Scroll the FYP (For You Page) of any Gen Z TikTok account and you’ll find an infinite amount of personalised content, from product reviews, dating advice, adverts for multi-pack toilet rolls, and a twenty-something woman inviting us to ‘GRWM’ (Get Ready With Me) for a day in London. It may not be obvious at first, but the reviews, advice, adverts and OOTDs (Outfit of the Day) all have one thing in common: They have been searched by users on the hunt for information.
A new study from the people over at Adobe claims over 64% of Gen Z Americans use TikTok as a search engine, with “nearly 1-in-10 stating they were more likely to rely on TikTok than Google as a search engine.” The study found that 19% of all consumers are looking for new restaurants amongst other content types, with new recipes coming top at 36%. So, where will the average Gen Zer turn to find the best place to eat lunch in London? It isn’t Google.
The Sharp Shift to TikTok
Compared to other social platforms such as Facebook, X (formally Twitter), Snapchat, and Instagram, TikTok’s rise to fame amongst its competitors has been stratospheric. According to BackLinko.com, TikTok hit 1 billion monthly active users in September 2021, which made the app one of the fastest-growing apps ever in terms of market hold since 2016. However, TikTok’s quick ascension hasn’t come without controversies and legal challenges.
As of writing, the US House of Representatives has voted to force a nationwide ban on the app, unless the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sell their controlling stake within six months, over fears of national security and data handling. TikTok has also faced scrutiny from the EU, with them launching a formal investigation into potential breaches of the Digital Services Act, including the safeguarding of children. Only time can tell the outcomes of these legal challenges and their wider impact on TikTok’s future and its place in modern society.
TikTok Rankings Game
None of the legal actions and possible law changes appear to have slowed down the progression of TikTok becoming a tool to search for information and quick answers. TikTok Search now shows users familiar features such as auto-suggest, featured snippets with AI-generated text summarising videos, TikTok traffic analytics for creators and more.
TikTok SEO is not like traditional SEO in its performance. However, there are crossovers in features, methods and techniques. TikTok is unique in the sense that its algorithm relies less on how many followers an account has, and how many views, likes or comments a video has; however, these elements certainly do help push the algorithm. Other indicators are considered more, such as video watch time, video engagement, what your peers are viewing, your previous searches, etc.
For creators such as businesses and brands, this means that quality content is key to getting your videos out there. Even though there are fewer clear ranking factors than other search engines like Google, a TikTok SEO strategy and best practice is invaluable.
Conduct Audience Research – Know your target audience, what they are searching for and the content they engage with most.
Conduct Keyword Research – Use a mixture of traditional keyword research tools and the autosuggest feature on the app itself to see what users are typing to get their most relevant results.
Optimise your TikTok Video Content – TikTok is highly sensitive to text and sounds, which is why you’ll often see creators use synonyms, c0d3 (code), and other ways to avoid censoring. Use this to your advantage in your content; say your keywords as well as write them, and use popular (appropriate) sounds and hashtags.
Engagement – As well as engaging with your audience, engage with the wider relevant TikTok community to boost your content in similar communities.
Track your Data – Don’t forget to track and analyse your traffic, engagement CTR and other metrics to see if your efforts are working and where there are possible opportunities.
TikTok: The Future of Search
With Google now posting TikTok content in the SERPs with featured snippets, as well as Google SGE, we are at the beginning of a search engine revolution, seeking to change completely how we consume information. Alongside legal challenges, TikTok’s biggest threat may be one of its inevitable outcomes: misinformation.
With TikTok search and For You Pages being driven by user engagements, rather than something such as E-E-A-T, there is a glaring question surrounding the future of trusted news sources and reliable sources. All it takes is a small number of accounts to create content suggesting fake news about a celebrity, and the algorithm pushes false headlines, and AI-generated auto-suggest queries, building an avalanche of click-bait lies.
Get in touch with the experts
If you looking for advice on reaching a wider audience on TikTok and other social media platforms, then do not hesitate to reach out to our expert team.
Are you trying to make your ecommerce business’ website stand out in a crowded digital space?
Do you feel lost when it comes to getting your Shopify noticed by Google? You are not alone. In this article, we will share how to make the most of Shopify for SEO, explore its benefits and help you to avoid common mistakes.
Nothing is more frustrating than putting effort into setting up an online store, for no one to visit. As an ecommerce business owner, you know how important it is for your store to show up in search results. It’s important to understand how to improve your Shopify store’s visibility in search results, so you can attract more customers and grow your business.
Shopify’s tools can also be tricky to understand, especially if you’re not sure where to start.
We have listed some of the most useful benefits and avoidable mistakes to help you understand what works and what doesn’t in SEO for Shopify stores.
Whether your ecommerce site is grappling with fierce competition, battling low rankings in the search results or you are keen to broaden your knowledge with ecommerce SEO to become more confident, the Varn team have put together this article to help you understand how Shopify can be used to follow SEO best practices.
