Published on: 26 March 2021
Last Updated on: 22 November 2024
In simple words, without sounding too nerdy, let us try to look at what performance testing is.
Performance Testing is the process of rigorously testing all the tech and digital components of an E-commerce business. This includes the desktop version of the platform and mobile app testing. The key is to look at and analyze how the entire tech and digital ecosystem operates. Especially when exposed to real-world use.
Imagine hundreds of people using the E-commerce platform app at the same time. The questions that then arise are-
Is the server able to handle the heavy load of all the traffic using the mobile app at the same time?
Is there a lag or breakdown that any of the users are experiencing or is there a UI and UX compromise under stress?
What are some of the benchmarks and standards that one should use to judge speed and whether the platform is exposing some bottlenecks?
Performance Testing is more than just looking at loading page speeds. It seeks to test each aspect of the E-commerce platform and suggest the perfect optimization for the same.
Important Things To Consider During Performance Testing For E-commerce:
In this section, we request experts at QA Madness to help us. Specifically, to list some important things that should be considered during performance testing.
1. Testing Financial Transactions
One area where things can go wrong is in financial transactions. With so many people using the same platform at the same time, testing becomes necessary. You need to test to ensure that every transaction is going through.
Integrations with Payment Gateways, the ERP, and Inventory Management Software are all areas that should be covered under this software testing services.
2. Checking The Mobile App Exhaustively
Mobile app testing perhaps constitutes one of the most important verticals for Performance Testing. How does the app perform?
Is it SEO friendly?
Is there a compromise in the graphics?
These are the common issues that mobile app testing will help resolve.
In addition to the app, the mobile version of the E-commerce platform’s website also needs to be tested rigorously.
3. Region-Based Testing For Different Geographies-
If you are starting an e-commerce business, you are looking at a truly global audience.
This is why you need to make sure that the internet protocols of the different countries are not interfering with how the customers in those countries are engaging with your platform. Changed domain URLs, IP addresses, and other rules and regulations need to be considered.
4. Data Management Testing
Any successful E-commerce ecosystem is incomplete without integrated data management. For an E-commerce platform, data is the lifeblood that helps all its verticals- marketing, sales, and CRM.
Performance Testing needs to ensure that the data collection, cloud storage solutions, and the final outputs are ready for systematic generation.
The Three KPIs Of Performance Testing As Stated By QA Madness-
While there can be multiple KPIs that software testing services can help E-commerce brands with, QA Madness states that the following are the three major ones. They refer to the same as the three ‘S’s of their Performance Testing goals.
A. Speed
When it comes to speed, we are referring to the speed of the website, the mobile version of the web, and the mobile application. It also includes the speed with which users are progressing from one page to another on the app and the website.
The higher the speed, the better will be the user experience. This combines to deliver the best sales and revenues for an E-commerce platform.
B. Scalability
You do not want your website and app infrastructure to be so weak that it crashes only after a hundred visitors. You're E-commerce website and the app must go under a test for scalability to handle massive loads all at the same time.
This will help you provide a fluid experience to millions of users and potential customers all at the same time without compromises.
C. Stability
A lot can go wrong on an E-commerce website when it is put under stress. Graphics can fall out of place and payment gateways can collapse. You never want the users to experience these problems on your platform.
An E-commerce platform needs to be stable all the time, with or without load. Performance Testing seeks to build the stability of an E-commerce platform.
What Do Experts Have To Say?
There is no set rule as to when an E-commerce platform should go for Performance Testing. Some believe that it should be done at the early stages of development.
Others believe that it should be done once the development of the platform is complete to identify the loopholes and then plug them in accordingly.
No matter when you get them done, Performance Testing is essential for your E-commerce platform. If you want to create a highly optimized and result-oriented business, this is a great investment to make.
If you have any other questions on software testing services or mobile app testing, feel free to ask them. Use the comments section to drop your queries. We will once again request or reach out to our friends at QA Madness to help you out.
What Happens With A Lack Of Thorough Test?
