10 tips for conversion optimization of your online shop
10 tips for conversion optimization of your online shop
How do I sustainably generate more sales with my online shop? There is hardly any general answer to this question. In this article, however, we will show you various methods of converting more site visitors into customers in just a few steps. Conversion optimization has a huge impact on the success of your online shop.
The term conversion optimization or conversion rate optimization (CRO for short) describes all online marketing measures that aim to increase the conversion rate.
The conversion rate expresses how many users of a website decide to take a specific action. In the case of an online eCommerce shop, the completed purchases are usually set as conversions. But other actions by website visitors, for example signing up for the newsletter or downloading a file, can be designated as conversions. So it always depends on the goal of the website and with online shops that are clearly the achievement of certain sales targets.
Conversion rate optimization affects both SEO and SEM work and relates to many different aspects of a website. As part of conversion optimization measures, the entire sales process and the many mechanisms that can lead to conversion are precisely analyzed. Appropriate measures are then derived. These should then always be tested, for example using so-called A / B tests. This typically involves creating two versions of a single page to see which one works better.
The main goal of conversion optimization is to generate more sales. It is not enough to create an online shop once in order to be successful in the long term. An outdated design, for example, quickly ensures that potential buyers decide on a different shop. To ensure that your web store remains appealing to your target group in the long term, you should strive for holistic and continuous shop optimization.
Basically, conversion optimization optimizes the functionality of a website. Because: It shows why and how users move around your website. If your online shop is designed to be user-friendly, visitors will make a purchase faster.
Increasing the conversion rate is a complex process that extends to different levels of the website. In the following, we will show you a few ways in which you can optimize your online shop in just a few steps.
Trust and credibility are very important buying factors in e-commerce. Often new users do not yet know your online shop. So you do not know whether this is a serious and reliable shop. Various measures are suitable for building trust among website visitors.
For example, you can show customer ratings in the shop, including seals of certificates or an FAQ on your website, and offer a hotline for personal advice. Photos of employees or a video about your company are also trust-building and personal.
Transparency is another important property for your webshop. This should be given throughout the entire buying process. If customers have all the necessary information about delivery costs, delivery time, payment methods, and returns management, for example, before making a purchase, this makes the purchase more likely.
You should therefore inform your website visitors precisely about these points. The more transparency you offer your users, the higher your conversion rate.
The product detail page should convince the user of the product. Purchase decisions are often made here. It is therefore important that the product detail page does not cause any doubts about the product or smooth delivery to the website visitor.
A meaningful heading and an understandable product description with all relevant information are therefore of great importance. On the product side, all the essential questions that potential buyers might ask themselves should be answered: Is the product still available? How much does the item cost? Are there different product variants?
In addition, the added value and advantages of the article should come to the fore on the sales-relevant pages. The purchase decision can be strongly influenced by detailed content.
Product images and videos visually support the product description. No matter how detailed a description is, customers need pictures and videos to better assess visual properties such as color, shape, and texture. Professionally implemented, high-quality images also increase the mood to buy, so that the conversion rate also increases.
In online shops with a large assortment, it is also important to make navigation easier for the user. An optimized website lets shop visitors intuitively click through the various pages. Users should be able to see a clear and comprehensible structure at first glance.
With clear category pages and intuitive main navigation, users can, for example, find the products they are looking for more quickly. A search function in shops is also very popular. This should be clearly visible above the main navigation. In addition, an extensive filter function is also available for a large range. With filters (size, material, color, brand), users can reduce the number of items displayed in the product category to a minimum and find the product they want more quickly. Since the filtered products are highly relevant for shop visitors, conversion, in this case, is very likely.
In order to reduce the shopping cart abandonment rate, you need to simplify the ordering process for your customers. This should be done in as few steps as possible. The purchase decision has already been made during the checkout process. By optimizing the checkout, you can make shopping easier for users and give them a feeling of security.
In general, buyers shouldn't be distracted inside the checkout. So-called "tunneling" has proven itself here. This means that the checkout takes place on a visually reduced page that only contains the most important information (shop logo, link to the imprint).
Many shops also rely on a so-called on-page checkout. Customers can see all the information about the checkout on just one page. This also speeds up the process of making a purchase and can therefore improve the conversion rate. Alternatively, a comprehensive progress display for the checkout route can be added so that the user has an overview of the ordering process.
Conversion optimization also includes many other technical factors. So the usability of your online shop is the key to success. Because web users only decide within a few seconds whether to stay on the website or to find out more and buy elsewhere on the net - that is, from your competitor.
Overall, the usability of a website can be improved in a variety of ways. For example, improvements in web design or structural adjustments can lead to better user-friendliness. In any case, you should also consider mobile device friendliness. Many users now complete their purchases on the go with their smartphones or tablet. Responsive website design for mobile devices is therefore essential for the success of online shops.
You should also check the loading time of your webshop regularly. A slow loading time is one of the main reasons why users leave online shops without completing a purchase. If customers navigate your shop, the loading time should be less than three seconds (especially in the checkout process).
With purchase incentives, you can increase the conversion rate in your webshop even further. For example, you can work with product recommendations. Give the user meaningful recommendations and recommend similar products, for example, if this is on a product detail page or if an item has been added to the shopping cart. With this strategy, you can recommend suitable articles (cross-selling) or higher-value articles (upselling).
Incentives are also a suitable means of optimizing the conversion rate. This means, for example, vouchers and promotions. It has been shown that a 10 percent discount or voucher code for free shipping can encourage website visitors to buy. This not only increases the average order value but also increases the conversion because buyers get the feeling that they are paying a good price.
Call-To-Actions (CTA) is often underestimated. They offer enormous potential for optimization. Even small changes in terms of color, choice of words, and positioning can make a decision about the purchase.
CTAs are short calls to action (such as “discover more” or “buy now”) that give customers another impulse to buy and lead them to the next step in the buying process. Therefore, these short calls to action should be convincing - both in terms of content and design. This is the only way to successfully guide shop visitors from the product page to the beginning of the ordering process, to enter the data, and finally to the purchase.
In e-commerce, it is difficult to bind users to your own online shop and your own brand. Build a personal relationship with your customers - this is an important part of optimizing the conversion rate. The basis for this lies in personalized customer communication.
This includes, for example, addressing the user personally in the customer account or with e-mails. A personalized approach in every step of the purchasing process has a positive effect on the user experience and thus also on the conversion rate.
With the help of various analysis tools, you can determine key figures such as the abandonment rate or length of stay and thus obtain important data on visitor behavior. These can be relevant tips for conversion optimization.
In order to continuously improve your online shop, it is also highly recommended to integrate evaluation functions for the individual products. On the one hand, this serves as a trust-building element for users when other users have already rated an article positively. On the other hand, you can often derive measures for a CRO from negative reviews. It can also be useful to obtain surveys that allow an evaluation of user behavior.
Conversion optimization is essential for the success of every online shop and should always play a special role in the online marketing strategy. So that your web store remains appealing to your target group in the long term, you should strive for holistic and, above all, continuous shop optimization.
With a user-friendly online shop, you not only achieve a longer stay and more sales but also send positive signals to search engines, which in turn benefit the rankings. The loading time of your webshop is also an important factor for both users and search engines and has been proven to be a driver of the conversion rate.
Feel free to contact us now if you want us to support you with the conversion optimization of your online shop! Our team has already successfully set up a number of online shops.