Shopify’s CMS makes it easy to create and manage content for ecommerce websites, with simple monthly plans to sell products. The platform has over 600,000 merchants across the world. Shopify regularly updates their platform with new features and integrations. The recent, tap to pay on iPhone, and twitter sales channels are efforts to improve user experience, increase traffic and attract more customers.
Why Use Shopify for SEO?
Technical SEO Benefits of Shopify
1 ) Secure Hosting and SSL Certification
Any online purchases made via your ecommerce site need to be secure. A user expects an ecommerce site to protect their sensitive data. Shopify’s secure hosting includes a free SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, which enables HTTPS encryption, for all their hosted websites.
This HTTPS protocol signals to search engines that the website is secure. Google highlights security as criteria for a good page experience and gives preference to secure websites. This core aspect of technical SEO is not overlooked for ecommerce websites that use Shopify.
Without it, your site won’t rank well in searches.
2 ) Structured Data for Rich Snippets
Structured data, also known as schema markup, translates page details to search engines to suggest which product details to show in the SERP. The Shopify platform has an easy way to add structured data markup.
Ecommerce websites are no longer bound to the format of page title, meta description and URL. Rich snippets are a fast track to the top of the SERP. As manager of a team that’s rooted in Technical SEO, I’m no stranger to the opportunities schema provides that ecommerce businesses to benefit from.
Rich snippets your business can rank for using Shopify
Product snippets
Review snippets
Offer snippets
FAQ snippets
Google updates and adds features to the Search Results Page (SERP) more than ever before. One of the most recent is Google’s recent SERP feature, specifically designed for cruises. Additionally, Google’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE) plans to introduce AI in the SERP, some of the most recent updates we’ve noticed is Shop with Google AI feature.
3 ) Automatic Sitemap Generation
A non-negotiable of a website’s technical SEO set up, is a well-organised sitemap. An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, in a structure that reflects their relevance and importance. It should be easy for search engine crawlers to navigate, understand site structure and index the pages on your ecommerce site. If Google can’t reach a page easily, how will it rank it?
Without a crawlable site, Google cannot and will not rank anything. To create an XML sitemap manually may be a challenge if you’re new to SEO and can take a long time. Whereas, with Shopify, a sitemap for your ecommerce website is automatically generated.
4) Auto-Generated Canonical Tags
Canonical tags help search engines understand the preferred version of a page, especially handy if there are multiple pages with similar content. Canonical tags are especially useful for ecommerce sites with product variants, filters, pagination, and cross-selling pages. The Shopify platform anticipates this dilemma with automatically generated canonical tags.
This feature simplifies the technical aspects of SEO for business owners, but also helps to prevent issues like duplicate content penalties. With Shopify’s automated generation of canonical tags, businesses can focus on their products and content.
Whilst Shopify auto generates canonical tags they should be strategised, monitored and planned. An organised structure helps people and search engines to find what they are looking for, without being overwhelmed or confused with lots of similar products.
5 ) Mobile Performance
Hubspot’s 2023 Web Traffic & Analytics Report found that:
“54% of consumers primarily use phones to search.”
Google announced, via their Google Search Central Blog, that “We will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” As mobile searches continue to dominate, Google has made mobile-friendliness a crucial ranking factor.
81% of Shopify traffic comes from mobile devices. So it’s no surprise that Shopify themes are made for mobile users, with mobile-friendliness and integrations. A responsive theme helps avoid user’s bouncing off the page because a page hasn’t loaded correctly.
6 ) Page Load Speed
Page speed, sometimes called ‘load speed’ measures how fast the content on a page loads. The speed of a website is a crucial factor in SEO.
When someone uses your ecommerce store, the user has a specific purpose, they expect to find the information, or a specific product or service quickly otherwise they will leave.
The average adult attention span is 8 seconds. Waiting 4-5 seconds for a page to load isn’t good enough. Each second the user is waiting for your ecommerce site to load is a second that they not only lose interest, but your business loses credibility. There’s a correlation between conversion rate and load speed. For ecommerce businesses, this shouldn’t be overlooked. A page’s load speed can be the difference between a sale and a user leaving your site.
Shopify has built-in speed optimisation features into its platform. One such feature is the integration of a content delivery network (CDN), which considerably enhances page loading times. This, in turn, not only improves the user experience but also provides preferential treatment to faster-loading pages in search engine algorithms, resulting in higher rankings.
Benefits of Shopify for Your Ecommerce Business
1 ) Shopify Apps
Shopify’s app store drives the number of ecommerce sales made with online businesses. A large collection of apps and plugins are available to be integrated into your e-commerce site. They can help businesses to meet their digital marketing goals such as email marketing or post purchase surveys.
The apps can help with improving SEO to the extent of compressing images and keyword optimisation. SEO apps on Shopify may seem tempting, they offer a one-click answer. But in reality, as with anything complicated, anything that offers a quick solution needs to be treated sceptically. An app alone can’t provide the quality that’s necessary for real SEO, but these tools can be used strategically to enhance or enable your organic search tactics.
