a brand new web design. Gulo is a full-service web agency specializing in web design, SEO-led content marketing, and conversion rate optimization. We can help you improve your website accessibility and take a holistic approach to your sales and marketing funnels. 

Final Word

Web accessibility is more important than ever. Although there’s no legal requirement to make your websites accessible, more companies are facing legal action for not making their sites user-friendly for people with disabilities. WCAG guidelines can help you improve the accessibility of your digital assets, while various online tools let you audit your website. However, investing in web design can ensure your business is ADA-compliant and doesn’t end up in court for an accessibility violation.

Do you want to improve website accessibility? Start a conversation with us about marketing website design and growing your business.

These two words may make you nervous, but there’s no need to panic. Your next redesign can be a success with proper planning and research. A high-performing website can generate leads, increase sales, and improve the user experience for your customers. It’s important to remember that first impressions are everything, so cutting corners is not wise.

This is especially true when building marketing websites for B2B and DTC companies.

Here are 5 things we recommend our clients review before they dive into a website redesign.

1.   How do you tell if it’s time for a website redesign?

Start by reviewing your current website, see what is and isn’t working, and make a list.

Then answer the following questions:

• What is the primary reason(s) you have decided to redesign your website?
• Are you embarrassed to give out your URL to clients?
• Are you satisfied with your website’s speed and performance?
• Does your website content solve problems for your ideal clients?
• Has your branding or logo changed?
• Is your website mobile-friendly?
• When was the last time you redesigned your website? (We usually recommend updating your website about every 4-6 years)
• How will the website redesign help you achieve your business goals?

Your answers to these questions will help determine if your website is ready for a total overhaul, a straightforward redesign, or simply needs a refresh.

2.  Assess the current state of your brand

Your brand is unique. Your website redesign should reflect your message, mission, goals, and personality.  

A brand guide is a set of guidelines that detail a company’s visual identity and set forth rules for official logo usage, typography, colors, Iconography, photography, and the brand’s mission statement and values. When reviewing potential changes to your brand guide, think about how each element aligns with your company’s current brand. 

Take some time to get specific and brainstorm your brand. Document everything in a brand guide. It doesn’t have to be fancy or formal, but your band guidelines should be written down for future reference.

Answer the following questions:

• Is your typography sending out the right message?
• Are your images working well with your brand?
• Do you have a well-defined color palette that evokes the right emotions?
• Is your logo out-of-date?
• Is your logo still connecting with your target audience?

Once your brand guide is in order and updated, you’re one step closer to getting started with your redesign. Let your brand guidelines guide your design decisions throughout the project. This step ensures your newly designed website will accurately represent your business, leaving a positive impression on visitors and standing out from the competition.

3.  Prioritize good design and good UX

In today’s fast-paced world, users will no longer tolerate clunky websites that are slow and hard to navigate; therefore, usability should be one of your top priorities during the website redesign process. 

A good user experience goes a long way for any business. A website with a good user experience helps build trust in your products, services, and brand by establishing a relationship with your target audience. A good user experience will help attract new users and retain existing customers. 

One way to ensure you’re prioritizing good design is by being consistent with how you use layouts, color, patterns, and typefaces on your website. Use whitespace and visual hierarchy to help you arrange and organize elements in your website so that users naturally gravitate toward the most important elements first.

Here are some other ways you can enhance the user experience on your website:

• Understand your users’ needs and motivations.
• Create a simple and easy-to-use navigation.
• Keep a consistent design and user interface.
• Use white space to break up text and other elements.
• Optimize website speed and load time
• Use clear calls-to-action

To put it simply, the goal of UX design is to provide users with an easy-to-use, useful and relevant web experience while making sure users find value in what you’re providing.

4.  Is your current website mobile-friendly or responsive?

Mobile devices have changed the way we interact with websites. Almost half of all website traffic comes from mobile phones. Search engines like Google favor mobile-optimized websites. According to a study by Perficient, nearly 70% of all website visits came from mobile devices in 2020. People are browsing, inquiring, and buying on mobile phones every day.

It’s crucial to give your customers an excellent user experience regardless of their type of device (phone, tablet, desktop, etc.).

