If you run an e-commerce site, you’ll want visitors to your site not to just look around, but to add something to their cart and buy it. But it’s not as simple as that. Many e-commerce sites have low conversion rates, so while they might get plenty of visitors, they might not be getting the sales figures that they want. So, how do you convert a site visitor into a customer?
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Look into conversion rate optimization
Improving the conversion rate on your site is sometimes known as conversion rate optimisation, or CRO for short. It basically means looking at the parts of your site that may be putting people off from buying, and then making changes and fixing things, with the goal of improving sales. There are a wide variety of techniques used, from simple to high-tech, and the best way to get results is to work with Australia’s #1 CRO agency. Working with an agency means you get someone objective who can look over your site and tell you where you might be going wrong, and where improvements need to be made.
Sometimes basic things get in the way
Every site is different, so there aren’t any hard and fast rules for CRO. That’s why it’s important to get tailored advice. However, many online sites could do with looking at the basics and making just a few small tweaks to improve their rate.
You should look at your site’s:
- Speed – customers will literally wait just seconds for a site to load. Any more than this and they’ll often give up
- Design – pages should be simple and uncluttered, with one page for each product or topic, and well laid-out categories
- Search – if customers can’t find what they need, then they won’t spend a lot of time looking round for it. Make sure you have a great search function
- Checkout – checking out shouldn’t require you to fill in a thousand fields. Don’t ask for any more information than you need
Also, make sure that you have a customer support number and email address on your site, so if people have any questions when trying to buy, they can contact you. If you don’t have time to monitor emails all the time, you can outsource your e-mail support, so that customers get a prompt response.
Ensure your site looks professional
Unless you own a big brand that everyone knows, visitors to your site may be worried about its trustworthiness. Firstly, make sure your site has professional photos and content, and that you have an address and phone number, so people know you are a legitimate business. You should also make sure you have a returns policy that’s legal and fair. You may want to research consumer rights guarantees in your country to make sure you follow the law. This will ensure that people who are worried about needing to return an item will feel less anxious about ordering from you.