Not performing performance testing for an E-commerce platform can get you in a lot of trouble. Your site is live; suddenly, hundreds or thousands of people have started using it!
What could possibly go wrong?- Well, without performance testing, things will go downhill really quickly. So, let’s see what could happen when not to perform performance testing.
Crashes And Slowdowns
If your E-commerce platform hasn’t been tested for scalability, it could easily crash when too many users try to access it. A slow website or app not only frustrates users but also drives them away.
No one likes waiting for pages to load, especially when they’re trying to make a purchase. The result? A major drop in sales and a tarnished reputation.
Failed Transactions
Think of users wanting to purchase an item and their transactions fail. Users will not be ready to trust your platform anymore.
This is why performance testing is important as it ensures that all financial transactions are smooth on your site even when there is heavy traffic.
Poor User Experience
Have you ever been on an app or website that lags, has images that don’t fit, or feels unresponsive?
It’s not fun. The UI/UX of your platform can feel the same way without performance testing.
This gives a very unprofessional impression and will make people leave your site out of frustration (high bounce rate).
Increased Costs
Skipping testing might appear to be a good way to keep some money in your pocket, however it will actually cost you more in the end.
If your site crashes during a big sale or promotion, the time and expense of getting those issues fixed after the fact will likely be substantial. Plus, if your site is down for any longer period of time, you’ll be losing out on all that potential income.
Safety Not Guaranteed!
No matter what app you’re building, you’re likely going to be handling some sort of user data.
Whether it’s a login and password or more sensitive financial or health information, users need to know they can trust you with that data.
What About The User's Interest
Finally, one of the most significant risks is losing users’ trust. If your platform crashes, slows down, or declines a transaction, for instance, and that happens to some users, they will probably never come back.
Even if you fix everything afterward!
When people’s trust is broken, it’s very hard to be rebuilt!
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A passionate writer and an avid reader, Soumava is academically inclined and loves writing on topics requiring deep research. Having 3+ years of experience, Soumava also loves writing blogs in other domains, including digital marketing, business, technology, travel, and sports.
Excerpt: Delivering email campaigns that perform exceedingly well requires effort and email audits help you get closer to better ROIs. Read on!
So half of the year has gone by smoothly (well, almost), your brand’s making money, your workflows are automated, and your email marketing campaigns are doing well. Wait, yes, pause at the last part of the sentence. Are they really performing optimally?
To get a clear understanding of the efficacy of your email marketing campaigns, no matter how great and well-automated they might be in your perspective, you NEED to run audits twice or thrice every twelve months.
If you meet an email marketer over drinks, they will probably have a lot to say about their KPIs and how the click-throughs are not making the cut. So how can one ensure that their email marketing efforts don’t go down the drain? The answer is quite simple indeed: execute email marketing audits to unveil your strengths and weaknesses, areas of improvement, and those that are doing just fine.
In the blog that follows, we will delve into the different kinds of email marketing audits that one can conduct and ways to go about executing them. Let’s get cracking!
The Kinds of Email Marketing Audits That One Can Conduct
In simple terms, an email marketing audit is a deep analysis of the various factors that contribute to the success of an email campaign so that you know what’s working and the areas that need to be tweaked.
The following are some kinds of email audits that you can carry out; each of them focuses on different facets of the email.
1. Email Content & Design Marketing Performance Audit
One of the most common kinds of audits, here you delve into your various KPIs (CTR, CTOR, etc.) to get a holistic understanding of the email campaign’s performance. The aspects that you need to look out for are:
Subject line: Try to keep them personalized, crystal clear, non-sales, and within the range of 40-45 characters, optimized for mobile viewing. Please steer clear of spammy words such as “earn quick money” or basically anything that sounds too good to be true.
Preheader text: It should be related to the subject line, albeit not repetitive.
Header: First impressions are often long-lasting; cliched though that may sound, it does hold some weight. The header text next to your logo should be noticeable, clear, and in alignment with the brand ethos.
Email copy: Grammatical errors and typos are a major turn-off. No wonder brands invest in the best copywriters to churn out good copy, even in the age of AI! Keep it crisp, clean and deliver maximum value in minimum words.
