Introduction
Increasing conversion in an online store is one of the key goals that all online business owners strive for. Conversion rate refers to the percentage of visitors who complete a targeted action on your site, such as making a purchase. The higher the conversion, the more effective your online store is and the more profit you can make.
In this expert guide, we'll walk you through 12 tips and tricks to increase conversions on your online store. You'll learn strategies, tactics, and tools that will help you attract more visitors and increase purchases.
Tip 1: Think through your design
Effective design of your online store is one of the key factors influencing conversion. You should pay attention to the following aspects:
- Ease of Use: Your website should be intuitive and easy to navigate. Visitors should easily find the products they need and information about them.
- Attractive Design: Your website should be attractive and consistent with your brand. Use high-quality images and color schemes that highlight the uniqueness of your store.
- Responsive Design: Make sure your website has a responsive design that displays well on a variety of devices, including mobile phones and tablets. This is especially important given the growing number of mobile device users.
It's also important to A/B test your website design to determine which options work best.
Tip 2: Optimize page loading
Fast loading pages are an important factor for increasing conversions. Slow pages can irritate your visitors and cause them to leave your site without making a purchase.
Use the following tips to optimize page loading:
- Optimize images: Reduce the size of images without losing quality using compression and format optimization (such as JPEG or WebP). Use tools like TinyPNG or web platform image optimization plugins to automate the process.
- Cache resources: Using caching allows web browsers to save a copy of your site on visitors' devices. This allows you to significantly speed up page loading on repeat visits.
- Remove unnecessary scripts and plugins: Avoid using redundant scripts and plugins that slow down page loading. Disable the ones you don't need and leave only the ones you need.
- Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network): Distributed CDN servers can help speed up the loading time of your site's content by hosting it on servers closest to your visitors' physical location.
For more tips and guidance on optimizing your website's loading speed, check out our article “How-To Guide: 5 Tips to Optimize Your Website's Loading Speed“.
Tip 3: Create Excellent Call-to-Actions
Headlines and Call-to-Action (CTA) elements are important factors that can grab the attention of visitors and encourage them to take a targeted action. Here are some tips for creating effective CTAs:
- Use strong actions: Using active verbs can help you find the right word to entice visitors to make a purchase, such as “Buy Now,” “Sign Up Now,” or “Get a Free Trial.”
- Place CTAs higher up the page: Place your CTAs at the top of the page so visitors can see them right away. This is especially important on mobile devices where screen space is limited.
- Use contrasting colors: Make your CTAs bright and prominent so that they attract attention. Use contrasting colors to make your CTAs stand out against the background of your site.
Don't forget, too, that effective use of artificial intelligence such as chatbots can help you improve your visitor experience and increase conversions.
Tip 4: Create your own product descriptions
Product descriptions are an important part of your online store and can have a significant impact on conversion. While using predefined descriptions can save you time, it can negatively impact your search rankings and the uniqueness of your content.
Creating your own product descriptions allows you to:
- Describe the advantages and unique features of the product, which helps increase the attractiveness of your offer over competitors.
- Optimize your descriptions for search engines using keywords and phrases that will help your products appear in search results.
- Provide additional information about the product that will help visitors make a purchasing decision.
- Create unique content that can attract links and increase your authority in the eyes of search engines.
Remember to use high-quality images to support your product description and allow buyers to see it in detail.
Tip 5: Use Video
Using video is one of the most effective ways to present your products and increase conversions. Videos help visitors get a better understanding of a product than regular images and text.
Here are some tips for using video in your online store:
- Create in-depth product video reviews: Provide detailed information about the product and demonstrate its features and benefits. Show the product in action to help visitors imagine how it can be used.
- Add videos to product descriptions: Install a video on a product page so that visitors can view it without having to navigate to another page.
- Create video tutorials: If your product requires additional setup or instructions for use, create video tutorials to help your customers understand it.
Videos can also be used to attract more visitors from social media or YouTube. Post videos on these platforms and include links to product pages in the video descriptions to attract visitors to your site.
To learn more about how to optimize images for WordPress, check out our article “Image Optimization for WordPress: Tips and Best Practices“.
Tip 6: Improve the user experience
User experience is how users interact with your website and the experiences they have in the process.
Here are some tips to improve the user experience:
- Simplify the purchasing process: Make the ordering and payment process as simple and intuitive as possible. Minimize the number of steps and form fillings by offering automatic data filling options.
- Add Reviews and Ratings: Providing product reviews and ratings will help visitors make purchasing decisions based on the experiences of other shoppers.
- Optimize search: Make your site searches easy to use and accurate. Add autocomplete and filtering features to help visitors find the product they're looking for.