2 ) Content Management and Blogging
Think of the blog section of your ecommerce store as an organic space where users can learn more about your products, services, industry, and company culture. An opportunity to focus on your niche, build a relationship with a user, and hone in on expertise.
Explore and address your ideal customers’ pain points and desires, and answer their questions. Journalists and writers for online publications might quote your expertise and feature in publications. This proactive approach to display industry expertise on an ecommerce site’s blog could pay off with links.
If your business already has a proactive ecommerce strategy, creating content doesn’t have to be laborious. An ecommerce business can boost rankings, attract more visitors, and sales with a content strategy that is informed by a customer journey mapping.
The human brain processes images faster than text, don’t neglect visuals with your blog posts, show information using visual formats like infographics. Embed social posts and videos to keep users engaged. Map each blog post to a stage of customer journey and align with internal links to your products and services.
A blog section for your ecommerce business gives you the power to rank for long tail keywords. If you are actively making social media content, this can be repurposed. You don’t need to spend a long time on content.
Turn snippets of your blog posts into a newsletter for email marketing, X or LinkedIn posts. Turn these snippets into infographics for Pinterest. The blog you’ve written can be turned into the script for a YouTube video or live broadcast. Snappy takeaways from your long form content can be turned into a reel or TikTok.
If you’d like to learn more about the process included in how to create a content strategy for your business. We have created guides to help you get started with a content strategy plan and you can learn how to build a strong foundation in how to plan a content strategy and can also explore how to write SEO friendly content.
3 ) Shopify’s Free Ecommerce & SEO Tutorials
If you are feeling overwhelmed with setting up your store, tired of not understanding Shopify jargon or it feels like every time you learn a concept, there are new roadblocks that come with it, then Shopify’s learning resources are one of the simplest ways discovering how to set up your store. They also share useful tutorials, online webinars, guides and courses.
Maybe you are new to the ecommerce or SEO space, or you’re in the process of migrating over from another platform but don’t know where to start? Shopify’s Help Centre has a large collection of webinar videos, blogs and guides suited to help all levels of expertise, so you can form a foundation of understanding that ecommerce business owners need to implement SEO on their websites.
4 ) User-Friendly Interface and SEO-Friendly Features
Shopify is brilliant for beginners and smaller brands, it is not as competitive as other ecommerce platforms like Amazon. The ecommerce platform makes setting up online and navigating the backend simple so you can focus on your business at hand. With Shopify, you get an easy-to-use platform as well as a large support network due to the large number of business owners that use it. An easily customisable shop front, lots of customer support, more features than other platforms down to the app integrations.
Can You Do SEO With Shopify?
You’ve probably gathered from this article, we love working with Shopify. It is a useful ecommerce platform that allows users to scale their business and take multi-currency payments. If you are looking for a CMS Platform with powerful marketing and SEO abilities such as analytics, abandoned cart and email notifications, Shopify is easy to use.
Top Mistakes to Avoid when Optimising an Ecommerce / Shopify Site for SEO
We have shared the most common mistakes that we encounter when optimising ecommerce business owners Shopify for SEO.
Not Planning Schema
Stay ahead of the curve, allow Google to make the most of your website, by implementing structured data. Schema markup needs to be planned, as if you fail to plan, mistakes can happen. For example, you might end up with conflicting information on the same page or miss out on using certain types of schema that could help your site rank.
Unorganised Canonicalisation
As Shopify is primarily used for ecommerce sites and products tend to have a number of variations, this ends up creating a lot of different page URLs containing very similar content.
Not correctly implementing canonicalisation not only creates potential issues with duplicate content but also results in keyword cannibalisation. Neither of which are great for SEO.
URL Structure Limitations
We have also recognised Shopify’s innate limitations surrounding page URLs. When creating sites in other content management systems such as WordPress, you have quite a lot of control over URLs, URL strings, parent vs. child pages and so on.
However with Shopify, these URL structures are very limited and most URLs are /pages/page-title, /collections/collection-title, or /product/product-title. This limitation can be avoided with keyword mapping.
Final Thoughts on Shopify SEO
A clear vision and well thought out marketing strategy is core to keep a competitive edge for ecommerce websites. As an ecommerce business owner, it’s important to recognise that Shopify is a user friendly platform. However, without a strategy that includes all aspects of SEO – technical, on-page and user experience as well as aligning with your business goals you run the risk of missing out on sales, organic search traffic, potential customers and being surpassed by competition.
Has your website outgrown Shopify’s built-in SEO?
Are you keen to avoid mistakes or adopt these strategies but unsure how to?
Shopify’s SEO tools are a great start, but for explosive growth, you need expert innovation.
Varn’s data-driven approach goes beyond built-in tools. We conduct a deep SEO audit, fix technical issues, and unearth high-value keywords your competitors have missed. We then use that data to create a custom strategy for your business.