A mobile responsive website includes design elements such as:

• No horizontal scrolling
• Text that is easily read without zooming
• Optimized images, no one has the patience to wait for your page to load
• Design for touch
• Buttons must be adequately sized at least 42px

Not sure how mobile-friendly your website is? You can check with the help of Google’s mobile-testing tool.

5.  Scope out the competition

While we don’t want you to obsess over what everyone else is doing, it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on others in your industry. For example, if you notice your competitors lack a useful feature, you can implement it on your website and set yourself apart. 

Make a list of things you like and don’t like about your competitor’s websites and figure out what you can do better. If your competitor is successful, try to figure out why they are successful. What works for them? What are they doing with their website that you’re not?

Other things to consider

• Do not copy and paste old content onto your brand-new website. You should leave enough time and budget to rework, rewrite, and create new content that aligns with your new redesign goals.
• Include visuals and unique brand elements to make your website recognizable
• Don’t forget about SEO. That should be a part of your redesign strategy
• Do you have the right team on your side? Find and hire an agency that can be your partner, who understands your goals, vision, and ideas for your new website redesign.

Final Thoughts: Design a website with impact.

Design practices, customer preferences, and SEO technologies are constantly changing. It helps to partner with an agency that understands your needs. There are many variables to consider, and we’d love to chat with you to discuss your unique requirements.

DTC websites have risen in popularity because technology and software advancements have made it easier than ever for companies to sell their products directly to consumers, cutting out the middle man. Additionally, buying trends are changing; many customers prefer to buy directly from a company rather than an intermediary or third party.

Direct-to-consumer and CPG companies have also seen an increase in revenue because of new data-driven marketing tactics and design choices that allow them to have more control, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates. 

Sound familiar? If you’re considering redesigning your website to begin selling direct to consumers, or if you’re already well into that process, we hope these examples inspire you to try something new.

We’ve compiled a list of ten direct-to-consumer websites worth checking out, based on DTC marketing website design, user experience, and overall impact on the industry.

What Makes an Excellent D2C Website?

There are a few key things that make an excellent direct-to-consumer website, including:

• A user-friendly marketing website design that is easy to navigate.
• Clever DTC marketing strategy that uses customer data to drive sales.
• Fast and easy checkout processes.
• A focus on branding that is unique and memorable.
• Excellent customer service options to make the overall buying experience easy, enjoyable, and valuable.

Examples of Successful D2C Websites

Below are ten DTC website design examples we love. 

1. Birchbox

Birchbox is a subscription service that sends monthly boxes of beauty products to its customers. What started as a small startup has turned into a significant player in the direct-to-consumer space.

Why do we love Birchbox?

Birchbox was one of the first companies to capitalize on the direct-to-consumer trend. They have an excellent DTC website design that is easy to navigate, and their products are reasonably priced. They also make it incredibly easy to order items, and they offer a wide range of products, unlike most other subscription services.

2. MVMT Watches

MVMT Watches is a direct-to-consumer watch company that offers high-quality timepieces for affordable prices through its website. They are so popular because their watches represent excellent value and are very stylish.

Why do we love MVMT Watches’ website?

Their target demographic is described as “young, stylish, modern.” Their imagery and color choices represent that. They have an excellent, competitively priced product line. Their images are high quality, and they offer a “see the fit” option on their website to ensure customers are getting the right size watch.

3. Outdoor Voices

Outdoor Voices is an athletic wear company that offers comfortable yet stylish clothes for people who gravitate toward outdoor workouts. They’ve got the whole package, from clothing and accessories to shoes.

What do we love about Outdoor Voices?

You should check out the Outdoor Voices campaigns on social media. They’re fantastic! Their overall website branding and imagery depict an aspirational lifestyle. The website has a clean aesthetic and is easy to navigate.

4. Smile Direct Club

Smile Direct Club offers custom aligners and dental products direct to its customers. They don’t require you to see a dentist or go in for any appointments, which means you can get your teeth straightened from home without taking time out of your busy schedule.

What makes Smile Direct Club successful?

