Having a website that converts guarantees steady sales and increased revenue. While this goal is shared by everyone who sells online, achieving it is clearly a challenge given all the factors that must be taken into account. Having traffic is good, but it’s far from enough to make sales. To do that, you need your visitors to take action. That’s where the concept of conversion comes into play.
The conversion rate—which reflects the number of visitors who make a purchase—remains a key indicator of the health of any e-commerce site. But how can you optimize it? In this comprehensive guide, discover the 12-point action plan to help you achieve this.
1- Have a design optimized for conversion
Design is an integral part of the elements to consider when creating a website. In addition to reflecting a brand’s identity, it plays a decisive role in the relationship between the user and the interface with which they interact. While it’s true that design alone isn’t enough to convert a visitor into a customer, it remains an important component that should not be overlooked. A design optimized for conversion is based on a number of key factors.
Design of mockups by a graphic designer
It all starts with the website’s design and the artistic and technical direction you give it. In e-commerce, product quality alone isn’t enough. You must also make an effort to provide an optimal customer experience. With this in mind, you need to focus on your website’susability, and that starts with creating a graphic mockup. This gives you a concrete preview of the platform’s interface and structure as it will be perceived by the end user. Mockup design cannot be improvised. It requires the expertise of a professional—in this case, a graphic designer—who, thanks to their skills, is best suited to carry out this task.
Their role is to first create a functional mockup that reflects the site’s structure and, by extension, the customer journey. Here, we focus on the site’s usability (UX Design). In the next step, we integrate graphic elements specific to your visual identity into the functional mockup. Through the mockup process, you have control over the structure and aesthetics of your interface, with the ability to create a customized customer journey.
An ergonomic, mobile-friendly design
Since a large portion of internet traffic comes from smartphones and tablets, special attention is now being paid to mobile browsing. This trend reflects changing consumption patterns and the adoption of new habits that simply cannot be ignored. Given that most internet users access the web from their mobile devices, the majority of online orders are placed through this channel.
For an e-commerce business, there is therefore a real urgency to make its website mobile-friendly — or risk losing potential customers—and then check whether it is using Google’s freetool. Complying with the requirements of responsive design has thus become the norm. This ensures that visitors to your site have the best possible experience, regardless of the device they’re using. The goal is to provide a seamless and user-friendly interface in every situation.
2- Post customer reviews on your website
Online shoppers are more cautious when it comes time to buy a product. Even if you have detailed product descriptions, there’s another element you need to highlight: customer reviews. Why are they so important? They provide firsthand proof of a product’s quality. By reading feedback from other buyers, your prospective customer can get a clear idea of the product’s features, how it works in everyday use, and other practical information.
But reviews are only valuable if they’re genuine, and the best way to prove that is by integrating Google My Business or Trustpilot modules into your website. It’s important to have reviews associated with each of your products. This can serve as a trigger for a purchase. In addition, customer reviews help improve your search engine rankings, since Google considers them relevant to consumer searches. If your products receive mostly positive reviews, your ranking can be positively impacted.
3- Boost Your Website's Credibility
When choosing between two competing websites, trust is one of the factors most likelyto influence users’ decisions. It is therefore essential to reassure visitors that you can meet their expectations. To do this, you need to build a connection with them by providing a phone number they can use to reach you. Allow them to contact you through your social media accounts (only those where you’re truly active). Also consider implementing a live chat system so that prospects can get answers in real time.
Keep in mind that the quality of your offering isn’t limited to the nature of your products—it also depends on your after-sales service. Although optional, after-sales service provides real added value when delivered promptly. The key is a proven ability to respond quickly, which allows you to reduce disputes and increase customer satisfaction. Keep in mind that, given equivalent quality, a consumer will be more inclined to choose an offer that comes with responsive customer service.
To ensure credibility, feel free to add security badges in strategic locations: in the footer or on the checkout page. They are available in several categories, with some relating to payment methods, shipping, or customer reviews. Choose the ones that best suit your products and needs.
4- Have a fast website
The loading speed of an e-commerce site is a factor that deserves your full attention. It can not only influence your ranking in SERPs (search engine results pages), but also affect visitor behavior. Since internet users are accustomed to instant results, their patience is easily tested. A site that takes too long to load therefore loses all appeal in their eyes. Naturally, slower sites generally have higher bounce rates. Unsurprisingly, shorter time spent on the site leads to lower conversion rates. How can you make your site faster?
