19 Tips for E-Commerce Optimization
Have you opened an e-commerce store but you are not receiving the results you would like? Before shutting it down or changing all of the inventory you worked hard to find, take a step back. Have you taken the time to optimize your store website? E-Commerce sites are no different than blogs or other websites- they must all be optimized to show up close to the top in search results. If you are unsure of how to do this, the following 19 steps can help. An important note: as you move through your e-commerce optimization process, consider how you view those pages on websites.
Fun SEO Friendly Product Titles and Descriptions
Which sounds better to you: 1.) “A brown stuffed bear”, or 2.) “Meet Teddy- your child’s fluffy, cuddly best friend!”? The plain one likely would not get clicked on often. The excited, descriptive one has a better chance, even though it is silly. That, however, is part of the point: people will pay attention and be curious about silly or oddly named items. Those features make the item seem fun. Revamp your product titles and descriptions to be more fun, colorful, and SEO friendly.
Product Images
How many clear, high-resolution photos do you have of your products? Customers want a very clear idea of the product they are buying, and the more pictures, the better. Have pictures of different sections or different angles. Provide pictures with models if possible so they have an even clearer idea. And consider video of how the product looks, feels, or works if it is possible.
Clear CTA and Visible Button
If you want a customer to complete an action, you should always be clear about what that action is. Be sure to include a clear call-to-action, i.e. “Buy Now”, on a very visible button.
Optimize for Mobile
Did you know that if your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, over 40% of mobile users will exit? Additionally, if your site does not adapt to mobile devices, around 100% will leave. This is understandable, as they cannot view your site. Optimize for mobile devices, mobile search, and add mobile opt-ins.
Speed Up Your Site
In a world of instant gratification, slow sites will fall behind. If your site takes too long to load, customers will leave your page. How long do you wait for a page to load before exiting and finding a different source? Speed up your site as much as possible.
Personalize and Automate
Personalization has become extremely important to consumers. And why would it not? They do not want to spend time on irrelevant content. Set up personalized automation processes so your customers see only relevant content according to their behavior on your site.
Keep Product Pages Simple
Do not overload your pages with a ton of information on multiple products. Your customers will become over stimulated and shut down. Keep it simple. You may choose to show multiple products, but keep the information on pages like this simple. They can always click on the product to learn more if you set it up that way.
Make Live Chat Available
Have live chat available if your customers have any questions. Unless you have a 24-hour staff, you should keep the live chat open for a certain amount of time each day. Be sure to show those hours clearly so your customers will not be waiting on you to answer them during your off time.
Offer Discounts and Have Flash Sales
Imagine that a product you want is suddenly available for 30% off, but only for the next 12 hours. And there is a limited amount of stock available. What would you do? The average customer behavior is to hurry up and check out before you miss your shot. In fact, it is so common that it has its own acronym- FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out. No one wants to miss out on a good deal. When you offer discounts, special deals, and flash sales, you should see your sales soar.
Offer Free Shipping
Isn’t it crazy that we have no problem adding $500 of products or more to our online cart with no problem, but that $5 or $10 shipping charge will change our minds? As often as possible, offer free shipping to your customers. Maybe you cannot afford to do this with every order. However, take a lesson from many online stores and offer free shipping when they spend a set amount.
Show Customer Reviews
Word of mouth is one of the best types of advertisement. That is why customer reviews are so powerful. We believe those to be honest, and will make decisions based on them.
Upsell- Then Downsell
Always attempt to upsell so you can add extra sales to the order. While this is effective, it does not always work. For those who turn down your upsell, offer a downsell. For instance, if your customer orders a pair of jeans, you might try to offer a beautiful pair of boots that have a hefty price tag. And for those that say no to the upsell, you then offer a cheaper blouse or belt that will go great with the jeans. These can be very effective methods. In fact, relevant recommendations produce around 30% of eCommerce revenue.
Offer a Guest Checkout Option
Many people do not want to give up their personal information. If they must do so to make a purchase, they will just look elsewhere. Add a guest check out option to eliminate that objection.
Collect Emails for Email Marketing Campaign
Even with the guest check out, you can ask for their email address so you can send them their receipts and shipping information. Later, you can use your email list to announce the discounts and flash sales we spoke of earlier.
Keep All Forms Short
If you have 100 sections to fill out on a form, you will lose customers. Okay, 100 is an exaggerated amount, but you get the point. Keep your forms short and to the point.
Accept Multiple Payment Types
Not everyone has a major credit card. As hard as it may be to believe, some people do not have a PayPal account, either. The more payments you can accept, the more sales you will make.
Secure Your Page
It is well known that there are hackers and those just waiting to steal your identity. As much as you want to protect your information, your customers want to protect theirs. Be sure that your page is secure so your customers feel safe enough to enter their information.
Have a Single Checkout Page with No Distractions
The last thing you want is for a customer to make it through the entire rest of the checkout process only to get distracted or frustrated. Keep your checkout page free of ads, navigation bars, or anything else that might catch their attention. And keep the checkout forms down to one page.
If They Leave Without Purchasing, Collect Feedback
Set up a pop up that shows when the customer is heading to the exit button. Say something like, “We’re sorry to see you go! Tell us how we could have made this a more pleasurable experience for you.” Then, use that feedback to further improve your site.
Conclusion
If you have an E-Commerce site or are looking to start one soon, it is important to optimize each section as much as possible. The more your site is optimized and SEO friendly, the more likely you will be found through organic search results, and the higher your sales should be. These 19 tips for e-Commerce optimization will give you a great path to follow. If there is an area you are struggling with, market and competitor research can help clear the confusion and encourage creative ideas.