The success of Smile Direct Club is mainly due to its ability to translate a complex situation into an easy-to-understand buying journey. Consumers are used to seeing a dentist or orthodontist to straighten their teeth. Smile Direct Club has broken that tradition with a fantastic DTC website that engages the curiosity of prospective customers. They break down the step-by-step process for their services and accompany each stage with illustrations. They also have a dedicated page to compare their service with their main competitor – Invisalign. Clever.

5. Warby Parker

Warby Parker is an optical brand that offers trendy glasses for affordable prices. They are so popular because of their unique sales process, excellent value, and stylish frames.

What makes Warby Parker successful?

When buying eyeglasses from Warby Parker, you can virtually try on glasses before buying them, which helps a customer understand which frames suit their face the best. You can also order 5 frames to be delivered to your home, giving you the flexibility to choose the right frames in your own time. They also have an excellent return policy, fantastic service, and they offer a wide selection of glasses.  Hard to beat that!

6. Grove Collaborative

Grove Collaborative is an eCommerce company that offers household and personal care products direct to its customers. They offer an affordable subscription service, which means you can get everything from diapers to dish soap delivered directly to your door for much cheaper than if you had bought all of these things individually.

What makes Grove Collaborative unique?

The success of Grove Collaborative has been mainly due to the forward-thinking design and copy of their website, which combines perfectly with their clever social media campaigns. With step-by-step instructions and high-quality images of their products, it’s easy for customers to understand what they’re buying. They also have a great video that explains how consumers can take full advantage of their subscription service. Copywriting is the real star here.

7. Allbirds

Allbirds is an apparel and fashion company specializing in manufacturing eco-friendly shoes. Allbirds is dedicated to making the most sustainable footwear and clothing using premium natural materials. They launched in 2016 and found success quickly. Their products are stylish, comfortable, and sustainably sourced. They hit the sweet spot for those of us working in less formal workplaces.

Why do we love Allbirds?

Allbirds made their way into the hearts of consumers by focusing on sustainability and responsible environmental policies. CEO and Founder Tim Brown told Fortune.com that he is eager to “prove the idea that profit and purpose don’t need to be mutually exclusive.” Their website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Their comprehensive FAQ section is worth exploring.  

8. Organifi

Organifi is a health food company that offers organic and non-GMO products direct to consumers. They provide these high-quality foods at much lower prices than if you bought all of these items individually in Whole Foods or other similar stores.

What makes Organifi successful?

The products available at Oganifi are truly outstanding. They are catering to savvy, health-conscious shoppers, and their copywriting matches that perfectly. Each product page is rich with detailed information about the product, including a breakdown of its main ingredients and how it can benefit your health. In many cases, they use infographics to help customers understand the benefits of their products.

9. Casper Mattress

Casper offers quality mattresses at affordable prices. They offer a risk-free trial, which means you can try out their beds for 100 days, and if you aren’t happy with it, they’ll take back the mattress at no extra cost.

Why do we love Casper?

Reviews! Casper’s DTC marketing strategy has a heavy focus on customer reviews. They highlight both the pros and cons of their mattresses so that customers can compare them to other similar products. Reviews are an essential part of a DTC marketing strategy, so be sure to incorporate them into your marketing website plan.

They also run many content marketing campaigns, which has helped them build a large and loyal following. Their blog posts are well written and accompanied with images and video content if needed, which helps build customer trust in their brand.

10. HelloFresh

HelloFresh is a meal kit company that offers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to help people cook healthy meals at home. HelloFresh is unique because they have a wide variety of meal kits, which means you can find something for everyone, regardless of any dietary restrictions. 

What makes HelloFresh stand out from the rest?

They primarily focus on quality and flexibility, which has helped them create a wide variety of healthy and delicious recipes that people love. Their marketing website design is full of colorful food photos with cooking times, making it easy for customers to choose what they want. They also highlight user-generated content on their website to show real people using and loving their dishes.

Other Websites to Check Out

Peloton all started with a fitness bike that revolutionized the way people exercise at home. They are unique because they offer high-quality spin bikes, treadmills, apparel, and other accessories, which are extremely hard/impossible to find in stores.

