Increasing Your E commerce Website Conversation Rates
Website Traffic Is Important But So Are Sales
Website traffic is not the be all and end all when it comes to e commerce websites; as well as getting relevant and valued visitors through great optimization what is just as important is converting this traffic into sales.
Here are a few ideas of what could help to convert more visitors into sales.
Increase Your Conversation Rate
No matter how flashy a website is and no matter how high it ranks on search engine’s results pages; at the end of the day it is whether or not a website can convert traffic into sales. It is essential for ecommerce website designers to design web pages that maximise the percentage of users who go on to make purchases. Here are a few helpful hints for doing just that.
1. Keep Things Clear and Simple
The layout of your site’s pages is a crucial part of drawing your customers’ attention towards the product information that will eventually persuade them to complete a purchase.
Avoid cluttering the page without adverts and outward links that will divert attention away from your products. Instead, product specifications, customer reviews and clear pricing are much more likely to gently nudge users towards a purchase.
2. Photos Are Essential
A picture really does paint a thousand words. In addition, allowing users to rotate products, toggle through available colours and zoom in or out are neat bits of functionality that can help customers really examine a product.
3. Add A Visible Shopping Basket
The shopping basket should be visible, clear and update automatically when a customer adds a product to it. Letting your customers see how much they are about to spend is also an integral part of gaining their trust.
Moreover, the basket should offer customers a link straight to the checkout. This means, wherever on your site the user ends up, they are never more than a couple of clicks to checking out and completing their transactions.
4. Use Trusted Online Transaction Firms
This is particularly important for small businesses. By using a firm like PayPal you can reassure your customers that they will receive the product or service they are paying for. Until you build up a credible rapport, this is one of the only ways to do so.
5. Optimise Your Search Bar
The search functionality is essential for any ecommerce website; allowing potential customers to quickly jump to the product or services they desire. Including an ‘auto-complete’ that predicts what customers are searching for is also helpful for quickly transporting users from your home page to the products and services you are selling.
6. Include A ‘Back To Search Results’ Button
Finally, there is little more annoying than viewing a product, only to attempt to return to your search and find your preferences have all been unchecked. Allowing your customers to return to the search results pages makes their life easier and increases the likelihood of them finding a product they are willing to purchase.
At the end of the day, converting sales is largely about making it easy as possible for your customers to get from the homepage to checkout. The most successful ecommerce web designers will design sites that gently guide customers from their initial search results through to purchasing products or services. Then, by assuring customers that everything is legitimate, traffic can soon become sales.