How to achieve website personalisation with dynamic content

The modern customer doesn’t just appreciate personalisation; they expect a digital experience tailor-made to their preferences. As marketers, we need to harness the evolving power of web technologies to deliver on these expectations. Enter dynamic content. This approach doesn’t just alter how we engage with our target audiences; it’s rewriting the playbook on digital interaction. But first, you might wonder…

Why is it important to personalise your website?

Personalisation strategies tap into the fundamental human desire to be acknowledged and understood. It creates a sense of being seen. Thus, as users encounter a digital experience that reflects their unique journey, it not only captures their attention more effectively but also makes them more likely to interact, return, and ultimately, convert.

Unsurprisingly then, 76% of consumers reported that personalised content made them consider purchasing from a brand, with 78% saying it made them more likely to re-purchase. Likewise, 9 out of 10 marketers have witnessed increased ROI by implementing personalisation strategies. For example, personalised CTAs see a 202% increase in conversion compared to non-personalised CTAs.

But while it’s easy to grasp the appeal of personalisation tactics, it’s important to understand how it works to implement it in your online experience.

Understanding personalisation

At the heart of personalisation lies data – the currency of the digital age. With third-party data cookies heading towards obsolescence, the spotlight now turns to first-party data. It’s this data that needs to fuel your personalisation efforts.

One issue: in its raw form, it’s difficult to discern how it can be used. However, the solution comes in the form of AI, machine learning, and data analytics. Like most digital strategies, website personalisation is also underpinned by sophisticated technologies.

Here’s how this process unfolds:

1. Collection of first-party data: Websites capture user data through various touch points such as registration forms, user profiles, and previous interactions. To discover all the ways in which you can collect first-party data and how to effectively deploy it for personalisation, we have just the article for you!
2. Driving personalisation through tech: Next step – AI, machine learning and data analytics aid in understanding this data.
   • Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms analyse user data to identify patterns and predict future behaviour. They enable real-time decision-making, allowing content to be personalised at the moment of engagement.
   • Machine learning is a subset of AI, formed of algorithms that learn from new data, refining their predictions over time. They adapt to changes in user behaviour, ensuring that personalisation remains relevant.
   • Data analytics tools dissect large datasets to extract actionable insights. They help understand audience segments and tailor content to match diverse user groups.
3. Delivering dynamic content: Finally, dynamic content is the vehicle through which personalisation is achieved. Simply put, it’s the type of content that changes dynamically based on the data and inputs from the technologies mentioned above. It creates an adaptive experience where hero images, product recommendations and other relevant content shift in real time to match user preferences.

So, by harnessing these technologies, your website will feel as if it were designed with just one individual in mind. And now that we know what it is, let’s examine its purpose and functionality compared to its static counterpart

Dynamic vs static content

Dynamic content has the ability to revolutionise the visitor experience because its purpose extends beyond mere presentation. You’re in a direct dialogue with your audience. By dynamically displaying content, websites can offer a more engaging navigation experience. So, compared to traditional static websites, dynamic ones provide behaviour-based personalisation.
Here’s how the two compare at a glance

Equipped with this knowledge, let’s explore some examples of companies that have strategically implemented dynamic content.

Dynamic content examples

When implemented strategically, dynamic content doesn’t overwhelm the user with too many changes. Instead, it provides a sense of personal touch and consideration. It’s an intricate balance — offering up personalised experiences without sacrificing the cohesive brand message or overwhelming the user with too much variability.

The following websites best exemplify how this looks in practice.

Notion: 60% signup increase with personalised landing pages

It’s hard to imagine Notion, one of the most used project management tools worldwide, ever struggling to capture leads. But there was a point in time when their paid search campaigns left much to be desired. The issue? Generic landing pages. Despite Notion’s breadth of use cases, their landing pages failed to convey this knowledge.

Two different Notion landing pages based on advertised feature

The solution came in the form of landing pages specifically optimised for the target queries of the ads. To create these, they used a tool called Mutiny, which allowed them to test different kinds of dynamic content like heroes, CTAs and headings, and reiterated based on the best performing assets. As a result, in less than three weeks, Notion successfully increased product signups on their paid landing page experiments by as much as 60%.

Synchrony: 7% lift in applications with a personalised homepage

Synchrony, a consumer financial services company, became increasingly aware of the abundance of options their target consumers had. They needed a solution that not only assessed but also tapped into customer intent. Their aim was to guide users towards services that precisely met their needs.

With the help of Dynamic Yield, a marketing technology platform, Synchrony implemented personalised homepage recommendations for both new and returning users. They utilised Liveramp, a data connectivity platform, to enrich customer data for marketing purposes. Their clever segmentation strategy allowed them to provide highly-personalised experiences to different audience segments. For example, they recommended different content based on the type of credit card a visitor had, promoting popular and local offers for new visitors and personalised offers for existing cardholders. The result? A 12% increase in the click-through rate among cardholders and an overall 7% lift in credit card applications

Pendo: 22% conversion increase with personalised forms

Pendo, a product management software provider, encountered a significant challenge when they realised that a considerable portion of highly qualified traffic was bouncing from their website, particularly those navigating the sales-driven path for upmarket leads. Despite the traffic’s quality, the conversion rate was low, and the bounce rate was high.