Use a web hosting provider that supports e-commerce
Among the steps involved in creating an e-commerce site, choosing a web host is one of the most important. Web hosting affects the site’s response time and real-time availability. There is a wide variety of hosting options available, but not all of them will meet your needs. What you need is a fast, responsive service that provides guarantees in terms of security (regular website backups, SSL certificate) and availability (dedicated server).
All of these factors are essential to the smooth operation of an e-commerce platform and help reassure users of its reliability. Beyond the technical aspects of hosting, a good hosting provider must stand out for the quality of its customer service. Be uncompromising on this point and choose only providers that demonstrate dynamism and responsiveness.
Get a fast theme
In addition to its aesthetic appeal, a theme affects your website’s performance. If you choose a CMS like WooCommerce, for example, you’ll have access to a vast catalog of free and premium themes. If you choose a CMS like PrestaShop, things will be a little different (we’ll let you decide which of the two to choose with the help of our comprehensive comparison in this article). But you can’t just pick one at random.
Your selection should be based on specific criteria: page size, minimum time to fully load a page, time to first content, speed score, and number of requests. A theme’s performance can be measured using specialized tools such as Pingdom, PageSpeed Insights, and GTMetrics. To help you better understand these factors, our agency, Ingenius—experts in e-commerce website development—offers its services. We focus on both the technical aspects and search engine optimization (SEO).
Install a cover
Caching is one of the methods used to optimize a website’s loading speed. The principle is quite simple: it provides visitors with preloaded pages that have been previously saved on the user’s device. This way, when a user visits a page, they don’t have to wait for a response from the server; instead, the temporary file stored on their device is displayed immediately. The cache works much like a shortcut, as it streamlines the processes involved when visiting the site. To cache your site, you’ll need to install a dedicated plugin. The process is fairly straightforward. Simply choose a free plugin like WP Fastest Cache or a paid one like WP Rocket.
Optimize Images
A slow response time can cause you to lose potential customers. Every second of wait time increases the risk of a bounce. According to data released by Google, the likelihood of a bounce increases by 32% when load time goes from 1 to 3 seconds. Ideally, it’s best to keep load times under 2 seconds. Also, even if you’re using a caching extension, you can still improve speed by minimizing the size of your web pages as much as possible through image compression.
On an e-commerce site, manual optimization can be tedious, especially if you have to process a large number of files. The good news is that you can automate this process using extensions like Imagify, ShortPixel, or TinyPNG. To improve loading speed, Google recommends compressing images into the WebP format, which significantly reduces file size (by up to 30% compared to the JPEG format).
Enable Lazy Loading
Lazy loading refers to a method that allows only the necessary resources to be loaded when a web page is displayed. The site loads only the data that appears within the user’s viewport. This significantly minimizes display delays, which greatly improves the browsing experience.
Lazy loading can be implemented natively or by injecting a JavaScript script. The native solution is supported by several browsers, including Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge, and, of course, Google Chrome. Lazy loading can also be integrated into WordPress using a plugin. Some of the most well-known plugins include Wprocker, Smush, A3 Lazy Load, and Autoptimize.
Monitor the Google Lighthouse score
As long as you have some idea of your website’s performance, you can continuously improve it. With Google Lighthouse, you can measure several metrics to gather data that allows you to make the necessary adjustments in real time. By relying on the data from the Lighthouse audit and the tool’s recommendations, it’s easier for you to implement the right measures. The goal is to achieve a good score, even if it’s not always possible or relevant to get a perfect score of 100/100.
5- Collect email addresses
Collecting email addresses is a proven method for boosting or growing sales on an e-commerce site. By building a contact list, you gain a powerful tool for driving conversions and building customer loyalty. When used effectively, an email database is, without a doubt, the most sophisticated solution for acquiring new customers. At a time when acquisition methods like Facebook, Google, and Instagram ads are all the rage, email marketing has never been more relevant.
To collect email addresses, you need not only traffic but also a strategy that encourages visitors to provide their email addresses. Internet users are only willing to share their contact information in exchange for a specific product or service. Depending on what you sell, you can offer them high-value content by inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter. Through this channel, you can notify them when you launch new products or run promotions.