CTA: The Call to Action buttons are the ones that can make or break the ROIs. Keep the design and text in tandem with the brand guidelines, easy to spot and click, devoid of broken links that lead nowhere!
Graphics: When crafting an HTML or interactive email, ensure that the graphics render well across devices and the visual hierarchy is maintained.
Conversions & Engagement rates: This is the litmus test of your email campaign. Are your emails good and engaging enough to keep subscribers interested, or are there more hits than misses? The KPIs should spill the beans on this one.
2. Email accessibility audit
When crafting your emails, if one overlooks the critical aspect of disability, you might fail to foster inclusivity with your campaigns, thereby risking losing the patronage of your subscribers. Keeping email accessibility in mind is absolutely essential, and is something that all email marketers should perpetually strive for.
Ensure that there is no sensory overload for those with visual disabilities by keeping a simple and clean email layout.
For those living with tactile difficulties, make the CTA buttons larger to ensure greater clickability and visibility across a range of devices.
Remember to check for alt text in images to simplify things for users deploying the services of a screen reader.
3. Deliverability Audit
You might have the best of Salesforce email templates (or Hubspot; whatever rocks your boat) and check all the above aspects, but if your email campaigns fail to reach the intended inboxes, all your efforts will end up in vain.
To check for email deliverability issues, one needs to check the following aspects;
Clean email list devoid of incorrect email ids
Email Authentication
HTML code failures
Domain reputation
Blocklisting
Spam traps
IP address
4. Compliance Audit
This would include checking the level of compliance of your email campaigns with the guidelines and requirements of CCPA, GDPR, PECR, etc.
5. Email Code Audit
Here, one would evaluate and carry out a code clean-up, fix bugs (if any), and ensure the incorporation of the best practices in email coding. One would also conduct tests to see how well the email renders across different email clients and devices.
6. Design Audit
In this kind of audit, one would review the emails from the design and aesthetics viewpoint and check how consistent the layout is with the branding guidelines. The different elements one would generally bring under the lens in this kind of audit are checking for the right use of white spaces, design patterns in accordance with the heat map, fonts, logo, layout, graphics, etc.
7. Automation Audit
Here, one would check automated email campaigns to see if everything is in order, such as API triggers, templates, links, rules, customer journey maps, etc.
One can either carry out all these audits or create a bespoke audit plan that includes permutations and combinations of the different kinds of audits mentioned above.
Steps For Conducting The Perfect Email Audit
Now that we are privy to the kinds of email audits that one can carry out, let’s move over to getting started with the process of what’s going well and what’s lacking in your current email campaigns.
Firstly, you need to begin with drafting a clear set of goals. Much like in other areas of life, the lack of well-defined goals in sight can very well be akin to sailing in a rudderless ship, and frankly, no one wants to be aboard such a ship!
You could begin by jotting down the kinds of audits you’d want to run on your existing campaigns and, based on the purpose of the audit, figure out your bespoke learnings and takeaways.
Then, you’d like to create a list of measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that you will be evaluating to check the health and effectiveness of your current campaign.
These may include:
Unsubscribe rates
Open rates (albeit not a very effective one as per Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature unveiled in the WWDC conference held on 7 June 2021)
CTR (Click Through Rates)
CTOR (Click To Open Rate)
Spam complaints
Conversions
Email client & device assessment
You can create a spreadsheet to maintain a record of your audit. Here’s what you can document:
Name of the email campaign
Date deployed (not applicable in case of automated emails)
Name of the audience segment
Subject line
Soft bounce rate
Hard bounce rate
CTOR
CTR
Conversion rate
Unsubscribe rate
You can modify the contents of the spreadsheet as per your unique requirements. One can also diversify the main spreadsheet by adding tabs for different kinds of emails, such as promotional, transactional emails, etc.
Once you have your data in place, you can and should proceed with the data analysis. Begin with scanning all the metrics and specifically scrutinize those that fall on the extremities of the curve. The ones that did really well and the ones that missed the mark. Proceed with asking yourself the following questions,
Are the subject lines and preheader texts enticing enough? Will I click on them if I receive them in my inbox?