Get in touch with our expert team at Varn, we’re obsessed with SEO and search, keen to look at your Shopify website and help you succeed online.
As your website grows and evolves over time with loads of new content it can be easy to neglect some of your past blogs and content pieces, in favour of new shiny ones; this is a big mistake for SEO. Often, older blogs and content can be a gold mine, (or rather ‘linkmine’), when it comes to driving organic search results over time.
Here we look at refreshing old content and how you can do it to drive more organic links over time through off-page SEO, which will help all of your SEO efforts.
Step 1: Identify old content that could be improved
To find the potential content that you want to drive backlinks to, take a look at your blog content through a tool like SEMRush, (other search engine optimisation tools available), to find ones that have a bit of website traffic and are getting some traction when it comes to backlinks. It could be that there are good candidates there that with a bit of TLC can be pushed higher up the rankings.
Depending on the site set-up, you can look via sub-folder or root domain to find the blogs:
The snapshot above shows some of the top performing pages for our own blog content at Varn, ordered by referring domains:
A deeper dive reveals where the opportunity lies. The blogs above have got a handful of backlinks, and we can examine some of the key terms that they rank for and the links they are getting. If we look at the following URL we can work through a case study:
We can see from SEMRush that this URL ranks in the top 100 for terms like “keyword intent” “what is search intent” and “search intent” terms, that get 110, 70 and 390 monthly UK searches respectively.
We can also see that this blog has 4 backlinks, 1 of which is an important one:
This matches the key checklist for an ideal content improvement candidate:
If the answer to the above is yes, then we have a candidate for improvement and we can begin the optimisation process.
Step 2: Optimise old content to bring it up to date
Once you have your content outlined the next step is to start the updating process, this will stem from the keyword research conducted prior to the optimisation process, in the case of the search intent modelling blog, we outlined the following key terms to go after:
What is search intent?
What are the different kinds of search intent?
Search intent
How to optimise for search intent
Why is search intent important
With that confirmed, we went on our optimisation journey.
How to update old content
1. Update the body content
Refresh Text: Add new information, statistics, and recent studies to make your post current.
Improve Readability: Break large paragraphs into smaller ones, use bullet points, and include subheadings to make the content easier to read.
Optimise for Keywords: Naturally incorporate your new keywords into the text, especially in headings, subheadings, and the first 200 words of your post.
2. Optimize meta tags
Title tag: Ensure your main keyword is in the title tag, and keep it between 155-160
Meta description: Update the meta description to include keywords and make it enticing. Keep it between 150-160 characters.
3. Update images and multimedia
Add or replace images: Use high-quality, relevant images and include keywords in the file names and alt text.
Include videos: If relevant, add videos to engage users and increase the time they spend on your site.
4. Improve internal linking
Add New Links: Link to newer, relevant content within your site to keep users engaged and distribute page authority throughout your site.
Update Broken Links: Check for and fix any broken links in the post.
5. Update the publish date
Reflect the Update: Once the post is updated, change the publish date to the current date to signal to search engines and readers that the content is fresh.
Step 3: Find examples of content that ranks and check out their backlinks
The next step is to look for who the big players are when it comes to the content you are looking to get ranking, in our case we looked at the backlinks of this backlinks of article amongst other high ranking pages:
From this you can develop an outreach list of people who have written about similar content in the past and who may well be grateful for an updated version of what they want to cover, the following template can be used to reach out to these websites and let them know that you have you updated your content, and that you think it’s a bit better than the one they have referenced already.
Step 4: Benchmark the results and measure performance
Once you have the content written and updated, resubmitted to Google Search Console and outreach underway to let interested websites know that there is some new content out there worth revisiting, benchmark the following KPIs so that you know where you were and can set some targets on where you want to go.
Number of backlinks
Keyword rankings
Impressions clicks and CTR for the optimised content
Wider rankings for core landing pages
Examples of our results:
The above process can be really rewarding, as getting the most out of your content means working smarter and not harder. Optimising past content can bring some great results. Here is an example from our client HSE Network.
How we updated old content for HSE Network
Our client HSE Network wants to rank well for safety software based terms so they can drive relevant traffic for would-be advertisers, driver safety software is one of these pillars.
They had a great article with a mix of written and video content from 2021 that was performing, but not spectacularly. For 2024, we worked with them to update the content and just two weeks on from the update, we have seen an increase in the core rankings. They went from the bottom of page one to top for the term ‘driver safety software benefits’.
How we updated our old content for SEO at Varn
Last month we optimised our core search intent modelling page.
We built it out with a link to a useful video, more general content around search intent and also brought it up to speed with recommendations on the use of AI in search. It’s early days, but since the optimisation we have seen a nice uptick in impressions which will turn into more clicks over time.
This method can help you drive more coverage and links over time
Whilst this is not driving new links or improving the optimisation of the high-value commercial pages within your site, it will help you drive deeper links which can support the SEO of the whole site. If you want to drive even more SEO equity to the higher value pages, place (where relevant) internal links to these within the content that you have updated.
