Sometimes building backlinks isn’t in finding a story to pitch, it is creating a good user experience. There’s a ton of posts on this blog about creating link worthy content, but not enough about building links through creating a unique UX. Last night I had a random thought in a dream, and realized I’ve never seen it live on a site or app.
I went to about 20+/- big brand sites (news, shopping, etc…) today and noticed they are all right hand oriented, with no left hand option. I’m testing apps right now for the UX and not seeing it either. This leaves a big open opportunity for someone to jump in.
Here’s the premise:
What if you used thumb strokes to determine if someone is left handed? If they are, have a small pop up that says “want to switch to left handed mode?” If they do then the hamburger menu, most commonly used elements, search box button, etc… all flip for a left handed user. Now this is a large lift for a smaller percentage of people, but if backlinks and authority building are your goal, it could be worth it.
Pro-tip: If you can create a system that takes the code and reverses the clickable elements for right hand and left hand, similar to how you go desktop to mobile, and automate it more or less, you could sell this as a plugin or service.
What to do with this:
When the person has verified they are left handed, offer them to create an account and save the left handed settings. This lets them create a personalized experience, you get their data, and it is easier to track how effective a left handed site is. Even if they don’t create an account, you can still track the user group that selects left handed mode on your website and app. This is where you come in as a marketer.
- If the user group is previous customers and they’re coming back, look to see if:
- Time to shop has decreased.
- Pageviews are up or down (both are good depending on your business model).
- How revenue is impacted.
- Do they use features like the search bar more.
- What is the time between repeat purchases (and did you decrease it).
- Do they refer other left-handed people to shop (if you have a refer a friend program).
- Conversion rates with right handed vs. left handed people.
- And if there’s a lift at all with left-handed.
- Reduced time to close for left handed users.
- Take these stats and create a case study on how you:
- Created a more inclusive experience.
- Improved revenue and metrics.
- Drove growth.
- Increased customer satisfaction.
- Do a PR push and invite people to try it out. Make sure to give free credits for shopping/service to journalists, and that they disclose there was a gift if they accept.
- Left handed resource websites, communities, and blogs.
- Marketing publications and industry blogs.
- Design.
- Ecommerce.
- Conversion rates.
- Anything to do with funnels, conversions, UX, and revenue.
- Pitching to speak at conferences for UX, conversion rates, ecommerce, business, future thinking, etc… with a case study.
- Business publications and major media that cover general business, innovation, growth, thought leadership.
- Influencers that are left handed to show their experience with your site, and if they want a competitor to show why you’re superior.
- Launch it with your affiliates to give them something to talk about and re-share your brand.
If done correctly, you could find yourself with a new loyal user base, media coverage, and a solid increase in backlinks. If you want more tips like this one, join my newsletter. I’m making an effort to update the blog more this year. And feel free to reach out if you’d like help with marketing strategy via the contact page. And if you don’t want any of the above, but enjoyed the content, I’d love a share on social media. Thank you for reading!