There are several ways to collect email addresses, including by embedding a banner or a landing page. These forms are designed to encourage users to take a specific action—such as subscribing to a newsletter or downloading a document—in order to access certain content.
In marketing terminology, we often talk about a “lead magnet.” It can take many forms: a report, guide, checklist, quiz, white paper, webinar, training course, and so on. To be effective, a lead magnet must be tailored to your target audience and address a clearly identified need. If you sell a 3D printer, for example, it makes sense to offer email-based training courses to familiarize buyers with the tool and give them ideas for creations.
6- Use retargeting
No matter how effective your marketing efforts are, the vast majority of your prospects (about 98%) will visit your site as casual visitors—that is, without making a purchase. That doesn’t mean you’ve lost them for good, though. In fact, thanks to retargeting, you have the opportunity to reconnect them with your products, even when they’re away from your site. When used effectively, this technique can literally boost your conversion rates (by 100 to 150%). But what does it actually involve?
Retargeting involves reaching out again to prospects who have already had initial contact with your products through ads on search engines, social media, and other websites. Retargeting keeps the prospect in your sights by bombarding them with content related to your brand in order to encourage them to make a purchase. Retargeting relies on information collected when a prospect interacts with your website or any communication related to your brand. This information is contained in a piece of code or a pixel that has been pre-integrated into your website. The pixel generates a cookie that tracks the user’s search history.
All of this data allows an ad network of your choice—Facebook, Instagram, or Google—to build a customer profile. The ad network then uses the information from the cookie—in this case, browsing history—to serve ads related to the pages the prospect has visited. As a result, the prospect will see ads highlighting your products in their Facebook/Instagram news feed, on blogs, or on third-party websites. In B2C, prioritize retargeting on Facebook, Instagram, and Google.
7- Offer exclusive promo codes
Promo codes serve both to acquire and retain customers. They are powerful marketing tools that help drive traffic and generate additional sales. To ensure maximum effectiveness, their use must be carefully managed. Promo codes are seasonal promotions that appear on specific occasions: back-to-school, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and so on. For customers, these promotions offer the opportunity to get great deals by taking advantage of discounts on their purchases. For e-commerce sites, they’re a practical way to increase the average cart value and boost sales volume.
Promo codes are part of a marketing strategy designed to attract a new audience while retaining existing customers. To achieve compelling results, promotions must maintain an exclusive nature. That’s why promo codes are preferred over discounts. Furthermore, by revealing them only on rare occasions, you create a sense of urgency, which naturally speeds up the purchasing decision.
The code can be generated automatically when a customer makes their first purchase or distributed via the newsletter. Another interesting option is the promo code offered to a visitor when they are about to leave the site. Displayed via an exit-intent pop-up window, this type of promo code is known to boost the conversion rate.
8- Set up an optimized order page
The checkout page is a critical point in the purchasing journey. Just because a visitor makes it this far doesn’t necessarily mean a sale will be made. This is especially true when you consider that in 70% of cases, online shoppers end up abandoning their carts, even if they contain items. To minimize this, a compelling checkout page is essential.
Start by working on the page’s layout. Keep it simple by including only useful and relevant information. There’s no need to include too many fields to fill out. Stick to the bare minimum and make the email field the first one—it’s essential for capturing contact information. Ideally, the checkout process should allow customers to move quickly through the entire purchasing process, from confirming their cart to finalizing their order.
Save the user time by simplifying the registration process or the login process if they already have a customer account. Set up automatic completion of the “shipping address” field by implementing the Google Maps API. This also reduces the risk of errors. Offer consumers a variety of payment options. Finally, to build trust, include reassuring elements in the checkout process, such as secure payment logos, trust badges, customer reviews, social media buttons, and more.
9- Set up order bumps, upsells, and downsells
Implementing certain features can boost sales. When a visitor is in the process of making a purchase, it’s easier to expand the options available to them without risking cart abandonment.
Thus, at the checkout stage, including an order bump allows the customer to discover an additional offer and increases the average cart value. As a reminder, an order bump is an add-on offered to the customer before the order is confirmed. The offer appears as a checkbox and includes an additional product or service. The nature of this complementary offer depends on the items being sold and the customer’s needs. The order bump is generally related to the initial offer and is only available at this stage of the sales funnel.