If you would like any help with updating old and past content on your website, then do not hesitate to get in touch with our expert team at Varn who would be more than happy to help.
Our friends at Thinkbox are back with their annual TV wrap-up. We’ve taken a deep dive through the report and pulled out what we think are the key points!
Viewing patterns have stabilised, somewhat –
Commercial TV viewing (covering linear TV and all forms of broadcaster VOD) held fairly steady across 2023, showing only a 1.7% decline vs 2022. It’s worth remembering that 2022 was a World Cup year which naturally boosts TV viewing across all audiences. This is the smallest decline we’ve seen since 2016(!), pandemic aside.
BVOD continues to grow –
While linear TV viewing dropped 6%, BVOD saw yet another year of strong growth at 23%! The release of ITVX and all of its exclusive content was a key driver of this.
SVOD subscriptions reaching maturity in the UK –
As has been widely reported, SVOD subscriptions dropped marginally last year, although 75% of the population continues to subscribe to at least one service. The crackdown on password sharing coupled with the cost of living crisis are the lead causes of this. It does though paint a picture of an SVOD market that appears to have plateaued and points towards a more stable future of viewing trends.
The link to the full report is here. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to shoot our TV team an email!
Credit: James Budden, Senior AV Manager
VOOM Nutrition sets out to celebrate the power of plants in its launch campaign for POWR, its vegan sports endurance bar.
Developed by leading creative agency McCann Bristol, ‘The Climb’ is a cautionary tale that follows a free climber preparing to tackle ‘the Big One’, an ominous, vertical rockface that he’s always been fixated on. The film is shot with the same intensity as an epic sports documentary but ends with a ‘dark humour’ twist that viewers don’t expect, tying into the campaign line: ‘Never underestimate the Power of Plants.’
“We’re a challenger brand in sports nutrition, a category that can often take itself quite seriously,” explains VOOM CEO Robin Higgens. “While we’re serious about creating our plant-based products, our team and our customers are outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy the unpredictability of nature, something McCann has expertly captured in the film.”
McCann Bristol’s Executive Creative Director, Zane Radcliffe adds: “Humour doesn’t often find its way into health and nutrition, so it’s been a breath of fresh air to write and shoot this, and to work with a bold client who understands that you don’t always have to land the brand in the first six seconds. The joy of this film is in its restraint. The product is the punchline, which makes it all the more powerful – never underestimate the power of funny!”
Launching earlier this month across social platforms, the film was directed by Olivier Richomme at Chief, and stars GB climber and Men’s Boulder medallist, Louis Parkinson, continuing VOOM’s collaboration with elite athletes.
“The team at Chief have been an inspiration,” explains Radcliffe. “In true documentary fashion they’ve worked wonders with a modest budget and a skeleton crew to deliver a mini epic.”
Shaped By, an independent B2B creative agency, proudly announces the milestone initial public offering (IPO) of its long standing client, Rubrik, on the New York Stock Exchange.
With a partnership spanning four years, Shaped By has contributed to enhancing Rubrik’s brand identity and marketing through creative collaboration across numerous projects and campaigns. Through a top-down commitment to innovation and creativity, Rubrik has invested in nurturing a trusted relationship with Shaped By as one of its strategic agency partners.
Under the leadership of Rubrik’s CEO Bipul Sinha, there’s a profound appreciation for the power of creativity in driving business success. This IPO serves as a testament to the transformative impact of creativity when seamlessly integrated into brand development and marketing initiatives.
In celebration of this historic moment, Shaped By has collaborated with Rubrik to unveil a series of captivating ads, creatively crafted by our team, that will debut following the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
These ads were featured on CNBC in the U.S, and two digital billboards in the iconic Times Square.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the milestone achievement of Rubrik’s IPO. Our collaboration with them has been a fantastic and rewarding journey” says Nick Farrar, Founder of Shaped By. “Our partnership with the Rubrik team is underpinned by creativity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to design excellence. Together, we’ve explored innovative creative approaches and challenged conventional boundaries in the sector. It’s been a pleasure to deliver exceptional work with exceptional people. We’re looking forward to continuing our journey of innovation and success post IPO.”
Here are links to some of the work we’ve done with them. 😀
Specialist CRM agency Flourish was celebrating Thursday 18th April following the announcement at the Campaign Media Awards that their work for Pai Skincare had won ‘The CRM and Media Award’ category.
Award judges described the campaign, which utilised first party data to inform a media strategy which ultimately increased conversion and reduced CPA as, “…clever, rock solid.”
The achievement was even greater as Flourish was one of only six agencies up for an award that didn’t come from the Campaign Top 20 (Campaign School Report Billing 2023). Flourish’s Managing Director Ian Reeves commented: “I’m so proud of the team, but I’m not surprised by the win. With stricter privacy regulations in the UK and EU, and the death of cookies, first party data is becoming increasingly important. It provides marketers with ways of reaching customers with more relevant and engaging comms – something CRM specialists like Flourish have been championing for decades!”