Pendo’s sign-up form capturing the relevant first-party data for segmentation

To address this issue they employed a (you guessed it!) personalised dynamic content strategy. Using Mutiny’s 6sense integration, Pendo identified users based on industry and company size, then dynamically directed them down a conversion path relevant to their persona. By implementing dynamic content swaps, redirects, and targeted CTAs, they engaged their visitors based on their preferences. The impact was substantial: a 2% click-through rate on exit intent components and a remarkable 22% conversion rate into signups, resulting in 40 new Pendo trials.

Knowing how these brands have benefitted from dynamic content, let’s now explore how you can implement it into your web strategy.

How to implement dynamic content into your web strategy

The implementation of dynamic content into a website requires a robust technical setup and a strategic framework. At the heart of it are advanced content management systems (CMS) and personalisation engines, which collectively serve as the operational core for dynamic content deployment.
Here are the six elements to bear in mind for effective website personalisation using dynamic content:

1. Content Management Systems (CMS):

The first step is choosing a CMS that supports dynamic content integration, such as WordPress with personalisation plugins like OptiMonk, If-So or Logic Hop. Alternatively, you can opt for headless CMS that allows for API-driven content delivery. In this case, we recommend Sanity.

Next, you need to ensure the CMS can handle user data inputs and deliver content variations based on user behaviour and characteristics. It should allow for the creation of rules and conditions. These determine when and how content should change for different users. It’s what we call rule-based personalisation.

2. Personalisation engines:

Secondly, implementing a personalisation engine like Adobe Target or Dynamic Yield is crucial. This will process real-time data and use it to present tailored content to the user. It does so through algorithms and machine learning to analyse user data and make instant decisions about the most appropriate content to display. To pull in the correct content pieces for each user scenario, it must be integrated with the CMS.

3. Data collection and analysis:

As mentioned, with the phasing out of third-party data cookies, your strategies from now on need to lean into first-party data. So, you need to establish methods for collecting it. User interactions like browsing history, purchase records, and account preferences are a good starting point. Then, analytics tools like Segment will interpret this data, gaining insights into their behaviour and segmenting them accordingly for targeted content delivery.

4. Dynamic Content Delivery Networks (CDN):

For personalised content to be delivered quickly and efficiently regardless of users’ devices, browsers or geographic areas, you need a CDN that supports dynamic content like Cloudflare. This should work in tandem with the CMS and personalisation engine to cache content without compromising the personalisation.

5. Testing and optimisation:

Finally, as with all digital strategies, continuously assessing the effectiveness of different content variations using A/B or multivariate testing is absolutely necessary. Use the insights from these tests to optimise the rules and logic within the personalisation engine. This way, you’ll improve the accuracy and relevance of the dynamic content.

6. User privacy considerations:

To ensure compliance with data protection regulations, incorporate consent management tools like Didomi or IBM Security Verify that allow users to control their preferences. Remember to keep transparency at the forefront by informing users about how their data is being used to personalise their experience.

By integrating these components, a website can dynamically adapt its content to each visitor. It’s a sophisticated dance between technology and strategy. The ultimate goal: giving people a website that feels uniquely theirs, in every click, every interaction, and every return visit.

Key considerations

Harnessing dynamic content for personalisation presents exciting possibilities. Even so, in any complex organisation, regardless of size, the implementation journey can be tricky. From getting stakeholders on board, to keeping all teams in the loop and aligning workflows, there are certain considerations you should keep in mind to reap all the benefits. Here are the key ones:

• Technical integration complexity: Integrating a dynamic content strategy involves coordinating various technologies – Content Management Systems (CMS), personalisation engines, and Dynamic Content Delivery Networks (CDN). Ensuring seamless interoperability among these components demands a well-thought-out technical architecture.
• Rule-based personalisation: Defining the appropriate rules and conditions for content changes can be intricate. Striking the right balance between personalisation and maintaining a cohesive brand message requires meticulous planning and continuous optimisation.
• Real-time data processing: Dynamic content relies on real-time data processing by AI and machine learning algorithms. Ensuring the timely and accurate analysis of user behavior demands robust computing power and efficient algorithms to prevent delays or inaccuracies in content delivery.
• UX consistency: Too much variability can overwhelm users, leading to a disjointed experience. Your platform needs to achieve a personalised experience without sacrificing the consistency of the overall user journey.
• Content relevance over time: As user preferences evolve, maintaining content relevance becomes an ongoing challenge. Dynamic content that once resonated might lose its effectiveness over time. Regularly revisiting and updating the personalisation strategy is essential to keep content aligned with shifting user expectations.

These are all the complexities we have to navigate through here, at Dusted, to align our vision with our goals. Keep an eye out for a future article delving into the intricacies of the implementation journey.

In conclusion

Dynamic content is not just a feature; it’s the future of website personalisation. It’s a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to keep pace with the evolving digital marketplace. The path moving forward is clear: embrace the dynamic, personalise the experience, and watch as your brand stands out in a crowded digital landscape. The time to act is now – are you ready to revolutionise your website?

At Dusted, we always have one eye on the future of digital.

We work with some of the most ambitious and game-changing businesses in the world and deliver solutions that walk the fine line between human connection and technical innovation.

As a specialist digital marketing and brand activation consultancy, we offer a plethora of resources to help you hone your strategies wherever you are on the adoption curve, helping diverse teams implement change that delivers actual results.

Your journey to a high-end personalised experience awaits – so get in touch now to book a call! We can’t wait to hear from you.