{"id":11673,"date":"2020-02-20T09:22:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T09:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/?p=11673"},"modified":"2023-03-17T12:46:44","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T12:46:44","slug":"basics-of-conversion-rate-optimization-for-ecommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/basics-of-conversion-rate-optimization-for-ecommerce","title":{"rendered":"Basics of Conversion Rate Optimization for eCommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate (http:\/\/www.seodesignsolutions.com\/wordpress-seo\/) - Code Inserter module -->\n<!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->\r\n<noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/ns.html?id=GTM-5DTCW7B8\"\r\nheight=\"0\" width=\"0\" style=\"display:none;visibility:hidden\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\r\n<!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate -->\n\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 6<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<p>You\u2019ve been told that once you increase traffic to your eCommerce store, your revenue will increase. So you get some good quality traffic, and you wait. You wait for the money to start rolling in. But harsh reality hits you like a ton of bricks. The increase in ad spend hasn\u2019t translated to a corresponding increase in revenue. So now, you\u2019re left wondering why. Why aren\u2019t your visitors converting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s what this blog post will explore. We\u2019ll explore the basics of conversion optimization (CRO) for eCommerce. You\u2019ll learn how to find the causes of low conversions and how to eliminate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve got a lot to cover. So let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What You\u2019re Optimizing For<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many<a href=\"https:\/\/convertica.org\/ecommerce-conversion-optimization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\"> business owners we\u2019ve dealt with at Convertica<\/a> are often only concerned about increasing conversion rates.&nbsp; But here\u2019s what I say. Don\u2019t get too hung up on the numbers. What you really do with CRO is to optimize web pages to match the visitors\u2019 state of awareness. You\u2019re trying to understand a little bit more about them. You\u2019re gathering information to find out what they like. Because when you know them that intimately, it becomes easier to get them to take the action you want them to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you switch your mindset to this, you start your CRO campaigns on good footing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So Where Do You Start?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by knowing more about the people who visit your site. You can do this with a site audit. This is when you survey the current landscape so you can plan your course of action. Here\u2019s how to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First, analyze the behavior of your visitors using a heatmap.<\/strong> Look at what they do as soon as they land on a page. A heatmap provides a graphical representation of your visitors\u2019 behavior. This helps you decide which elements to optimize first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Do they keep scrolling up or down? Maybe there are important details they want to know but they can\u2019t find it on the page.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><li>Do they click links that are not links? Maybe you should consider making that a link?<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/li><li>Do they click the product image a lot? Maybe they need a bigger image to get a better idea of what the product looks like. Does the page have it?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/8GPAIvGnSew_lAG2qsPvpboOg1B9-NG59rYi_ZX2iS9G3dPp8caRuuf83fMrafunUx39xe4QpkIEgvSqLBoDNibmd-hZfrYVrf7Xwac0xwnXGPLQkQdyuGwPpeNvm7bTrGDdjeoX\" alt=\"Basics of Conversion Rate Optimization for eCommerce | MageWorx Blog\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optimizely.com\/optimization-glossary\/heatmap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Secondly, go to your site analytics and get even more data on your visitors. <\/strong>A good analytics tool will tell you what your overall site conversion rate is. But don\u2019t stop there. Find conversion rates down to the device level or the demographic level. You might notice, for example, that your mobile visitors don\u2019t convert as well as your desktop visitors. That\u2019s low hanging fruit right there. Make conversions better for mobile, and your revenue increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Basics of eCommerce CRO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know more about your visitors, it\u2019s time to optimize your site. But which pages do you optimize? Obviously, you can work on any page. But if you want quick wins, first work on the top 5-10 pages that have the most traffic or give the most revenue. These pages usually make the most impact on your bottom-line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On an eCommerce store, these are usually the product pages. Other pages that you can also optimize later on are the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Homepage<\/li><li>Category pages<\/li><li>About Us page<\/li><li>FAQ page<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Practices to Optimize an eCommerce Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve never done conversion optimization before, start with best practices. These serve as the baseline to see how your audience responds. And