Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) aims to improve the user experience, which is technically what Google wants to do for their users as well. In this episode, we discussed how these two intersect and we’ll explain to you why you should treat robots the same way you treat humans.
We also talked about the latest Privacy news in Aug 2021:
- CCPA considers analytics trackers as ‘data sale’
- Facebook’s latest attempt to serve a more privacy focused advertising.
Links in this episode:
- https://www.nohacksmarketing.com/podcast/019-strategic-approach-to-seo-with-jason-barnard/
- https://www.nohacksmarketing.com/podcast/027-combining-qualitiative-and-quantitative-research-with-helen-willmot-and-simon-clark/
Episode Notes
Some of the topics that we like to talk about here in No Hacks Marketing are CRO and Technical SEO. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how these two seem to overlap.
In this episode, we will:
- Recall the recent privacy news
- Talk about Facebook’s attempt to serve a more privacy-centered advertisement
- Learn how you can merge CRO and Technical SEO
Merging Technical SEO and CRO
They’re never going to be the same, but they’re becoming increasingly similar.
There are three basic things that Google needs so it can deal with your website:
- Understanding what your website is about
- Credibility of your website
- Deliverability of your content
You need to look credible for humans as well. If you don’t have a privacy policy, return policy, about page, and don’t deliver the content in the right way, then you’re not credible.
Think about the user who’s landing on your page and serve them content that meet these needs. They need to understand what your content is about, and you need to be able to provide some social proof or a trust badge or HTTPS to be able to get them to convert. . Of course, the site has to be fast and interactive so that they stay.
The best way to optimize a website for Google is to ignore the fact that Google exists. Just do it for the people, make it good for the people regardless of whether it was content, SEO, or CRO. Your goal should be to make sure that the user experience is good.
The LIFT Model
There are six value propositions that’s more of making sure that you have something to offer to your user.
Scarcity and urgency are the conversion factors as defined in the LIFT model. And then the inhibitors are anxiety and stress.
Let’s start with the conversion drivers with relevance. When someone clicks on an ad and lands on a page, there should be an offer that is relevant to the audience. Next is clarity. The most important part of the page is that it should be easy for the user to understand it.
CCPA News
In July, CCPA News started to send out enforcement letters. It’s a reminder to those that use analytic trackers that they have 30 days to comply and explain what they are tracking. And in those letters that were recently sent out, data tracking for advertising analytics purposes, including cookie-based tracking, fall under CCPA’s definition of a data sale.
Analytics tracking can be Google Analytics, Hotjar, and so on. So, even if they’re not selling it to advertisers, it still falls under data sales, and that’s something we should pay attention to.
What CCPA wants to do is for the companies to explain if they’re tracking analytics data, who or which entities are involved in data flows, what analytics are used, and whether they’re tracking people across multiple sites or offline. If your company is using cookies and other trackers for ads and you fail to make necessary changes and are found in violation, then they’re going to make you pay a huge amount.
So, each time a California resident interacts with your website without proper notice that you are collecting their data, then that will fall under a violation. If it’s unintentional, meaning you didn’t mean to do it or maybe you have some form of opt-out but it’s not visible, then CCPA will fine you $2,500 per user. If it’s intentional, it’s $7,500 for each violation.
What this means is that the traditional way to run a website is you sign up for an ad service or any kind. It could be a pixel, a Facebook pixel, a Snapchat pixel, it could also be Google ads, and you just slapped that snippet of code on your website, and you don’t care what it does. If it helps you run your business and reach people more easily, well now it matters.
Now, you can’t do that anymore. You can’t put a third-party snippet of code on your website and start tracking everything people do. That’s because you are responsible for what you’re serving to your users, even if you didn’t write the code.
I think this is the start of the end of just mindlessly putting tracking pixels onto your website.
Opting Out of the Collection
I think the biggest problem here is that most business and website owners don’t even know what’s happening. They just know that it’s a Facebook pixel code and they just have to put it on their website.
Hopefully, this gets people to think because a lot of them wouldn’t even be using these tools if they knew what they were doing and what it would cost them.
Facebook and Privacy Issues
As we all know, Facebook is under a lot of pressure to do something about their privacy concerns.
If you remember last year, they were accusing Apple of focusing on privacy and that they’re selfish and self-serving. It’s only for them to benefit from and small business owners are going to suffer.
Now they’re in a full circle because they’re trying to attempt to revamp the way they advertise and target their ads.
The European Union is considering a complete ban on micro-targeted ads. That means everything that’s happening right now, the entire ad industry is going to completely change. There’s going to be a lot of money involved.
There’s no clarity on how exactly they’re doing. They’re just saying that they’re working on ways to change. They may have no idea or desire to change but they’re waiting for the legislation, and they’ll go through loopholes and write their new policy based on that.
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