Cover Story

Webtrends Optimize - Data Driven Software That Boosts Conversion

How do you ensure a website is optimised to deliver the very best conversion rate while always providing an outstanding user experience?

Cover Story

Investing in Google ads? Yes. Got great SEO? Yes. Increased sales? No.

Imagine chucking money at pay-perclick advertising and search engine optimisation only to discover your website is not configured to convert the resulting traffic. Then imagine you are an agency working hard to deliver that traffic - with poor conversion results.

Sound familiar? These scenarios are a common headache for both ambitious businesses trying to grow and digital agencies pulling out all the stops to help clients attract and engage target audiences. In this feature, we meet a brand that is delivering optimal conversion results - not just for businesses but also for brands and organisations across multiple sectors.

Webtrends Optimize is the all-inone website optimisation solution delivering measurable benefits. It is a software toolbox driven purely by data - not hunches.

It is rated Number 1 by reviewers on G2.com for customer satisfaction.

We spoke to two of its founders, CEO Matt Smith and eCommerce Director Ben Charlesworth, to learn more about the product and its benefits.

Can you tell us a bit about the company’s history?

Matt: “We have been around for 22 years. The business was founded in 2000 as Widemile and then acquired by Webtrends Inc. in 2009.

“Webtrends Inc. then wrapped agency services around the technology, to much success, delivering optimisation solutions and services for the likes of Microsoft, Marks & Spencer, HSBC and many more.

“Then in 2018, I put a management team together and bought out the business. I chose external people who I knew very well, and they joined me to form a founding team.”

Matt says the core of the business was in the UK, Europe and Australia.

“Since 2018 and going forward, we have operated a software model working with digital agencies while maintaining the existing service side of the business.

“We have invested heavily in technology because that is where we expect our growth will come from. “When we bought the business, we acquired a trademark and assets and then had to spin up our brand. That meant building a brand journey to tell the world about what we do.”

What does Webtrends Optimize do?

Matt: “We offer Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), AB Testing, which measures the performance of 2 different versions of the same page, and Multivariate Testing, which compares the performance of multiple variables of a single page at the same time. In addition, our software delivers data-driven Personalisation that guarantees tailored, unique user experiences, as well as real-time data to build trust in a brand

with Social Proof and Product Recommendation tools.

“Importantly, we also offer Serverside Testing, which can allow even greater scope for users to experiment and test. There is a whole host of other disciplines that exist within the software too, all geared to increase online conversions.”

When the Sussex Business Times checked out the brand’s success rate, it found some very impressive results.

For example, a global brand increased conversions by 500 per cent, a regional travel company boosted revenue by £1.6m and a healthcare provider boosted mobile conversions by 21 per cent. An international airline also increased website signups by 24 per cent.

Can you give us some examples of what the software can do?

Matt: “We can deliver quite complex solutions for businesses, for example we worked with a home improvement company that had a lot of products on its website. The order in which the items were listed or appeared on the website was determined by individual users and had no scientific reasoning. Many users were seeing products they were not interested in or were out of stock.

“What Webtrends Optimize did was create a scoring algorithm that compared user data from across the site. It determined the order of the most relevant products, based on both most viewed and most purchased. The optimisation work delivered a sevenfigure return for that business.”

Ben: “A very basic example is how we helped a business in the entertainment sector. We went onto their website and discovered the ‘Book Now’ button was hidden. We created three different versions of the page, with the button in different styles and different locations. We then ran those pages through an AB Test and measured user interactions so we could deliver a statistical evaluation at the end of the test. Our software could pinpoint which version would increase bookings.

“What we are really offering is a technology solution that increases sales as well as improving the user experience and building trust.”

Matt: “A good example of Personalisation is the work we did for a major high street clothing brand. We ran a test and discovered its website captured sizes. There is no point showing a user an item of clothing if their size is out of stock.

“If the last five things a user bought were women’s clothing, the platform is not going to recommend they are shown men’s clothing. We are going to show them women’s clothing items

Ben: “For many years one of our customers in the food & drink industry wanted to offer packages based on website users’ preferences. We were able to ensure their website remembered which items an online customer bought previously so they could provide a one-click reorder service and was able to make recommendations if one of the items was not available.”

What do you see as your growth area?

Matt: “SaaS software subscription is a real growth area for us. We want to continue to grow that and also increase our agency partnerships to support the agency community. Our business in that area has grown by 45 per cent in the past year and we are confident it will continue to grow.”

Why is Webtrends Optimize so important for online conversion rates?

Matt: “Businesses that invest in their websites and spend money on PPC and SEO but not CRO are throwing good money after bad. They are sending traffic to a website that might not be converting anywhere near its full potential.