Is the visual hierarchy of the email in place, or does it look too cluttered?
Does it offer a personalized experience to the subscriber?
Does the email copy offer value to the reader, or does it appear too salesy?
Does it cater to specific buyer personas and age demographic, or does it appear mass-produced with no specific target audience in mind?
Is the cadence too annoying for the subscribers leading to higher unsubscribe requests?
Are the CTAs visible, quirky, and enticing enough to get users to click on them?
Are your emails accessible to users across the entire spectrum?
Wrapping It Up
While there are a number of tools available in the market to help you conduct email audits, and you can always request colleagues for a fresh eye perspective on your campaigns, if you’d rather have experts analyze the game for you, that’s possible too! Email Uplers will not only help you analyze your existing campaigns but also deliver interactive emails from scratch attuned to your specific needs. Do drop by for more information!
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SEO is an essential part of running any business with an online presence (which, in this day and age, all businesses should have). Think of SEO like a bright sign with flashing lights, telling people passing by that your business is here and draws them inside to check it out.
However, some businesses will find implementing SEO to boost their site's rankings easier than others will.
Especially when it comes to businesses in the e-commerce sector, SEO can be quite a challenge. Even if you've been researching how to improve SEO for your company, you may not be able to find resources that apply to e-commerce companies.
Playing By Google's Rules
The goal of any business with an online presence is to rank high enough on Google's Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to be seen by customers. Although this is a challenge for any business, E-commerce businesses will find it especially difficult.
This is because Google prefers websites that rank high on their E-A-T scale, which measures sites based on Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. In other words, Google prefers informational websites over commercial ones and rewards those that highlight genuine knowledge and don't appear to be trying to make quick money. This criterion is part of Google's method of quality control.
As an e-commerce business, your website lies in the YMYL (Your Money Your Life) category. This category encompasses websites whose content can affect the reader's financial, physical, and medical wellbeing. Because the stakes are higher, the scrutiny is higher as well.
YMYL websites with misleading or inaccurate information can trick users into making an uninformed decision, causing them harm. Your e-commerce business fits into this category by allowing customers to make purchasing decisions that can cause them financial harm.
Managing A High Volume of Content
Most e-commerce sites offer listings of hundreds if not thousands of physical and digital products. Product listings are not necessarily written with the utmost care, but Google still parses them like it does any other text on your site, and therefore measures them with its E-A-T criteria.
This can be an issue because, due to the sheer number of product descriptions required, many e-commerce sites rely on automation to update these listings. While automated services can be helpful in some regards, they can also lead to typos, grammatical errors, dead links, inaccurate information, and other mistakes. All of these issues can be detected by Google, lowering your website's E-A-T score.
Although time-consuming, your best option would be to hire someone whose job is going through every listing individually to update and correct any errors, making sure it meets Google's standards.
Bouncebacks Based On Loading Time
Your website's bounce rate is the percentage of users who visit briefly and then leave using the back button or by clicking on an external link without browsing other pages on the same site. While one reason for high bounce rates can be a dull or outdated website, this issue can also be caused by poor hosting.
E-commerce sites often have lots of buttons, listings, and pop-ups. Pages aren't simple and include many elements. Having so many processes that must run simply to present a page can result in extended load times for users. Unfortunately, most people online are impatient. If your site doesn't load as quickly as visitors think it should, they're likely to leave without browsing, let alone making a purchase.
The Google algorithm sees the high bounce rate as a sign that people find no value in your website, so it lowers your ranking and sends fewer people your way, resulting in fewer purchases and reduced revenue. Fortunately, fixing this issue can be fairly straightforward. Either make your website's landing page (the first page that loads for visitors) simpler to avoid long wait times, or contact your website hosting service and look into upgrading to more powerful servers.
User Reviews
User reviews are a great and almost guaranteed resource for building your E-A-T levels. Google prefers sites that let users review products, as this creates a sense of social credibility and allows people to share feedback, building trust. The more positive reviews your products have, the more Google will boost your website up the SERP.
