Do you know what growth hacking is?

Do you know what growth hacking is?

When I tell my clients that my services go beyond building their website to include growth hacking, many have no idea what that means. Do you?

What is growth hacking?

Growth hacking involves making small, data-driven changes (hacks) to your website to optimise it for better performance over time. These changes are typically based on analytics data and are designed to fine-tune your website to meet your customers’ needs, ultimately leading to business growth.

Most SMEs don’t engage in growth hacking, often because they don’t understand what it entails or how to implement it. That’s where I come in. I use analytical data to understand your visitors’ behaviour, then make recommendations and implement changes that improve your website’s performance. The best part? I can prove the benefits of these changes using the same data, creating a clear and actionable path to growth.

Growth hacking vs CRO: Understanding the difference

It’s crucial to distinguish between growth hacking and CRO (conversion rate optimisation). While both aim to improve your website, CRO focuses specifically on increasing the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase. Growth hacking, on the other hand, is a broader strategy. It not only includes CRO but also encompasses a range of other tactics to drive overall business growth, from improving user experience to optimising marketing efforts.

Why growth hacking is a no-brainer

When you consider the tangible results that growth hacking can deliver, it’s a no-brainer. However, many companies are still willing to spend thousands on advertising with platforms like Yell, which don’t provide the same level of detailed analytics or proven results. So, why pay for a Yell advert and hope for the best when you can work efficiently and effectively—like a Formula One team—proving every step along the way and getting real results?

The key takeaway here is that growth hacking is essential. Make no mistake—your competitors are doing it. The challenge is that the data needed for growth hacking isn’t always readily available in an easy-to-use format. Moreover, analysing this data and determining the right updates to implement requires specialised skills. So, where does that leave you?

Become a growth hacker in 10 minutes

Google has launched a service called Grow My Store, which is all about—yes, you guessed it—growing your store! This service scans your website and makes recommendations to improve it, while also highlighting areas where you’re already performing well. You can then implement these recommendations yourself or pass them on to your web designer.

Does this sound familiar? Yes, it’s growth hacking—well done! Google has made growth hacking simple and accessible, but don’t be mistaken—this isn’t a full replacement for professional growth hacking. However, it does give you, as a business owner or web designer, valuable insights into how Google perceives your store and how you stack up against your competitors.

The steps are easy: simply enter your website address, select a few options (like whether you’re a website or a store, or both), complete a small sign-up form, and then voilà! In the 10 minutes it takes to sign up and generate a report, you’re almost a growth hacker—well, not quite, but you’re on your way.

The benefits of using Grow My Store

The benefits of using Grow My Store are straightforward:

• Improved customer experience: Your customers will enjoy a better experience on your site.
• Increased sales: Both online and in your physical store, if you have one.
• More traffic: All your stores, online and offline, will see an increase in traffic.
• Better website rank: Your website’s SEO will improve, boosting your Google ranking.

If you’re paying attention, you’ll have noticed that last point—SEO! By following the recommendations from Grow My Store, you’ll also be improving your website’s SEO. How? Many of the items Google highlights are also key SEO tasks, such as page speed, which is both a ranking factor and a user experience issue.

Why I recommend using Grow My Store

Google has made it incredibly easy to scan your website and generate a report with clear, actionable improvements. You should take advantage of this service because it provides valuable insights into how Google views your business. If the recommendations are beyond your understanding, pass them on to your web designer, and handle the rest yourself.

You could also ask your web designer to implement these changes. If they don’t currently offer SEO or growth hacking services, this is a perfect opportunity for them to start by using the Google report as a foundation for their work—it’s a win-win for growth hacking and SEO.

Start your Google Grow My Store report today

Ready to see how your website stacks up and start making improvements? Begin your Google Grow My Store report today and take the first step towards becoming a growth hacker.