Alright , we’ve all been there – Staring at analytics reports, lost in website data, knowing you don’t have the results you want but it’s hard to see WHAT you need to do because you can’t see the forest through the trees.

The first question you need to ask yourself is, “What’s our website strategy?” Do you have a plan that will move KPIs or has your website strategy been throwing tactics at it and hoping something works?

Do SEO. Do content. Do a new service page design.

And after putting time into these efforts, do you know if they are working for you? There are many companies that build a website and is basically done aside from maintenance items and an occasional “Eureka!” initiative dictated by leadership – Interestingly once this project is done many times it’s quickly forgotten as the visionary of the idea has moved on to another idea.

Your website strategy should leverage the philosophy of Growth Driven Design – or GDD. In a GDD project, you look at your website.

Let’s break down the essence of GDD:

• Ditching the Set-It-and-Forget-It Mindset: Instead of launching a website and leaving it to gather digital cobwebs, GDD is all about being proactive. Think of it as giving your website the same TLC you’d give a classic car, constantly tuning and refining.
• Channel Your Inner Detective: This approach isn’t about shooting in the dark. We hypothesize, test, and refine. Don’t have stacks of user data? No sweat. There are always industry trends, competitor analysis, and the timeless treasure of customer feedback, you are getting user feedback, right?
• The Royal Treatment: In the world of GDD, data isn’t just important. It’s royalty. Tools like heatmaps, analytics, and user surveys aren’t just handy; they’re essential.

Now, let’s get our hands dirty with a real-world application.

What might a GDD Project look like?

Case Study: Revamping the Careers Section

The Challenge: Our careers page is… there and that’s about all we can say. We needed to make it not just informative but also engaging. This is where potential team members get their first taste of our culture and is THE chance we have to sell ourselves to top talent.

Here is how you might want to GDD your careers section:

1. Strategy Session: We set clear goals. What did we want? A careers page that was user-friendly, reflected our vibrant company culture, and, of course, increased applications.
2. Hypotheses: Our team suspected that testimonials, employee spotlights, and a behind-the-scenes look at our day-to-day would resonate well with potential applicants.
3. Plan your Metrics that Matter: We used analytics to track how users navigated the page, heatmaps to see where they lingered, and A/B tests to validate our content choices.
4. Iterative Improvements: As the data rolled in, we made tweaks. Swapped out less engaging videos, refined our job descriptions, and even revamped the application process to be smoother.

The Outcome: A careers page that saw a 45% increase in time spent and a 30% uptick in job applications. Not too shabby, eh?

Wrapping it up, just as we weigh brand, price, and value in our daily choices (and, let’s not kid ourselves, always hope for the best results), venturing into GDD is about ensuring maximum ROI.

PIC’s Growth Roadmap