Introduction
Generation Z (or simply Gen Z), also known as zoomers, is the age group that follows Millennials and precedes Generation Alpha that were born between the mid-‘90s and mid-2010s. They account for 32 percent of the world’s 7.7 billion population. This is a varied population that is ready to be the highest spending consumer group in the world. Even today, their purchasing power is estimated to be over $143 billion.
With those types of numbers, it’s essential that your website is Gen Z friendly. So what are some ways that you can make your site turn Gen Z leads into customers? In this article, I’ll discuss 5 tips to help you reach your goal of driving the Gen Z audience to your website:
Tip #1: Value Your Mobile Website Over Its Desktop Version
The first step in reaching this audience is to understand their attachment to mobile phones. Gen Z enjoys in-store experiences, but 75% prefer to do most shopping online when they can out of convenience. If your website isn’t mobile responsive, you can expect these consumers to bounce from your site immediately. Mobile responsive means that the content on your website adjusts automatically to fit the device that a viewer is on.
But a mobile responsive framework and layout is only the start. When building a site, every aspect of the website should be considered from a mobile view, including your navigation, pages, and content.
In the past, websites were built with tons of pages in the top navigation because the majority of visitors were viewing the site on a desktop. On smaller devices, it’s very burdensome to click through a navigation that has tons of pages. To create a mobile- friendly experience, condense your pages and the content on each page by eliminating items that take up time but add little to no value.
Tip #2: Ensure You Have a High-Quality Modern Design
No matter which age group you are targeting, your website should be well-designed, but Gen Zers are more internet-savvy and discriminating than prior generations. Your site is the first, or possibly second, experience of your business, so it’s important to keep the website up to date and of good quality.
Videos and moving imagery are some ways to communicate vast amounts of information in a short time, which appeals to the Gen Z need for instant gratification. When selecting a video, use a high-quality video that ties into your messaging and is captivating, but not distracting. Additionally, features like geolocation help you
customize content toward specific audiences. Gen Z also appreciate time-saving features, like auto-loading information for forms and subscriptions.
Overall, simplicity and clarity are key. Gen Zers are fond of functionalism that comes in an aesthetically pleasing package. Which is why you have to design a website that comes with both functionality and good design. Every element that you use on the website should have a part in enhancing the user experience.
Tip #3: Make Sure Your Content Resonates with Your Audience
Despite wanting to condense the content on your website, it’s important to mention Gen Z’s preference for customized content. According to Salesforce, 67% of Millennials and Gen Z respondents say they expect offers that are personalized to them —a full 16% higher than Gen X (those born between 1961 and 1981).
Businesses that want to market to this demographic should use personalization features on their websites. Personalized ad interests are available on YouTube and are an important aspect for marketers looking to hit Gen Z by ads.
Along the same lines, they rely on real reviews to interpret genuine experiences which further influences their purchasing decisions. Featuring reviews from your customers on your business’ website will highlight the fact that your brand is confident enough to show the world what others think of your products and services.
In the future, Gen Z and subsequent generations are likely to expect motion or personal-based experiences that are more natural than traditional experiences.
Tip #4: Incorporate Storytelling That Communicates Your Company’s Value and Sets You Apart from the Competition
Growing up with technology means Gen Z can easily differentiate from authentic companies and faux brands that use conversational tones to push products. Couple that with their short attention span and you’d find that most of these people don’t need to browse your whole website before they have an opinion of it.
Gen Z will use products and services they feel they connect with. The best way for you to form that connection is by integrating storytelling techniques in your website design. Use your website as a platform to build authentic narratives and bring them to life.
Brands are also telling stories through gamification. Gamification is adding games or gamelike elements into nongame environments, like a website or online community.
Using game-like features like point-scoring and leaderboards encourages participation. For example, Cal State University created a campaign that rewarded students with points for engaging with their college’s website. It then let the students cash in their points for rewards.
Web design today is much more than putting graphic elements and words on a page. As you craft your website, think about your target audience and what they would want to know about your product or service. This will help you develop personas and outline your brand story. Don’t over-complicate it, though. The basis of your story is essentially the problem, solution, and success.
Tip #5: Optimize Your Website for Longer Strings of Keywords
In the header above, I wrote a full sentence instead of opting for a simpler headline like, “Use Long-Tail Keywords.” Why did I take the time to make my header a full phrase? It’s because I want to optimize my content for long-tail keywords.
Surprisingly, Gen Z uses more words in their search criteria than the rest of the generations. One could speculate this may be because of their desire for more personalized content, they’re searching much more specific requests and including more detail in their search, resulting in lengthier queries.
Aside from text-based searches, Gen Z uses smart digital voice assistants like Siri and Alexa on mobile devices daily. When a person poses a question or gives a complete order to a smart voice assistant, the AI algorithm can learn the long-tail term and run search queries for them.
Long-tail is becoming increasingly common around the board. Optimizing your website for Gen Z search queries will help you attract visitors of all ages.
Gen Z will continue to make an impact and shape the world around us, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time. Thankfully, the same technologies that power Gen Zers’ lives are the ones we can use to learn more about them.
If your website is missing some of these components, then this is a great time to add them. If you already have most of them, then you are off to a great start when it comes to turning Gen Z leads into customers. Even if you’re not selling to Gen Z now, someday in the not-so-distant future, you will.
Need help creating a website that impresses the Gen Z audience? Contact us on our website today to get started, you can also email info@morevisibility.com or call (800) 797-0497 to speak with a specialist.