Pai is a ‘clean’ skincare brand selling products direct to consumers via their website. Offers are a vital tool in securing a sale, but Pai wanted to reduce their CPA which had crept up over time.
The award winning work utilised Ometria’s Predictive Attributes to identify customer behaviours and classify them as active, at risk or lapsed. The ‘pot’ customers were put in determined the content of the email journeys they would then receive – with offers as a last resort.
In addition, instead of offer / discount messaging, web visitors were retargeted with product ads focusing on quality, to build brand value. Demographic data gained from CRM meant that only visitors who were most likely to buy were retargeted.
Flourish’s Managing Partner and Head of Media Steve Davis said: “This work shows how powerful media strategies driven by CRM insights can be. This campaign was absolutely transformative in terms of reducing CPA and increasing conversion for Pai and demonstrates the ROI agencies like Flourish can deliver for our clients.”
Notes for editors
Flourish is an independently owned, specialist CRM agency based in Bristol. Platform agnostic, the agency works with the tech clients have in place to deliver data-driven customer journeys to OPTIMISE, ELEVATE and ultimately TRANSFORM their clients CRM.
For more information contact Ian Reeves, Managing Director [email protected].
For Earth Day, the team at Something Familiar have taken a deep dive into sustainable website design. Looking at what it truly means, common pitfalls and how to start making more eco conscious moves – without losing sight of your brand identity.
How can digital designers make choices to minimise their environmental impact? In this blog, we explore what actions we can take to create websites that are both engaging and better for the planet.
What is sustainable or low carbon website design?
Sustainable website design is all the noise these days, and for good reason. Historically, web design practices have failed to consider the environmental consequences of maintaining a website. With an average of 1.76g of CO2 emitted per page view, the cumulative impact becomes significant. For instance, a site with 100k page views per month emits approximately 2,112kg of CO2 annually! A car travelling 8,000 miles emits roughly the same amount of CO2, which is mad. *Source
So what exactly is Sustainable web design?
It refers to the practice of creating websites with minimal negative impact on the environment, both in terms of resource consumption and emissions. This approach considers the entire lifecycle of a website, from design through to development, hosting, maintenance and user interaction.
On top of environmental impact, sustainable design also involves two other important aspects:
Social Responsibility
Practising user-friendly accessible design, paired with respectful, inclusive content ensures it’s suitable for a wide range of audiences.
Economic Sustainability
Taking this considered approach during the design phases could also streamline the development process, and minimise the page processing power. Ensuring the site is lightweight, future proof and built to last.
As cliche as it sounds we need to make a change. But how do we meet our green goals – without compromising our brand impact and website design?
It’s all about Sustainable Design Considerations
In this article we are focussing on the first phase of a website lifecycle – the initial design decisions you can implement to minimise your site’s environmental impact. This phase seems to be an area where little discussion is currently focused, but it comes hand in hand with development, so decisions made here are crucial.
We’re here to put you onto a few tips and tricks so you can get practising sustainable web design in no time. You’d be surprised what can be achieved through strategic design decisions.
Here’s are some things to consider when approaching your new sustainable website design:
Over-application of ‘best’ practice.
Yes you can remove video, and yes you can use system fonts… but should you? We don’t want to lose the soul of your brand as a result of this practice, so remain conscious about your objectives. Keep it chill.
Set your objectives Addressing what needs to be done to improve your impact at the end of a project can lead to non-optimal solutions – think first.
Do your research Design-focused resources for sustainable impact are few and far between, so when you come across design inspiration that’s also incredibly sustainable – save it and share it.
Carbon calculator hype
Yes, these are helpful and insightful, but it’s important to not prioritise your score over experience or business objectives. Also at the time of writing, these calculators seem to only measure initial page-load, which is not always an accurate reflection of page size.
To summarise, and maybe over simplify this topic, having a low-impact website typically means stripping things back. So using smaller images, removing video, less content on a page, avoiding multiple fonts etc.
But how can you do this without diluting your brand? It’s a challenge that we have been facing so we created a methodology that aligns impact and expectations.
Determine how far you want to give your website a green glow-up.
At Something Familiar, we’ve adapted a tiered approach to sustainable web development – The Gold, Silver Bronze approach. By understanding your business positioning and communication priorities we can build a sustainable website, without impacting your brand presence.
We’ve sourced some excellent example websites to see where they fall on our scale. All of these websites demonstrate excellent design and brand impact, but offer varying levels of sustainable web design.
GOLD: Lean and Green
Those who have achieved sustainable website zen! Exemplary brand communication and aesthetic, whilst upholding impressively low page weight. Sacrifices are evident in the absence of motion and video, with minimal utilisation of photography, opting primarily for a typography or vector-based design approach. However, these sacrifices are executed with meticulous consideration and attention to detail.