- Make shipping and returns information clear and accessible: Provide detailed information about delivery times, costs, and the process for returning items. Make sure this information is easily accessible on your website.
Also make sure your site works well on a variety of browsers and devices, and conduct regular testing to identify and fix any problems your visitors may encounter.
Tip 7: Offer attractive promotions and discounts
Attracting visitors to your site is only half the battle, convincing them to make a purchase is the other. One effective way to increase conversion is to offer attractive promotions and discounts.
Here are some ideas for attractive promotions and discounts:
- First Purchase Discounts: Offer a discount to new customers to entice them to make their first purchase on your site.
- Shipping Discounts: Provide free or reduced shipping costs for customers who order over a certain amount.
- Seasonal Promotions: Offer discounts and promotions based on holidays and events to attract more visitors to your site and increase purchases.
- Discounts on low stock items: Offer a discount on items with low quantities left to rush shoppers.
Remember that promotions and discounts should be limited in time to create a sense of urgency and motivation to act.
Tip 8: Personal approach to clients
Taking a personal approach to customers allows you to establish a stronger relationship and build trust, which can lead to increased conversions. Here are a few ways you can implement a personal touch on your site:
- Content personalization: Use visitor data to offer relevant content to them. For example, show product recommendations based on their previous purchases.
- Allow users to create accounts: Allow your visitors to create accounts so they can track their order history and receive personalized offers.
- Send personalized messages: Use email or SMS to send personalized messages, such as reminders about pending purchases or special offers for a specific customer.
Leverage modern tools and technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate and improve your personalization approach.
Tip 9: Display product reviews
Product reviews provide social proof and can have a significant impact on purchasing decisions.
Here are some tips for using product reviews in your online store:
- Allow visitors to leave reviews: Add a review feature to your site so visitors can share their opinions about products.
- Display reviews on product pages: Add a review block to each product page to make it easier for visitors to see them and make an informed purchasing decision.
- Respond to reviews: Proactively respond to reviews, especially negative ones, to show you care about your customers and are willing to solve problems.
Don't forget to also ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on other platforms such as social media or review sites to attract more customers to your site.
Tip 10: Provide clear information about products and services
Clear information about products and services helps visitors make informed purchasing decisions and reduces the likelihood of questions or doubts.
Here are some tips for providing clear information:
- Detailed Product Descriptions: Provide a detailed description of each product, including its characteristics, dimensions and materials. Answer questions your visitors might have so they can make a purchasing decision.
- Honest pricing information: Include all additional costs such as taxes, shipping and handling. Don't hide these costs until the last step of the checkout process to avoid disappointing visitors.
- Clear Return and Warranty Policies: Provide information about your return and warranty policies to help visitors feel confident about their purchases.
Additionally, ensure that product information is clearly displayed on product pages using clear headings, lists, and tabs.
Tip 11: Streamline your checkout process
A simplified and intuitive checkout process can significantly increase conversions and reduce cart abandonment. Here are some tips to improve your ordering experience:
- Minimize the number of steps: Simplify the checkout process by removing all unnecessary steps that can cause confusion or distract visitors.
- Add visibility and usability to forms: Use autofill and data validation to make it easier to fill out checkout forms, and provide the ability to review and change entered data before confirming an order.
- Offer guest registration: Give visitors the opportunity to checkout without creating an account. However, offer them the option to create an account after placing an order so they can monitor its status.
- Accept a variety of payment methods: Give visitors the option to choose a payment method that is convenient for them, such as payment cards, e-wallets, or bank transfer.
Don't forget to also add a progress indicator at each checkout stage so that visitors can see how much time is left before completing their order.
Tip 12: Optimize for Search Engines
Optimizing your online store for search engines will help attract more visitors and increase conversions. Here are some optimization tips:
- Research Keywords: Identify keywords that best describe your niche and products and use them in your site titles, descriptions, meta tags and content.
- Improve page loading speed: Fast loading pages are an important factor in search engine rankings. As mentioned earlier, optimize your images, use caching, and remove unnecessary scripts and plugins.
- Create informative meta tags: Meta tags (such as page titles and descriptions) help search engines understand what your site and pages are about. Include keywords and information that will interest visitors and draw them to your site.
- Create quality content: Constantly create new and unique content that can attract links and increase your authority in the eyes of search engines. Use keywords in your content, but do it in a natural way.
Use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track your website traffic, conversions, and other metrics. This will help you determine the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and continue to improve your site.
Summarizing
Increasing conversion rates on your online store is an important step towards increasing profits and the success of your business as a whole. Follow these tips and instructions to improve your user experience, attract more visitors, and increase purchases.
Analyze the results and evaluate the effectiveness of your actions. Continue testing different strategies and tactics to find the best solutions for your online store.
Good luck in increasing conversions on your online store!