SEO to UX to Copy
Client: Flexport, Toaster
Project: Updated product landing page for Flexport Insurance
Capabilities: SEO Research, Competitive Audit, Landing Pages, Wireframes, UX, Copywriting
As market conditions have changed over the past year (the tightening of budgets, uncertainty around the future, layoffs, etc.), I’ve seen a rise in multi-discipline projects. That is to say, projects where I am asked to take on multiple roles — in this case, conducting SEO research, informing and improving UX design, copywriting, and copyediting.
It helps to have a background in each of these areas from my days as a more generalist, full-stack marketer, and I was more than happy to brush up on my skills (things tend to change over the years!) in order to help Flexport save budget while still delivering a great final product.
Here’s how it all went down…
Enjoy!
Derek
JUST ENOUGH SEO RESEARCH
There are many other, much better SEO specialists who do this type of work exclusively (how true this is for just about any task we take on!). I cannot claim such a pedigree, however by focusing my work on the project goals, I could do just enough SEO research.
The process:
Put together a general questions document for their team, with this line as an introduction, “Because SEO is such a broad field, I want to focus my efforts on what will be most useful for this specific page. Therefore, a few questions.”
Used the answers to guide my selection of software tools.
Conducted the following research:
User intent
Keyword research for top two keywords
Analysis of current top-10 organic results
Analysis of six competitor websites
Delivery of specific insights based on the research as well as general best practice recommendations
Unfortunately, I can’t show you any of this work, but imagine lines and lines of data on several spreadsheets all boiled down into six actionable recommendations.
Improving the user experience of the design
Similar to the above, I do not consider myself a UX specialist, however, I find myself wireframing for nearly every project I do, and becoming more and more comfortable with user-first design principles — or, said more simply, thinking deeply about how a real person will actually interact with a digital product and get their desired value from it.
When I started on the Flexport Insurance project, suggested designs were in hand, along with starter copy. Based on my review, both the design and copy changed pretty dramatically. Examples shown below.
The Header (click either image to expand)
Removed text link from header, reducing total number of choices
Added secondary headline to the icon section, along with links below each item inviting users to take the action most relevant to them
The Product Offerings (click either image to expand)
Removed ‘How it Works’ as it didn’t add valuable information for the user
Removed ‘Why Insurance’ button to focus the user on choosing the right coverage rather than diverting them away
Expanded Detail View (click either image to expand)
Removed the pop-out lightbox content
Moved that content onto standalone indexable pages with their own URL
The FAQ Section (click either image to expand)
This was previously written to convince the user why they needed insurance. Adjusted it to answer common questions as uncovered by the long-tail keyword research.
Copywriting and finishing up the page
With all the research done and adjustments made, now comes the time in every project to remove all distractions, put your head down, and just write. As usual, I was able to bring a simple, clear, and persuasive tone to the page, all without watering down the content. (that is to say, if you read this page you will actually learn about cargo insurance in general and how Flexport’s insurance is especially beneficial)
See a side-by-side of the before and after below (click either image to expand them). Or visit the new page now live on the Flexport website.
In Summary
Don’t be overly intimidated by the fact that there are many others more qualified than you to do a task. This kind of comparison game will only get in the way of you actually rolling up your sleeves, getting the work done, and learning a ton along the way. (Continuous improvement is the goal!)
Never forget to think like a real person with human emotions. This can be especially valuable when working on dense B2B-style projects. Remember, logic + emotion = the golden recipe.
Documentation is crucial. As you can see above, I try and keep track of where we start, what we decide, and where we end up. This helps with creating a portfolio, but it also amplifies your own learning along the way. True knowledge comes not from experience, but from reflecting on experience, and documentation makes reflection a whole lot easier.
When engaging in a complicated project with multiple disciplines, it can be easy to get a little overwhelmed. To avoid this, a good default starting position is to pursue simplicity. What is the simplest way to achieve the goal? What is the goal, in simple terms? Can we simplify this path for the user? Questions like this will serve you well.
Looking for a strategic copywriter to assist your team? (Some people call this a Creative Director or Associate Creative Director)
My name is Derek and I write all kinds of things for businesses of all sizes in many different industries. Do you have a writing or strategy need? This is what I love to do.
Send me an email: derek@plain.run