What Are The Best Ways To Gather First-Party Data?

When it comes to online business, many of the best SEO agencies today agree that data is the greatest currency of all. SEO agencies will often conduct research to get accurate information about their target audience to create effective marketing strategies that are guaranteed to boost rankings. However, as consumer privacy is also growing in importance, many SEOs opt to use first-party data in order to ethically create consumer profiles.

First-party data is essentially consumer information that’s gathered directly by a business. It could be used to create a profile of target customers or to improve marketing strategies and user experience. By monitoring how people interact with their website SEOs can provide users with more of what they want and less of what might chase them away.

For instance, even if a user doesn’t purchase anything when browsing an ecommerce site, the website owner could still use their browsed products as data. The website could then build personalised recommendations the next time the same user visits their website.

Aside from this, first-party data is also crucial for marketing SEO agencies. Once they have studied consumer behaviour, they can create tailored marketing advertisements to cast a wider net on their target audience on social media.

The biggest hurdle when it comes to collecting first-party data is the fact that information is not provided freely. Therefore, SEOs should think of something worthwhile to offer their users so that the latter would be willing to provide first-party data. Moreover, businesses and website owners need to be transparent on using first-party data to ensure that they build trust among their potential customers.

There are six great methods that the best SEO agencies use to collect first-party data.

Adding tracking pixels to a site

Tracking pixels are no bigger than 1x1, and they are rarely noticed. These tiny pixels are installed through coding to collect first-party data about consumer behaviour and habits. This includes advertisements that users took an interest in, pages they viewed, and the whether they accessed the site through a desktop computer or a mobile phone.

Tracking pixels are different from cookies, as the latter can be cleared or disabled because they are saved within the server’s browser. Regardless of the setting that the user enables, tracking pixels will always capture data from every visit.

Using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform

CRM software, such as chatbots, is becoming more popular in the SEO industry. However, chatbots might not work with other types of businesses as some customers still prefer to interact with a human. Still, many businesses are claiming that chatbots improved the efficiency and speed of problem resolution.

Chatbots effortlessly obtain first-party data by responding quickly to queries. Users with concerns may not hold after waiting for a long time on the phone, and having a chatbot can help them stay engaged. Even if a chatbot ultimately fails to convert a user, businesses can still use the data it collected in their future user personalisation and targeted marketing efforts.

Rewarding users for sharing data

Customers want to have an immediate, tangible reward for their data exchange, such as a discount. Other incentives such as monthly giveaways could also work for businesses that can’t offer instant fiscal motivation.

When taking this approach, however, businesses should never take their promise lightly. They must follow through on their promise and show proof, such as uploading a lucky raffle winner’s name on social media. Being transparent about the results builds trust and gives businesses a higher chance of getting first-party data.

Encouraging interaction

Some websites attract more traffic because they encourage interaction through fun online quizzes. This method may not work for all websites, especially if it doesn’t fit with a brand’s image. But for brands that are seen as more “fun” and “laid-back”, this can be a great way to consumer data.

This is also a good way to encourage users to spend more time on a web page. When Google sees that visitors are spending a long time looking at a webpage, it indicates that the page content is interesting and engaging.

Another great strategy is providing unlockable social media posts, as this piques curiosity. Users might be willing to engage or share their first-party data just to see any hidden content.

Conducting surveys

Conducting surveys is one of the best ways to collect data as every customer may have something to suggest. Some would be more than happy to express their opinion and provide their first-party insights, but others might need to be rewarded first for their time.

Encouraging registration

For ecommerce sites, conversions are the most important thing of all. Businesses will offer all sorts of convenient services that help increase sales, such as guest checkout. Many buyers opt for guest checkouts because they are faster and provide more privacy, especially when they use e-wallets instead of their credit cards. However, the downside to guest checkout is that it obtains less data compared to when a customer signs up.

To make people sign up, businesses could provide registered members with discounts on their first purchase. They could also promise personalised offers and a better shopping experience. For customers who are hesitant to share highly personal data like their date of birth, websites could provide exclusive offers on their birthday to persuade them.

Work With The Best SEO Agency

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For more information about our SEO services, you can email us at office@position1seo.co.uk or give us a ring on 0141 404 7515. We will be more than happy to provide you with an affordable SEO package tailored to your needs!