WeightWorld is one of ComfortClick’s greatest success stories. WeightWorld was a small concern in 2007 when it came into our hands, yet today, the site boasts almost a half-million yearly turnover and is now offering services in 8 different languages across the whole of Europe.

WeightWorld is a perfect example of how sensible methodology and a customer driven strategy can transform a small online business into a growing international concern.

Humble beginnings

WeightWorld began back in 2004. The site was originally set-up to offer alternative weight loss treatments for leads generated by a leading healthcare website. The site sold a number of prescription weight loss treatments, treatments that could only be prescribed very selectively to certain patients who met precise criteria.

The intention was to offer those rejected for a prescription, alternative treatments more suitable to their individual weights loss needs. Gradually, the scope of the site began to increase to offer people more health and lifestyle treatments.

Neglect

Sadly, the site’s potential went unrealised. Few leads directed from the healthcare sites choose to buy an alternative treatment, as the alternative treatments could not boast the clinical data and results of the prescription treatments, and looked like a poor alternative.

Furthermore, WeightWorld had become something of a dumping ground for products that could be obtained cheaply by the owner. This, combined with only minimal branding, produced a kind of identity crisis, with the sites brand and purpose constantly redefined to fit in with the products available to its management.

A new start

WeightWorld became part of ComfortClick’s portfolio in 2007, at which time the site had a fairly modest 18,000 visitors per month and an annual revenue of £25,000.

The site had lost direction and it was important to take a step back and consider what WeightWorld’s assets were and how it could be turned into a more assertive hard-working enterprise.

The first steps were to give the site a new direction and define exactly its proposition and its target audience. Products that were not directly aimed towards weight loss were removed and the focus returned purely to weight management. Links to the medical sites were excised; the products were no longer to be considered a ‘runners-up’ solution for those unsuitable for prescription treatment.

Our research produced some surprising results. The assumption had been that the target audience for weight management would be women aged 40 - 50, however, the existing data collected suggested that the audience was actually much younger, ranging from 30 - 35. This showed us that there was greater potential for WeightWorld. Our users were not just those struggling to maintain their weight as they got older, but also those whose more sedentary lifestyle was already taking its toll.

With many competitors in the market, we aimed for innovation. The home for treatments for women who’d tried everything else, but still weren’t able to shift their weight.

Traffic

An unhealthy bulk of WeightWorld’s traffic was coming from PPC. While the PPC campaign had in some senses been quite successful, the potential from other traffic sources – search engines, affiliates, etc – was woefully under-realised.

We went back to the drawing board and considered the keywords we really needed to be targeting. Not just the keywords we thought we needed; we put ourselves in the shoes of our customers to discover the keywords they would be using.

There was no existing SEO strategy and the existing PPC strategy was pretty spotty. Once our list of keywords was created, we began a successful targeting campaign. Onsite content was optimised using SEO best practice, avoiding the common traps of keyword stuffing, while no area was ignored in ensuring that every opportunity for optimisation on each page was not overlooked. Each piece of PPC content was carefully worded, in an attempt to make each blurb stand out amongst the crowd.

We also began the site’s first offline marketing campaign by submitting articles to various directories and posts to prominent industry blogs, creating quality links to the site.

The project was subject to constant analysis, re-evaluation and development as SEO techniques evolved over the passing year. Progress was tough, but results were noticeable. Traffic to WeightWorld now has a healthier three-way split between PPC, SEO and other sources. On average, Google ranks WeightWorld within the top 5 for product specific keywords, and within the top 10 for general keywords, such as Weight Loss.

Design

The site was developed rapidly to capitalise on demand in 2004, but was looking terribly out of date by 2007. The basic structure was sound however; it simply needed a more targeted look. It was time to develop the brand identity and bring consistency across our online and offline marketing materials to make WeightWorld a professional web entity.

Warm soft colours such as blue and greens, which are traditionally associated with health and nature, were used and seemed the natural fit. The homepage was badly overcrowded, yet undynamic. With a limited budget, we set out to make simple changes that could enhance the site’s appearance and make it look more engaging to its users. By implementing a less product cluttered home page, along with the softer colours, the site gained a gentler and more reassuring presence. And by placing a single flash banner at the top of the page, we were able to give the site a subtly more lively appearance.

In terms of navigation, keeping it simple was by far the best strategy. We followed a straightforward formula of problem, then solution. Bounce rates for our home page began to rapidly decline.

Content

The general consensus for copy is “the shorter the better”. While we would never argue with that, we’ve certainly found that the right kind of long copy can certainly be used to your advantage.

It was time to take WeightWorld’s products seriously. No ridiculous claims, no “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed”. A more subtle approach was needed. We were going to make the content work to bring in each sale. A comprehensive guide was produced for each treatment – its benefits, its drawbacks, how it works and how exactly it is used. We know that not every customer was going to read it, but by having it there, we more than aptly proved our expertise in our field. Each page was carefully structured to anticipate the customer’s questions and make it easy for them to find the answer.

The impact on conversions has been dramatic. The majority of all product pages convert between 3.5% and 4.5%, well above the industry standard.

User experience

A site can sell products, but if it wants its customers to keep coming back to them, then it needs to offer that little bit more. We started to build on our existing product pages with new customer resources, articles, news stories, tools and buyer’s guides, pushing the site beyond its initial remit as just an online shop.

This is also gave us an opportunity to break out into new media, and to establish Facebook and Twitter groups; not to push products, but to develop the brand beyond simple transactions and to start a dialogue with our customers. Besides creating good discussion, they’ve also provided an excellent platform for our news stories and articles, bringing valuable new visitors and attention to WeightWorld.

The user experience doesn’t just count online; we wanted to be able to offer the best possible service to every customer. We put in place a strong customer services team, provided with extensive training on each and every one of our products. They weren’t just there to process refunds or chase failed transactions; they were there to offer advice and information for anyone who wanted help with their weight loss strategy.

WeightWorld today

In 2011, WeightWorld has on average 70,000 visitors a month, which is more than 50% higher than the industry average. Its yearly profit for the year July 2009 – June 2010 was £430,000 – a more than 1600% rise from 2007. This phenomenal growth clearly outlines how well each of these strategies has worked for the site.

WeightWorld started as a small and unknown website, offering alternative weight loss treatments to customers over the internet. Over time, the company has grown in leaps and bounds through a dedicated customer focused strategy and well thought-out SEO and PPC campaigns.

Today, WeightWorld is one of the biggest selling websites of all forms of weight management treatments. We are a dedicated weight management website, focused on providing all forms of weight management treatments to our customers. From a modest annual revenue of £25,000 in 2007, to a revenue of £430,000 in 2010, you can easily see how WeightWorld is one of ComfortClick’s greatest success stories today.