10 hacks for better conversion rates on your ecommerce site

10 hacks for better conversion rates on your ecommerce site 1

Every ecommerce site would like more conversions. And the truth is that often it is the small, simple changes that can actually make a big difference to your conversion rate. Here we take a look at 10 simple hacks that any ecommerce site can implement in order to improve its number of conversions.
 

1. Speed things up

 
One of the most important ways to improve conversions is to improve your page loading speed – Google estimates that conversion rates drop by around 12 per cent for every second longer that websites take to load. Google actually has a tool that can be used to analyse your current page loading speed to see how it compares to other sites. 
There are many ways that you can speed up your website such as by optimising image file sizes and improving server response time. 
 

2. Use bright colours

 
It is important to make good use of colours on your website. Using bright colours sparingly can highly specific areas of the site and help important parts to stand out. 
For example, you might have heard that a green CTA button looks the most positive, but depending on the colour scheme of your site a green button may not be eye-catching enough, so it may be preferable to choose a different bright colour in order to emphasise the button you want your potential customer to click on.
 

3. Descriptive CTAs

 
On the subject of CTAs, it is important to ensure that they are ‘descriptive’. This means that your CTA buttons need to explain where they will lead. Take a look below at how golfing products retailer Golf Swing Systems uses different, specific descriptive CTA buttons in order to prime visitors for where the next click will take them.
If your current CTA buttons have a generic message this is something that you should change as soon as possible for an easy boost in your conversion rates. 
10 hacks for better conversion rates on your ecommerce site
 

4. Make your content skim-readable 

 
Content should be easy to skim read. The average website user will spend no longer than 15 seconds on a webpage – this means that you need to get the point of your content across to them as quickly as possible, or you will use the opportunity. 
It is a great idea to use bullet points or other eye-catching short pieces of text to sell the benefits and reasons to buy a product or service. 
 

5. Push sales messages 

 
If you want to make more sales and up your conversions then you next to be promoting your sales message. Give prime retail space on your site to your important sales messages.

6. Shorten your checkout process

 
 
Some studies indicate that shopping cart abandonment is as high as 80 per cent – meaning the majority of people who put an item in the shopping cart will leave your site without ultimately buying. This means that you need to do everything you can to make it as simple as possible for customers to buy. One of the best ways to do this is to shorten the checkout process; ideally make the whole process one screen, with as few input fields as possible. 
 

7. Rid your site of carousels

 
Carousels are a negative for your conversion rate. There is evidence to suggest that just 1 per cent of users click on carousels, meaning that they take up a lot of space on your site, potentially slow down your loading, and simply are not being used.
 

8. Offer live chat

 
Give your customers the opportunity to contact you in as many ways as possible. When customers can get quick answers to questions, they are more likely to feel good about making a purchase – this can lead to a boost in conversions. One of the best options for this is to provide a live chat facility. This is more immediate than email and many customers prefer it to making a phone call. 
 

9. Don’t ignore mobile

 
We are quite used to the idea that desktop sites convert better than mobile – but this might not be the case for much longer. As mobile sites become better optimised for smaller screens, and customers become increasingly comfortable buying on mobile, we can expect to see customers converting just as well on mobile as they do on desktops.
 

10. High quality images

 
We mentioned earlier that page loading speed is vital. But also bear in mind that you shouldn’t look to compress images too much – having good quality images is important for your conversion rates.

Final thoughts

If you are looking to boost conversions on your ecommerce site, try these ten hacks. Of course be sure to A/B test any changes to make sure that these are the right moves for your website.
 

Image credit: Maxime Bourgeois