However, too many negative reviews have the exact opposite effect, hurting your website's ranking. You can avoid negative reviews using a review posting tool that allows you to read submitted reviews before they are posted.
Knowing Where to Start
When faced with the challenge of implementing SEO as an e-commerce business, deciding where to start can be overwhelming. Google doesn't give you a gold star for trying, and starting multiple SEO strategies only to quit them midway can even flag your site as suspicious in Google's eyes.
One way you can get started properly is by using Ahrefs' Site Explorer to identify SEO opportunities. You can use this particular tool to analyze what competitors are doing in terms of SEO and piggyback off it, or implement a skyscraper method where you do what they're doing but better. Or you can use it to analyze your own site to find new competitors or broken backlinks. Site Explorer also provides keyword research, backlink profiles, PPC campaigns, and more.
Still, a great tool is only useful in the hands of someone who knows how to operate it. Having dedicated SEO experts focused on boosting your site can have better results in the long run. SEO strategies are multi-faceted, and high-quality approaches are time-consuming.
Staying Up to Date
Google's algorithms are constantly changing, meaning your SEO strategy needs to change with them. As the owner of an e-commerce company, you'll need to be particularly flexible and adaptable. Just like posting only a few times on your site and still expecting increasing returns is a flawed strategy, undertaking a half-baked SEO strategy will hurt you more in the long run. Having experts on your marketing team allows you to smoothly ride all SEO waves and grow your website.
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Are you ready to give your e-commerce business the boost it needs to stand out in a crowded online marketplace? Digital marketing can be a game-changer when it comes to driving traffic, increasing sales, and building your brand. However, with so many agencies out there, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one for your business.
In this article, we'll share seven tips for choosing the best digital marketing agency to partner with for your e-commerce SEO. From evaluating their track record of success to assessing their expertise in technical SEO, we'll provide valuable insights to help you make an informed decision. So, whether you're a startup or an established business owner looking to take things to the next level, we’ll help you find the perfect partner for success.
Let's dive in!
The Importance Of SEO For Ecommerce
E-commerce businesses rely heavily on organic search traffic to drive sales and revenue. Studies show that at least 43% of e-commerce traffic comes from Google’s organic search. This means that if your e-commerce website isn't optimized for search engines, you could be missing out on a significant amount of potential customers.
Additionally, e-commerce businesses operate in a highly competitive online marketplace, where thousands of other businesses are vying for the attention of the same target audience. Effective SEO can help your e-commerce business stand out from the crowd and rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it easier for potential customers to find and choose your products over your competitors.
Finally, SEO has a long-term impact on the success of an e-commerce business. While other forms of digital marketing, such as paid advertising, provide quick wins, SEO is an investment that can yield ongoing benefits for years to come. To learn more about SEO for e-commerce, you can check out this link: play-media.org/seo-for-e-commerce/.
For all these reasons, finding a competent digital marketing agency that understands e-commerce on a deeper level is crucial. Let’s explore the best ways you can do that.
1. Specify Your Goals And Target Market
Before hiring a digital marketing agency, take the time to define your goals and target market clearly. This involves setting specific objectives you want to achieve within a certain timeframe, such as increasing website traffic, generating more leads, or boosting sales. You should also identify your target market, including their demographics, interests, and buying behaviors.
By doing so, you can provide the agency with a clear direction, and they can tailor their marketing strategies to reach and convert your target audience, ultimately helping you achieve your e-commerce goals. So take the time to define your objectives and target market, and let your marketing agency do the rest!
2. Define Your Budget And Schedule
Your budget will determine the scope of marketing services you can afford, so it's crucial to establish a clear understanding of what you can realistically invest in marketing efforts. This will also help the agency recommend a package of services that aligns with your budget and objectives.
Look for a digital marketing agency that offers transparent pricing, and remember that cheaper is not always better, and you might need to invest more to achieve better results.