In addition to the order bump, upselling is one of the strategies you can use to boost your revenue. While an order bump is an add-on, upselling refers to upgrading to a higher-end product. It can encourage the customer to replace their product with a more expensive one that offers greater value. Implementing upselling requires a good understanding of the customer and a clear grasp of their needs. Upselling typically occurs right after the purchase; by setting up “one-click” upselling, you can easily generate additional revenue.
As for the downsell technique, it serves as a way to secure a sale when a customer changes their mind about a purchase. With downselling, the merchant offers the customer a less expensive alternative. This technique has several advantages: it improves the conversion rate, strengthens customer loyalty, and reduces the number of abandoned carts. Downsells are generally placed after upsells.
10. Set up an abandoned cart workflow
An abandoned shopping cart doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a relationship with a potential customer—quite the opposite. It can be the catalyst for a process that ultimately turns the prospect into a customer. If you’ve taken the time to collect their contact information, you can set up an abandoned cart workflow to convert them.
The configuration of the email sequence varies from one brand to another and depends on the strategy you plan to implement. The effectiveness of the sequence depends on the prospect’s context and your approach to them. To maximize your chances of success, we recommend creating an email sequence with messages scheduled to be sent at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 96 hours. In the second email, include a promo code in your follow-up message to encourage the prospect to take action. Use the third email to ask the prospect for their feedback on your product.
This interaction could serve as an opportunity to send additional emails. Create concise messages that highlight the product’s features without going overboard. Tailor your email sends to your persona’s habits to increase the open rate. To boost your flow’s performance, include text messages in your strategy. You can implement this solution using the Twilio platform. Be persistent enough to stay in touch, but discreet enough not to damage your brand image.
11. Test and Measure
Once you have a certain volume of data, you should start tracking metrics to better assess your website’s performance. Tracking metrics also helps you understand user behavior, and Google Analytics is one of the best tools for this purpose. It’s completely free and can be used to automatically generate reports on your website. Google Analytics tracks several key metrics, such as traffic sources for your e-commerce site, user behavior, and conversion rates.
To put it more simply, the tool provides information on your site’s speed, where your visitors come from, their age and location, average time on site, most-viewed pages, bounce rate, and exit pages. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of the power of Google Analytics. On your dashboard, you have access to several types of reports. These include reports on visitor behavior on individual pages, traffic sources, and conversions.
By drawing on all this information, you can diversify or strengthen your customer acquisition strategies, improve your page metrics, and increase your website’s conversion rate.
With this in mind, usingA/B testing allows you to compare two different versions of your e-commerce site to determine which one generates the most clicks or converts better. To set up A/B testing, you must base your approach on hypotheses that address issues identified beforehand through analytics data, potential solutions, and the metrics you want to measure. It’s worth noting that several elements of the website can be tested: forms, navigation, buttons, the business model, calls to action, or page structure.
12- Customer Loyalty
A loyal customer base remains a significant asset for the growth of an e-commerce site. But building customer loyalty is also a major challenge that requires a strategic and pragmatic approach. While it’s important to attract new customers, it’s even more important to retain the ones you already have. From a purely practical standpoint, it’s clear that the investment required to retain a customer is lower than the cost of acquiring a new one. Furthermore, a loyal customer is more likely to purchase your products more often, given the trust they place in your brand. So how can you build customer loyalty?
As mentioned earlier, customer service is one of the most effective ways to build a lasting relationship with a customer. For it to make a real difference, customer service must provide genuine added value, which rules out any half-hearted efforts that could lead to an unpleasant customer experience. Customer service must be accessible, responsive, and attentive to customers’ needs. A satisfied customer won’t hesitate to recommend your products to friends and family. You can take it a step further by turning that customer into a brand ambassador.
To achieve this, set up a loyalty program that offers certain perks: gifts, discounts, complimentary services, etc. Also, give customers the opportunity to refer others in exchange for various benefits for both the referrer and the referred. To foster greater engagement, build a community of consumers around your brand. By combining these different strategies, you’ll find it easier to grow your business and increase your brand awareness.
If you’re planning to create a high-performing e-commerce site, Ingenius offers personalized support through our Genius Ecom service. Our services include website redesign and optimization, as well as management of various web projects. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
