5 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips and Tricks For Your Ecommerce Website

You could have a stunning e-commerce website, but if your conversions are low, you’re not likely to earn some serious revenue.

While increasing your conversion rate is no cakewalk, there are tried and tested conversion rate optimization tactics you can leverage.

In this guide, we’ll look into five tips to help you boost your e-commerce website conversion rates and, in turn, increase your bottom line.    

Conversion Rate Optimization Tips

These are some simple tips that you can easily implement on your website and shouldn’t take too much time. But they can bring a lot of difference in the conversions.

Let us look at each one of these in detail along with a few examples where they have worked well.

Provide an on-site search option

An excellent way to increase conversions is by providing your potential customers with convenient and seamless user experiences.

Essentially, the easier it is for visitors to browse and find the products they want on your website, the higher the chances of buying.

An excellent way to ensure quick and easy shopping experiences is to provide an on-site search feature.

Below are a few tips to help you implement an e-commerce website search option effectively.

• Place your search feature in a prominent location. Ensure your search bar is easy for your visitors to see.

You can place the search bar at the top or just below the navigation menu for maximum visibility. This allows visitors to search for products, services, and others quickly.

• Offer advanced search options. Allow visitors to refine their search by including filters. You can also add predictive text the way Amazon does to help users speed up finding what they want.

• Leverage user search terms. The terms your visitors search for on your website indicates their search intent.

Use this information to optimize your website content, including blog posts, product category labels, pages, etc.

Doing so helps increase your web page’s visibility in search engine results pages. It also lets you optimize your product and other pages for on-site search.

• Use reliable Content Management Software (CMS). Simplify optimizing your web content for user search by utilizing a powerful CMS.

This allows you to create, rearrange, and design your website with minimal coding to simplify finding content on your website. 

Use product images strategically

You can do so much more with your product images than using them to represent the items you sell visually.

Product images are a great way to set your potential customers’ expectations and give them a good idea about what your product looks like.

Consider these tips to help you use your product images strategically.

• Showcase your products in multiple settings. Use product images that display your items in various backgrounds and settings.

For example, you can include a product image of the item in a display setting and another showing how it looks when used. This set of product images from Gorilla Carts is a classic example of this.

It’s an excellent way to help shoppers visualize the items better, encouraging them to click on that Buy Now button. 

• Opt for powerful ecommerce platforms. Most modern ecommerce platforms for small businesses make it easy to showcase product images. This simplifies displaying product images for better aesthetics and conversion optimization.

• Emphasize your products’ distinguishing features. If you sell similar items, highlight their specific features in your product images.

Shoppers are not likely to buy if they don’t see much of a difference among your products.

• Leverage user-generated content. Complement your product images with photos from your satisfied customers using or wearing your products. It’s a great way to engage potential buyers and build trust with them.

• Integrate this tactic with your social media strategy. Post your product images on social media with a compelling caption and a link leading to your website or product pages. This lets you reach more customers and boost your conversion opportunities.

Use compelling CTAs

Your calls-to-action (CTAs) can be powerful e-commerce website elements that help compel your potential customers into acting on your conversion goals.

To improve your CTAs’ effectiveness, make catchy and compelling CTA buttons to encourage conversions.

Here are a few tips to help you do just that.

• Use one CTA per page. Use a single CTA button for each web page (when possible) to help visitors focus on one offer at a time.

If you use more than one CTA button, create a visual hierarchy, such as showing ghost buttons as secondary CTAs. 

• Run split tests. Conduct split tests of variations of your CTA button colors, shapes, sizes, and copy. 

For example, you can test whether your potential customers respond better to “Sign up to join our webinar on summit vs. conference” or “Register today to our webinar: The difference between a summit and conference.”

• Ensure clear and specific CTAs. Avoid using vague copy in your CTAs. Your potential customers should know what they can get when they click the button.

You can also add other elements such as social proof to make your CTAs more persuasive, increasing your conversion rates.

Employ scarcity

According to psychology, the pain of losing something is twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining it.

You can use this to your advantage to motivate your potential customers into signing up or buying now, so they don’t lose out on your offer.

When applied strategically, using the scarcity principle can help improve your website’s conversion rate.

Consider these few tips for leveraging the scarcity principle on your e-commerce website.

• Display the number of items left on your product or checkout pages. This helps encourage potential customers to purchase now before you run out.

• Use a countdown timer to show promo end dates. It’s a great way to incite a sense of urgency from your visitors, motivating them to make purchasing decisions faster.

While the scarcity principle isn’t applicable at all times, using it when it makes the most sense can do wonders for your conversion rate.

Offer discounts strategically

Providing discounts is one way of encouraging purchases and conversions.

After all, most people are generally happy with buying something for less than the original price.

However, overusing discounts has its downsides. This can lead shoppers to wait for special offers before buying or not purchasing unless your items are 15% to 20% off.

The key is to play your cards right and offer discounts strategically using these tips.

• Avoid offering discounts on a whim. Ensure your discount offers help get new visitors into your sales funnel.

This allows you to leverage discounts to build relationships with your existing customers, push new platforms, and reward referrals (among others).

• Use discounts to support your other marketing efforts. For instance, you can offer exclusive discounts for people who sign up for your email newsletter. 

Be deliberate about using discounts to optimize their benefits and avoid common pitfalls. This way, you can better ensure their effectiveness and boost your conversions and sales.

Take your conversion rates to new heights

While optimizing your website conversion rates often takes some elbow grease, the time and energy you spend can be more than worth it.

Follow the tips in this guide to kickstart your conversion rate optimization efforts and help set your business up for success.