In addition, establishing a clear schedule will help ensure you and the agency are aligned on deadlines and deliverables. Discuss your preferred timeline for the project and establish the project scope, including specific milestones and deadlines. This will help both parties stay accountable and ensure the project runs smoothly and gets done on time.
3. Do Some Background Research
In addition to reviewing the information on a marketing agency's website, conduct additional background checks to ensure they are credible and reputable. This could involve searching for customer reviews or testimonials, speaking with past clients to learn about their experience working with the agency, and researching any awards or industry recognition the agency may have received.
Additionally, visiting the agency's office or meeting with their team members can provide valuable insight into their operations and culture and help you determine if they are a good fit for your business.
4. Ask For Case Studies
Before partnering with a digital marketing agency, you should see real-world examples of their past successes. One way to do this is by asking them to show you their case studies. A case study is essentially an in-depth analysis of a particular project or campaign the agency has worked on, highlighting the specific strategies they’ve employed and the results they’ve achieved.
By reviewing case studies, you can get a sense of the agency's approach to marketing, the results they have achieved for other clients, and how they will help you reach your business goals.
5. Look For E-Commerce Experience
E-commerce marketing is a unique and complex field that requires a deep understanding of the industry's specific challenges and opportunities. A marketing agency with e-commerce experience will have the necessary expertise to navigate the nuances of online retail, including optimizing product listings, managing inventory, and implementing effective marketing campaigns.
Furthermore, a competent marketing agency will be familiar with the various e-commerce platforms and tools, allowing them to help you select the best solutions for your business needs.
6. Ask For Consultations Before Hiring An Agency
A consultation can help you determine if the agency is a good fit for your needs and if they have the expertise and experience required to achieve your desired outcomes.
It's also an opportunity to understand the agency's communication style and work ethic, which is critical for long-term success. During the consultation, don't hesitate to ask plenty of questions and clarify any concerns you might have. This will help establish trust on both sides and prevent misunderstandings in the future.
7. Asses The Agency’s Knowledge Of Technical SEO
As we mentioned previously, search engine optimization (SEO) is the most critical factor in e-commerce success, and that includes the technical aspect. Technical SEO refers to optimizing your website's technical infrastructure, including site speed, crawlability, mobile-friendliness, and security.
To assess if an agency has strong technical knowledge, ask them about their approach to optimizing websites for search engines. Technical SEO experts should have a solid understanding of the following:
Website architecture, including URL structure, sitemaps, and internal linking.
Optimizing website speed by minimizing file sizes, reducing server response time, leveraging browser caching, and using website speed testing tools.
Optimizing a website for mobile devices by using responsive design, and improving page load times.
Website security best practices, including SSL certificates, HTTPS protocol, and firewalls.
Industry-standard tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics for measuring website performance.
With the right expertise in place, you can focus on growing your e-commerce business and leave the technical SEO details to the specialists.
Plan For Long-Term Partnership To Skyrocket Your E-Commerce Business Success
Planning a long-term partnership with your agency allows you to establish a relationship built on trust, communication, and shared goals. Also, your agency can truly get to know your brand, industry, and target audience, leading to more effective and personalized strategies over time.
By following the tips we've covered in this article, you can find an agency that can provide the expertise and support you need to take your business to the next level. Good luck!
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In this section, we request experts at QA Madness to help us. Specifically, to list some important things that should be considered during performance testing.
While there can be multiple KPIs that software testing services can help E-commerce brands with, QA Madness states that the following are the three major ones. They refer to the same as the three ‘S’s of their Performance Testing goals.
There is no set rule as to when an E-commerce platform should go for Performance Testing. Some believe that it should be done at the early stages of development.
Others believe that it should be done once the development of the platform is complete to identify the loopholes and then plug them in accordingly.
No matter when you get them done, Performance Testing is essential for your E-commerce platform. If you want to create a highly optimized and result-oriented business, this is a great investment to make.
If you have any other questions on software testing services or mobile app testing, feel free to ask them. Use the comments section to drop your queries. We will once again request or reach out to our friends at QA Madness to help you out.