Peloton continues to grow in popularity.  Their innovative technology and the amount of content they produce are second to none. The Peloton bike is unlike any other indoor exercise bike, as it offers classes with real trainers that you can watch from home. Peloton makes a point to show this on their website with many video backgrounds, which helps customers understand the benefits of their bike. We have to mention the enthusiasm of the community of Peloton users. They’re a passionate bunch!

Dollar Shave Club offers razors to customers for just a few dollars per month. They also provide professional care packages and grooming products at low prices. Their site is straightforward to use, and it’s even easier on the wallet.

Dollar Shave Club has been incredibly successful because they offer unbeatable value. They have a great website that is easy to use, and they use marketing tactics like quizzes and data-driven product recommendations to increase sales.

Conclusion

DTC companies need to focus on a few key things to be successful online. These include producing high-quality products, building a marketing website that generates sales, marketing their brands effectively on social media, and following up with excellent customer service. 

Doing this consistently will help your DTC website stand out from the competition to drive traffic and boost sales.

If you’re struggling to expand your reach online through content marketing, marketing website design, or conversion optimization, start a conversation with us today! We can help you create a website tailored to your specific needs and help you reach your business goals.

There’s no getting around it. A well-designed marketing website is essential to success in the DTC/CPG world.

Statistics show that over 78% of people feel negatively about a business after experiencing trouble navigating a business website. Ouch!

Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your company. We don’t want them to land on your site, only to turn right back around. Instead, we want them to feel welcome – as if they’ve arrived at the right place. We want them to feel comfortable, at home. As if we are saying to them:

“Welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Sit down and stay awhile.”

The better the first impression, the longer they’ll stay on the page. Therefore, it’s essential to spend the time, effort, and money required to choose the right web design agency that can design a website that ensures you put your best foot forward – right from their very first visit.

The second someone lands on your homepage, they’re already forming an opinion of you, your company, and your products. The key to a great web design is to plan carefully. Don’t rush it. Take your time, follow the steps we’ve outlined below, so you and your team can design a website that will stand the test of time.

In our experience, the websites that deliver the best results for our clients answer the burning questions in customers’ minds, and their branding is on point. They pay attention to their conversion rate and work to optimize the experience for their customers. These websites are regularly updated with relevant, helpful content. Displaying the current logo, font, colors, and images helps build trust and matches the company’s goals and objectives. 

Let’s dive in and see how you can easily demonstrate expertise, authority, and trust with a well-designed marketing website for your DTC/CPG company.

What do we mean by empathy and trustworthiness in a website redesign?

In terms of a website redesign, genuinely focusing on the customer and their problems will be far more effective than empty, self-promotional content. Trust requires empathy. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what it’s like to be your customer.

Storytelling can be a big help when it comes to copywriting, especially at the top of the funnel. We connect through stories. We can identify with the characters, and we see ourselves in them. The visitors on your site who are truly looking for a solution to a problem need you to clearly communicate your value. Show them you are qualified through good stories, testimonials, and FAQs.

That’s why it’s important to speak to their issues. Customers need to feel as though you’ve been in their position before, and you are able to help them.

Website redesign work must be customer-centered to resonate with visitors. Your website is your business’s digital fingerprint, so you want it to communicate your values genuinely. This kind of empathy helps build connections with customers, making them feel more comfortable purchasing from you.

Elements of using the S-E-A-T strategy

A good website redesign should be structured to include several opportunities to build trust between a customer and a business.

The primary goal for most website redesigns is to improve visibility, increase traffic, and increase sales. Occasionally, a client will simply ask for a website refresh when they have a new logo, corporate colors, or a new physical location.

No matter your goal, it’s important to remember that a marketing website redesign is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that your business is the best choice to solve your customers’ problems. A website redesign can use the S-E-A-T strategy to hit all the right points.

What do we mean by S-E-A-T? 

S-E-A-T is the evolution of the infamous Google E-A-T acronym, which stands for “Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness”. 

This term has been in the lexicon of many SEOs for quite a while now. “E-A-T” started floating around with a significant Google algorithm update in August 2018 (AKA “the medic update”).

It’s been on the lips and fingertips of most SEOs ever since.

SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website appear higher on search engine results. You compete against other websites for high rankings for specific keywords. For example, if you run a fishing shop, you may want to optimize a page on your website for “new fishing rods Cincinnati” or something along those lines.

SEO makes your site more visible, exposing new customers to your brand. In that way, it also helps build trust. If your site is the first result that pops up on a Google search, you are the go-to answer for the user’s problem.

Expertise

Demonstrating expertise is the next part of the S-E-A-T process. Professional content that is empathetic and informative is a great way to share your knowledge with your website visitors.

It’s easy to demonstrate expertise with high-quality written and video content. Content posted on your website should cover your readers’/viewers’ critical questions. It should provide them with insights into the issues they are interested in and help you present a solution.

People who visit your site want to find an expert to solve their problems. It doesn’t matter if it’s a product or service you’re offering them. Your business needs to be the source of the required expertise to solve their current issues.

Written, illustrated, and video guides are great ways to show your expertise while building a connection with potential customers.

Authoritativeness

Being an authority means having the knowledge and power to provide value to customers. To be an authority, you must demonstrate your business’s competence, as well as the trust you have gained by helping other customers.

We aim to demonstrate authority for our clients through professional UX-focused website design and providing valuable, informative content. Companies can establish authority in a variety of ways: 

• Accreditation
• Mentions in the media
• Customer reviews
• Public Relations
• Online Reputation
• Word of Mouth and Referrals

In terms of design, a professional design that lines up with your brand’s appearance bolsters your authority. Authority websites don’t cut corners when it comes to branding and design. Your online presence should be instantly recognizable on all platforms.

Each step of website redesign requires considerations on how individual changes either bolster or detract from your authority.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is fostered through:

• Relevant and current content
• Professional design and navigation
• Pricing, shipping, and general business transparency
• Positive publicity

Trust is hard to build and easy to lose. To build trust with website visitors, it’s essential to focus on getting people the answers they seek quickly and efficiently. The user interface and website navigation should operate as expected. Double-check for broken links and spelling errors. Your overall design should feel modern, relevant, and user-focused. Building trust requires creating a sense of familiarity and safety.

What are some strategies to build trust on your website?

Using these tested, industry-standard methods, you can build trust on your website.

1. Customer-focused copy 

Website copy should speak directly to the customer. By writing website copy in the language your customers speak, including any relevant industry-specific vocabulary, you’re connecting directly with your prospects. 

A common mistake people make when writing website copy is to spend too much time talking about themselves, their business history, and their priorities. While you can undoubtedly share relevant accreditations, remember to use that only as a backup to your ability to solve your customers’ problems.

2. Unique & informative information

You can make a significant impact by providing helpful information relevant to website visitors. Useful statistics are a great way to grab their attention. Be sure to share any unique and interesting knowledge that could be important to your customer base.

3. Internal links

Internal links to other articles and blog posts on your website help with all four S-E-A-T elements. It’s good for SEO and shows your site provides a broad range of expertise. Internal links are a natural way to encourage customers to remain engaged with your content. As long as you’re linking to relevant content along the buyer journey, you’ll hold their interest. This helps increase conversions because your customer has frequent opportunities to connect with you and your brand by continuing to click through your website.

4. UX & UI design

User experience and design expertise are needed to make a visitor’s website experience feel natural, effortless, familiar, and straightforward. Professional design means keeping your page clean and not confusing readers with unnecessary links or competing calls to action. It also means gently nudging customers towards taking specific actions by making those actions easy and making them feel rewarding.

5. Social shares & backlinks

You should create social media posts that link to your website to round off a solid SEO strategy. Your customers are on social media, so it only makes sense to capture their attention while they’re browsing Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Sharing relevant social media updates helps build connections with customers. It’s a great place to share testimonials, FAQs, new product releases, and promotional sales. Additionally, you can try to make it easy for customers to share your content on their social channels.

The bottom line

A website redesign project can be the perfect way to foster a greater level of trust from website visitors.

Optimizing your website for a great user experience using the strategies above can help you increase traffic to your website, convert more visitors into customers, and build a loyal customer base, around the clock, seven days a week.