We made it our challenge to get to A+. 94% cleaner of all web pages globally on the website carbon calculator (a real challenge when you want to show off everything achieved in the last 12 months)
Our stickers go a long way to inject personality. Light little Lottie Files to compliment each chapter, SF style.
We used a low code page builder, Bricks Builder, built with clean bloat free code.
Our use of video was minimised by looping short autoplay clips rather than playing entire video content.
First visit from Beacon – CO2: 0.131g / SIZE: 420.56 KB
SILVER: Sustainable standard
Could this be the ideal equilibrium? Introducing distinctive and captivating features that depart from typographic and flat styling, incorporating depth and distinctive Javascript interactions and animations. Meticulous attention is given to the utilisation of video and highly optimised images.
Flayks
https://flayks.com/
Portfolio site of designer/art director Félix Péault
Design notes:
The layout is incredible and highly engaging. This is partially due to super confident use of typography – it does a lot of the work in place of heavy media.
Video is used strategically, and only plays when within your viewport.
Basic in terms of sustainability, but bespoke in terms of design impact. These sites offer incredible experiences to their users and have won Awwwards for their work, but this comes at the sacrifice of page weight. Keep in mind though that these sites have different objectives and are aimed at a smaller audience.
The dynamic apple-esque landing page serves up a really enjoyable experience to scroll through.
It’s media rich and interactive in order to convert – but also helps to sell the storytelling piece about Bearbrick ‘finding its voice’.
The on scroll animations and high quality assets are necessary to reflect the price point associated with collectable culture. Also helps to reinforce the value of the Medicom/Bearbrick brands.
First visit from Beacon – CO2: 7.307g / SIZE: 19.45 MB
So what action can you take?
Here’s some simple design-focused moves you can make now to start reaching green glowup. Ideally, these should all be actioned or considered at the beginning of a project.
Variable fonts
Reduce the amount of fonts being loaded on your site. A variable font ecompasses a slew of weights within one file, vs. the old days of loading 5-6 heavy separate files.
Be strategic with media
Beyond compressing/optimising your media, think about its value and positioning. Immersive images and video assets should be saved for key parts of communication.
Make things move
Elevate your website’s storytelling with scroll stopping motion. If you haven’t already, check out our Motion Manifesto, trust.
To further this point, ramp up typography to really push how tone and messaging can be delivered without relying on heavy media.
Main character: mobile
Designing mobile first might not be your thing, but regardless of order – get your mobile design optimised. Cater to accessibility on small devices to make the experience just as beaut.
Make accessibility breezy
Get Stark (plugin) involved in your design process to eliminate any accessibility risks. It’s a lovely little plugin in Figma you can use to review typography, palettes and contrast. It’s all aligned with the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) too.
With all this in mind, think about where your website to sit on the sustainable spectrum. Ultimately, the outcome is reaching a happy medium that meets objectives, delivers a killer experience and practises sustainability.
People buy people… and people are made up of stories.
Studies have shown that 55% of people are more likely to buy a product if they love the story behind a brand.
But why do brand stories matter? What makes a brand story compelling and engaging?
What is a brand story?
As a business, or individual, your brand’s story should be a complete picture of who you are and why you do what you do – what is your mission and vision.
It encompasses the facts of your brand, but also the feelings created by your brand. It should be the foundation of every aspect of your content marketing. Without a brand narrative, your marketing will be typically vague and inconsistent.
Notice how we’ve not mentioned what you do here.
In his book and hugely popular TedTalk, Start With Why, Simon Sinek argues that most organisations communicate from the outside in.
They start with what it is they do, before going into the how. They rarely address the why. But the why is so important when it comes to telling stories and leveraging human appeal.
Sinek argues that inspired leaders and organisations communicate from the inside out, starting with the why, and then moving to how, before finally addressing what it is that they do.
“With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
This example, from Sinek, concisely shows this process in action. It is a reference to Apple and the way it starts with Why in its communications.
The theory emphasizes that people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
By starting with the “why,” organisations can differentiate themselves from their competitors, attract like-minded individuals who share their beliefs, and foster a loyal customer base or following.
This is where storytelling comes into play.
Why does brand storytelling matter?
Brand storytelling is an art form that can be traced back to as early as 1895.
This was when a farming magazine called ‘The Furrow,’ leveraged compelling brand stories as a way to connect with their target audience.
John Deere’s magazine is considered to be the first example of corporate storytelling. But since these early days, brands have continued to recognise the amazing power that stories have.
Fundementally people like stories, because they can create emotional connections with them. This connection then creates brand differentiation, humanisation, memorability and engagement.
These are incredibly important elements not only for building brand authenticity but for keeping a steady pipeline of engagement in a world where a lot of businesses are pushing a product or service.
Web or Funnel?
As more people are driven to make connections online, more brands and businesses use that online presence for reach and engagement.
This kind of activity would previously have been referred to as the marketing funnel. But that’s something of an outmoded term now.
The funnel is now more of a web.
The sheer volume of marketing communications coming the way of a consumer is staggering. From Google Search, to Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Blogs, News and more the consumer has never been bombarded with more information.