then from these, you can refine and improve CRO campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Optimize the design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll probably agree with me when I say that in an eCommerce site with lots of products, it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed. Overwhelm is your conversion rate\u2019s enemy. So ensure that your site\u2019s design follows basic UX standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you want to do is to make it easy for your visitors to find what they want. See. You might think that your visitors experience your site in a logical manner the way you do. But in reality, that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/nGYs_vwd5tmVoAdbktlKmMzOjfHgmSQhpbuzEjlMbZDMoPUMIobszw3cpjqfoP8-fA29b8ZZHqjKB8i0FD3z2dDsSstRHgFJDjHC1vdQJHr6In9rWAL-9X_4HEz1eGW0GtPKXiSt\" alt=\"Basics of Conversion Rate Optimization for eCommerce | MageWorx Blog\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@jpolldesign\/dont-make-me-think-by-steve-krug-and-what-i-learnt-e0ce1624b9f5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Source&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when you design your site, bear in mind this level of freedom that visitors have as they experience your website. Make it easy for them to find what they\u2019re looking for. Here\u2019s an infographic that will help you get started.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/wYC8570vyQf5gBpXqAt4UCgSLQTm-B-P4CZuiXwZSAkhoNTJt-qwmMjgIrZRIGQGT3lSphaDBa0X5N3i8m00r0HkMdSlEEoYqDdRmNm50Orpt7PQoESjRv3LbJlHIr0Ach3q6mdA\" alt=\"Basics of Conversion Rate Optimization for eCommerce | MageWorx Blog\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usertesting.com\/blog\/7-brilliant-ux-infographics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have a comprehensible navigation menu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine going into a supermarket, and all the items are in one big heap. To get what you want, you\u2019ll have to go through all the items to find that tin of tuna you came to buy. That would be a nightmare, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why supermarket items are neatly arranged, each aisle with a category of its own. Online, that\u2019s the job of the navigation buttons. They&#8217;re that important. If they\u2019re not doing their job, visitors will leave out of confusion. So don\u2019t make navigation as an afterthought. Think of it as a guide to help your visitors walk around your site with the confidence that they\u2019re going to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make sure the search function works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How many times have you gone to a website, used the search bar to look for a specific product only to find that they don\u2019t carry it? Here\u2019s the truth. They likely do. It\u2019s just that their search function is terrible and doesn\u2019t work well,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashingmagazine.com\/2014\/08\/the-current-state-of-e-commerce-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\"> as this Baymard study shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The thing is most visitors who land on your site using your search engine. If the engine doesn\u2019t work well, customers leave. So here\u2019s what you do. Get your team to find all the conceivable combinations, words, or phrases that people use to find popular products on your site.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/magento-2-search-autocomplete-free.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/magento-2-search-autocomplete-free.html\"> Then, get a robust search engine<\/a> that works to include these different combinations into the search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Optimize the product description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you go to your local store to buy an item, you can touch it. Your eCommerce store doesn\u2019t have this luxury and that\u2019s its big disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why you should spend a lot of time on your product description. It\u2019s the element on your page that sells your product. It stimulates the visitor&#8217;s imagination in place of the real-world experience of being in a store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the product description fails, a purchaser ends up with a lot of unanswered questions. When this happens, he&#8217;ll most likely leave and go somewhere else. So spend time writing your copy. Think about the person who\u2019s buying the product. Think about all the questions he has in his head as he scans the webpage. Then, answer all of these in your product description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make use of testimonials<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s surprising how many eCommerce stores do not have<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/magento2-product-reviews-and-ratings.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/magento2-product-reviews-and-ratings.html\"> customer reviews or testimonials<\/a> on many of their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look. A customer review may not be the first thing that people look at when they\u2019re deciding which item to buy. But when they\u2019re close to clicking that buy button, they will search out reviews. These are warm customers, and all they need is confirmation that they\u2019re doing the right thing. So go out of your way to get those reviews. Don\u2019t wait for customers to leave a review of their own volition. Instead, go and actively ask for it.