We probably don't have to tell you that
driving traffic to your online store is only half the battle, but did
you know that conversion
rates typically range from 1
to 3 percent? That means that around 97 percent
of the visitors don't actually buy anything.
If you've been keeping up with Travis
Phipps' Hitchhikers
guide to Ecommerce PPC management, then you're
already beginning to learn how optimizing your PPC (Pay Per Click)
ads can have a serious impact on sales. But what other techniques can
you put in place to improve conversion?
Take a look at these 4 actionable ways
that you can start increasing your conversion rates today...
1. Build
buyer trust
Fact: 63%
of customers are more likely to make a purchase from
a site that has product reviews
Getting someone to part with their
money can be difficult, especially if they are a new customer to your
Ecommerce store. Building buyer trust is crucial to making the
sale, and there are quite a few techniques to put in place to action
this.
The truth is, people trust people ahead
of corporations and brands, so customer reviews are quite possibly
the best sales tool you can have. According to Reevo,
50 or more product reviews can increase conversion rates by 4.6%, so
aim high and get as many as you can.
Encourage previous customers to write
reviews, offer them an incentive, or if you don't have enough budget
to do that then you can always send them an email reminder after
they've received your product.
Don't just stop at product reviews to
help build up trust. A customer is more likely to buy if you provide
them with a product guarantee, and you offer a credible returns and
exchange policy. Ensure that all information regarding your payment
terms and refund policy is clearly visible for your customers.
Ensuring that your site is verified is
another good step to take as it provides added security and
reassurance. You can buy an SSL
security certificate and once verified, your
address will change to show as https, and depending on what package
you pay for, the address bar will turn green and feature a padlock.
We also recommend that you brush up on
your service skills and respond to customers when they communicate
with you. Build a help desk on
your site so they can chat with you if they have any
questions. We'd recommend using LiveChat
as a platform to instantly talk to your customers. It provides
seamless integration on your site and they even offer a free 30-day
trial. Making sure you are quick to respond to any customer enquiry
is an important step in building up trust.
Action Points:
- Convince previous customers to
leave product reviews and feature them next to the products.
- Clearly outline your terms and
conditions with guarantee, refund and exchange information.
- Purchase an SSL certificate to
ensure added security on your site.
- Provide responsive customer
service at all times – use an instant messaging platform such as
LiveChat.
2. Optimize landing
pages to target the right customer
Fact: 44%
of clicks are directed to a home page, not a landing page
No matter what method you are using to
drive traffic, whether it's from your social, an email promotion or a
PPC ad, you need to make sure that landing page is fully optimized to
meet their needs. After all, the last thing you want to do is
increase your bounce rate and waste your marketing efforts.
Firstly,
the keywords that you use need to be targeted to bring in the right
traffic. Use
specific keywords that your customers will be searching, as this
means they are closer to the purchasing process. For example, 'Female
Nike running jacket' is highly targeted, where-as 'running clothes'
is too broad and this person is likely to continue shopping around.
In addition to featuring the product
that they are shopping for, you also need to ensure that you're
providing them with a seamless user experience. Don't clutter your
landing page with distractions such as pop-ups, as this can be a huge
turn off. Make sure you include attractive imagery to go alongside
the product, and really show them the value, by using powerful
headlines and outlining the benefits.
The final point to make when optimizing
your landing page is that you need to make sure your CTA (Call to
Action) buttons are prominent and above the fold. Remember that it's
ok to ask for the sale and that you should make it easy and obvious
for the customer to click it and lead them to the sale.
Action points:
- Choose more specific keywords to
target customers who are further down the sales funnel
- Direct traffic to the right
landing page for your promotion
- Ensure your landing page is fully
optimized, outline the benefits, use nice product photography and
powerful headlines.
- Make your CTA's prominent and
above the fold
Related reading: If you're looking for
tips on product photography then check out our cheat
sheet.
3. Simplify your
shopping cart process
Fact: 68.06%
of online shopping carts are abandoned
Now that's a frightful statistic to
read isn’t it? You spend so much effort getting people to add your
products to their shopping cart, only to find that nearly 69% of
people will just up and leave! What you need to do is look into the
reasons why, in order to get them to convert...
We think that it's mainly due to a
complex process that could be so easily simplified. People will
abandon their cart if:
- You're asking them for too many
details
- Your website crashed or ran slow
during the process
- Extra costs were added
- The price was in a foreign
currency
- There wasn’t enough payment
methods
So to tackle these points you need to
go through your shopping cart process step-by-step and find ways that
you can change it for the better. Start by making sure that your
online store is fully responsive and offers a quick load time. Don't
overcomplicate the process by making it a requirement to register in
order to buy, or by asking for too many details from the customer and if necessary, hire a solid digital ad agency to help.
Next, provide clear information at each
point so that the customer isn’t alarmed by something they didn’t
expect. For example, add thumbnail images of the product they are
buying, with clear product information and its full price in the
currency of their country. Try and use every payment method possible,
including PayPal, so you are giving the customer a wide choice.
If your customer does get to the
billing page and they realize that there is an unexpected item in
their cart, make sure you provide them with the tools so that they
can edit it. If you can afford it, offer free shipping as this will
boost the chance of a sale. If however you still have customers
abandoning their carts and you have their email address, send them a
persuasive incentive so that they come back to your online store and
make the sale.
Action points:
- Ensure you are using a fast server
and your site is responsive across every device.
- Include product photos and price
information at each stage, so there are no hidden surprises.
- Give the customer plenty of choice
by using as many payment methods as possible.
- Offer free shipping or send an
email incentive for people who have abandoned their cart.
4. Implement A/B
testing
Fact: According to Steelhouse, A/B
testing is the most common testing method for improving conversion
rates
A/B testing is the best way to find out
what is working for your site, and it can seriously help with your
conversion rates. It's important to remember that A/B testing is not
something that you should use only once. You need to be testing your
entire website constantly, so that you're providing customers with
their most favored option.
The great thing about A/B testing is
that you can test anything you like. Whether it's your CTA buttons,
the colors of your product pages, the placement of your products, or
even your copy – A/B testing gives you clear insights into what
customers respond best to.
Put a strategy in place so that you are
finding out data that can you act upon. Testing out different
promotions is ideal to get maximum sales. Say for example you are
running two promotions: '10% off with purchases over $50', or 'free
shipping with purchases over $50', by using A/B testing you can find
out the best one and use similar promotions in future.
It can also help you pinpoint the right
place to display your ads, discover how much copy you should be using
underneath your products and which headline has the most impact.
There's many A/B
testing tools out there, so make sure you use
the right one for your online store.
Action points:
- Test promotions, copy and product
pages for impactful results
- Put a clear strategy in place so
you know what you want to test
- Learn from your data and make
long-term changes
- Continuously use A/B testing so
you always know what your customers want
- Shop around for the right tools to
suit your store
Takeaway
So there you have it, 4 ways that can
help you improve your conversion rate! Optimizing your store,
providing a great user experience and testing your site are clear
takeaways to help you on the road to success. But if you are looking
for even more ways to boost conversion then check out our
ebook that offers 10
ways to drive traffic that converts shoppers into buyers!
Do you have any additional conversion
tips? Let us know in the comments below. And if you ever need help
with ecommerce software or your retail storefront selling tools, let us know.