The term web is quite an apt one in this sense. Because the web of social and marketing comms is now so laden with competition, it easily becomes overly exhausting for the potential customer.
All it can take is one element of that web to break, for the whole thing to fall down.
A lot of brands have a story to tell. But the only way to create a story that will resonate with your customers is to understand the art of storytelling.
Storytelling: back to basics
Great stories are considered as such for several reasons. They take you on a journey. Great stories are relatable, they can inspire, engage, can even affect change. A good story is always:
Entertaining
Emotional
Relatable
Memorable
Believable
Engaging
Simple
Successful brand storytelling always has several key elements that create a compelling narrative.
An authentic story will help you articulate brand messaging, brand values and your brand’s mission.
Finding your voice
How can you leverage the power of storytelling for your brand? Let’s start with the basics
Define your brand
Before you can tell your story, you have to know your story. Many organisations try to tell their brand story before they understand who they are and why their audience should care. It’s much easier to tell your brand’s story when you figure out:
Who you are
What you do
Who you do it for
Why you do it
How you do it
Why you’re unique
An essential part of any brand story starts, as you’d expect, at the beginning.
What is your brand’s purpose, why do you do what you do? Why does your brand exist in the first place?
Identifying the answers to these questions will help you understand more about your brand. Once you establish your own brand’s identity, you can begin to tell your story.
Create consistent messaging
It’s important to have a clear and consistent message that emanates throughout your communication. But try to stay clear of sounding like you’re selling something… show, don’t tell.
When you show who you are as a brand vs what you’re selling, you’re creating that emotional connection and brand differentiation. So, when it does come the time to drop a sales message, you have that preexisting engagement and customer motivation.
Get to know your audience
You can really only achieve this if you know your audience. To craft a compelling story that will speak to your customers, you need to properly understand them.
What motivates them, what inspires them, what moves them
Ask yourself who your customers are and why they should care about your brand. Define your buyer personas and think about the kinds of stories they want to hear.
Understanding your audience is imperative to not just your brand story, but your marketing strategy as a whole.
Shape the narrative
With your messaging shaped and your audience profiled, it’s time to define your narrative.
How do you want your audience to react? Do you want them to feel entertained? Informed? Educated?
Understanding these points will help you form your narrative and allow you to paint a picture of the kinds of stories and content that you should be producing.
Telling an authentic brand story goes beyond the ‘about us’ page on your website.
Instead, it’s interwoven into every aspect of communications
You’ll find that great brand stories are permeated through a brand’s social media posts, blogs, emails and website.
In today’s competitive and crowded marketplace, brand storytelling has become a powerful tool for companies to create meaningful connections with their customers, differentiate themselves, and establish a strong and memorable brand identity
Do you want to experience the value of great storytelling? Talk to the team at AMBITIOUS to discover how we can get more people talking about your brand [email protected] or call us on 0117 905 1177.
Bristol’s creative quarter, Paintworks, was full of excitement on Wednesday, March 27th, as Istoria Group and Purplefish teamed up to host a creative careers Agency Open Day.
The event, in partnership with social enterprise Babbasa, welcomed a total of 12 eager young people. This day-long event was an opportunity for anyone interested in a career within the design and/or PR industry.
The collaboration between Istoria Group and Purplefish was an effort to offer invaluable insights into the creative industry, particularly for individuals who may face barriers to accessing such opportunities. Both certified B Corp businesses, Istoria Group and Purplefish are committed to fostering inclusivity and breaking down barriers in the creative sector.
Sam Rowe, CEO of Istoria Group said: “This Open Day really portrays our shared commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a supportive environment for aspiring creatives. We’re dedicated to providing pathways for individuals to thrive in the design industry.”
Joanna Randall, Founder of Purplefish, commented: “At Purplefish, we believe in the power of mentorship and sharing knowledge for the next generations who will be working alongside us. Collaborating with Istoria Group for this Open Day has been incredibly rewarding, and we’re thrilled to have provided aspiring professionals with a glimpse into the exciting world of PR.”
The day’s agenda was structured to offer participants a comprehensive overview of both design and PR. Beginning with Istoria Group’s session, participants were tasked with choosing an experience to amplify, creating a unique brand experience, integrating design elements, and presenting their concepts to the judges. The winning team received Love Bristol gift cards, to spend locally and support Bristol businesses.
Following a lunch break, where the students were able to network with one another and members of the Istoria Group and Purplefish teams, the attendees headed to Purplefish. The PR workshops offered insights into crafting powerful news hooks, mastering social media marketing, and managing events.
Beyond the scheduled sessions, participants had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the agency atmosphere, gaining firsthand experience of the diverse and vibrant culture agency life has to offer.
The Agency Open Day also served as a platform for discussing future opportunities, including paid work placement opportunities in 2024 at Istoria Group and pathways to kickstart a career as a degree-level PRCA apprentice at Purplefish.
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