“We make their investment go further. Website users get bespoke experiences that convert and businesses get users who are ‘sticky’. They can spend with confidence - our average customer return rate across all sectors is 26 times their investment.”

Tell us about your podcast?

Matt: “It’s called #THEBIGLIFT and offers relaxed conversation and insights into the wider Digital world. “In its third series, recent guests have included George Beverley, of Insightful UX. He chatted about UX, copywriting, web development and data analysis. Alun Lucas, Managing Director of Zuko Analytics, James Addlestone, Chief Strategy Officer at Journey Further, and Ross Davies, Manging Director of Strafe Creative, are also recent guests.”

Who do you work with and what do you charge?

Ben: “We’ve worked with big banks, energy companies, travel and retail brands, the government - in fact across multiple sectors with businesses of all sizes.”

Matt: “Our SaaS monthly licence fee is based on a website’s traffic. Every subscriber gets access to all the tools, because we don’t believe in holding anything back.

“We also offer a managed service, which includes the SaaS licence, and hybrid tailor-made packages.

“Managed services, for example, offer a dedicated CRO consultant, ideation, website development, QA, UX, continuous live experiments, CRO/ product upskill and tech support.

“When it comes to our SaaS licence, we want businesses of all sizes to benefit - that is why we scale the pricing on the amount of traffic a website gets.

“Some software businesses have different pricing bands for different products, but we don’t do that.”

Whether you are an agency wanting to help your clients’ marketing spends deliver a higher return or a business keen to offer online customers the same personalised experience they would receive in a store, Webtrends Optimize has the right solution for you.

It offers bespoke optimisation across a wide range of disciplines, with every recommendation based on hard data.

With no guesswork, better engagement, happier customers and more sales, it is the must-have tool to realise a return on PPC and SEO investments.

Website:

www.webtrends-optimize.com

LinkedIn:

company/webtrends-optimize

Twitter: @WTOptimize YouTube: c/WebtrendsOptimize Instagram: webtrendsoptimize

#THEBIGLIFT podcast - listen on Spotify and Apple

Two Leading HR Firms in Sussex Announce Merger

Sustained growth has driven neighbouring human resources businesses to join forces and form The HR Dept Sussex-by-the-Sea.

The HR Dept Eastbourne was launched by Serena May in 2013, followed by Sue Beeby launching The HR Dept Chichester in 2014. Providing outsourced human resources and employment law support to small and medium-sized businesses, the two companies have seen the need for HR support grow significantly in recent years. Together the award-winning businesses have expanded into Brighton, Hove, Arun, Adur, Worthing and Horsham and now serve over 100 clients in many different sectors, ranging from those with just one employee to those with over 100 members of staff.

Based out of offices in Falmer, the expansion will provide more SME HR businesses in Sussex with crucial HR support and services to help them through both common and complicated HR issues. This may range from new starters and employment contracts to disciplinaries, leavers, and everything in between. Serena and Sue have worked closely together on many HR projects over

the years and feel that the merger is a natural business progression that will enable them to take on more staff and grow the business further.

The creation of The HR Dept Sussex-bythe-Sea will initially see the recruitment of an HR & Business Support Co-ordinator to complement the existing team and the acquisition of office space near Brighton.

Serena said: “It’s been an incredible 10 years so far and I’m so excited for the next stage of my business journey with Sue as my business partner. Sue and I have provided local businesses with quality HR and employment law support for some time. The expertise, experience, and solutions we provide are an essential part of how businesses operate in today’s world, and more and more companies are demanding our services as a result.”

Sue added: “We are both getting so much work from our respective areas that it’s just a logical progression to meet in the middle and share the next phase of our business journey together.”

Both Serena and Sue have won various awards over the years, the latest being the People Management Award in 2021 from County Business Clubs where they are joint members and value-added partners.

Sue said: “It’s onwards and upwards for us. I like to think we are playing a significant role in the communities we serve and the businesses we support - especially during the last two years. Employers have needed us more than ever to navigate their way through pandemic-related HR issues, whether that’s furlough, closing a business, starting a new business or advice with applying Government guidance, which has been overwhelming for many. “I would like to thank the ongoing efforts of the team and continued support of our clients. However, we know there are difficulties on the horizon for the businesses we are working with who worked so hard to come through the pandemic. We will be there to continue to support them in the coming months and years.”

Serena May MCIPD

Director E serena.may@hrdept.co.uk T 01323 403500

Sue Beeby

Director E susan.beeby@hrdept.co.uk T 01243 214404

www.hrdept.co.uk/sussex-by-the-sea