Background and Objectives
Hull KR initially approached us to work on some user experience and functionality updates on their Hull KR Shop website. Part of this project included SEO updates to ensure the site was fully optimised for search engines.
Following this, they wanted to do some A/B split testing on their shop website to determine small improvements to improve user experience. We worked alongside the Hull KR team to test and measure different hypotheses to increase conversions.
Website Development
Our design, development and marketing teams worked in a phased approach for this project. To begin with, our designers did some research into functional layouts and potential design changes for the website. They collaborated with the developers on a series of improvements:
- Standardised image sizes
- Added ‘frequently bought together’ button on relevant pages
- Altered the mega menu for seamless navigation
- Improved content and layout suggestions
We were in frequent communication with the team at Hull KR to ensure that all of our suggestions were appropriate and relevant for their shop website.
Our team were able to improve the user experience, and as a result:
- Improved the mobile page speed score by 23 points, and desktop by 20
- Increased the engagement rate
- Increased average users by 83%
SEO
As per usual with our SEO projects, we used a phased approach to ensure the best results. To begin with, we carry out extensive research into the relevant industry, analysing keyword research and site crawl issues, as well as internal data. Phase 2 generally revolves around on-page SEO, looking into internal navigation, headings, meta descriptions and image alt text. As a final step, we look into disavowing toxic domains and making fixes to site crawl issues, as well as supporting the client with future updates and maintenance.
As a result:
- Increase in average organic search traffic by 107%
- Reduced site crawl issues by 96%
- Reduced spam score by 67%
A/B Testing
Our whole team collaborated with the Hull KR team to agree on a series of hypotheses to test on their shop website. We researched suitable software to find one that worked best with Shopify websites and had the necessary analytics and data that we needed. We set SMART objectives to measure performance and communicated results in frequent meetings and emails.
So, what did we test?
- CTA button colours – we tested two colour variations (navy and maroon) on different pages on the Hull KR shop website including on product pages, the homepage and in the cart.
- Image variations – we tested the effects of model images versus product images on the home kit and training range.
The tests were executed, and we sent monthly reports to the Hull KR team with insights and recommendations from our team!
Outcome
The final results of the A/B testing showed a preference for player images as opposed to product images. The results of the colour changes to the buttons were fairly marginal, so we recommended to change to maroon on product and cart pages and stick with the current navy on the homepage.
The website redesign was successful in improving navigation and functionality, as well as enhancing user journeys and experiences. Ultimately, this project has resulted in the increase of their average net sales by 205%, average store orders by 87% and average order value by 44%!
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