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/why-reviews-are-important\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14039 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Why-are-Reviews-Important-for-Your-eCommerce-Store_.png\" alt=\"why reviews are important\" width=\"690\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Why-are-Reviews-Important-for-Your-eCommerce-Store_.png 690w, https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Why-are-Reviews-Important-for-Your-eCommerce-Store_-600x165.png 600w, https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Why-are-Reviews-Important-for-Your-eCommerce-Store_-250x69.png 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Optimize the CTA button<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the very start of your CRO tests, you might find yourself optimizing the CTA button first. It\u2019s low-hanging fruit. People who get to this part of your product page are already on the verge of buying. All that\u2019s left is to make it easy for them to buy. And yet, many eCommerce sites I\u2019ve seen put up so many barriers to this action, it stops people from clicking the add to cart button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many blog posts may tell you that all you have to do is change CTA button colors, and your conversions go up. It doesn\u2019t work that way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of the CTA button as a point of tension for your customers. They\u2019re about to give you their credit card number. And this can cause a lot of anxiety in your customers. So help them through this so they\u2019ll take the plunge and buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Make it clear that it\u2019s a CTA button<\/strong>. This usually means having a color that stands out from the rest of the page.<\/li><li><strong>Test the copy and see which one works best. <\/strong>Here are some common button texts: Add to Cart. Shop Now. Add to Bag. Buy Now. I want this.<\/li><li><strong>Optimize the area around it. <\/strong>Don\u2019t just focus on the button. Make sure that near the button is more information to assure a buyer that he&#8217;s doing the right thing. Some &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ways you can do this are:<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Have a short customer testimonial within view.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Reiterate your guarantee.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Add trust signals like security badges<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Offer FREE shipping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can offer free shipping, then do it. You\u2019ll be surprised how much more likely people are to buy when shipping is free. If you can&#8217;t do that, then make shipping costs clear before they click buy. Being upfront about shipping fee right from the start is good practice. If you aren\u2019t, a visitor may add the item to the cart, but when the shipping fee is more than they expect, they abandon the cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Take advantage of \u201creal\u201d scarcity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I feel I have to emphasize \u201creal\u201d here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t just use scarcity to play with the psychology of your visitors. Internet buyers are savvy. If they find that you\u2019ve tricked them, they\u2019ll either call-you-out on social media, or they&#8217;ll never buy from you again. Both things are detrimental to your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that said, know that scarcity is a very powerful tool in eCommerce. If there are only two products left, make sure you show that clearly on the page. If you\u2019re having a sale and it ends in 5 hours, don\u2019t be shy about telling your visitors that from the get-go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So that\u2019s it! You\u2019ve learned a lot. You\u2019ve come to understand exactly what you\u2019re optimizing for when you do CRO campaigns. You\u2019ve also learned which pages to work on first. And lastly, you\u2019ve found ways for you to improve your eCommerce store to make it to a better conversion rate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now the hard work begins. It\u2019s time to make these changes on your site. So finally, your revenue will increase even with the same traffic.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Kurt Philip<\/em> is the founder and CEO of <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/convertica.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Convertica<\/a>, a done-for-you conversion rate optimization agency.&nbsp; You can get the Convertica team to audit your site for free. Visit convertica.org for details.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 6<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>You\u2019ve been told that once you increase traffic to your eCommerce store, your revenue will increase. So you get some good quality traffic, and you wait. You wait for the money to start rolling in. But harsh reality hits you like a ton of bricks. The increase in ad spend hasn\u2019t translated to a corresponding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":11674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[428,291],"tags":[463],"class_list":{"0":"post-11673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ecommerce","8":"category-e-marketing","9":"tag-conversion-rate"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11673"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16604,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11673\/revisions\/16604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mageworx.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}