5 Ways To Improve An E-commerce Website

by Gabriela Damaceno, Guest Contributor

An e-commerce website doesn’t depend solely on the quality of its products. It`s also about the way it is presented and the user experience. To increase the conversion rate of your e-commerce site, which on average is between 1% and 2%, you need to have a website that is easy to navigate and has compelling content. Here are 5 ways to improve an e-commerce website and convert visitors into customers.
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1. Have an eye-catching header
With the enormous amount of content on the internet, the website header plays a crucial role in grabbing the users’ attention. It is fundamental to have an eye-catching website header design to get readers’ attention and motivate them to discover more about your brand, and consequently, buy your products.

A good header is one that shows:

• A clear reason why a customer should buy from you and not from your competitors (known as your unique selling point);
• Has some convincing risk reducers, such as free shipping and warrant offers to convince potential customers;
• Has a call-to-action to lead users to sales and special offers pages.

2. Compelling product pages
A great product page, which includes photos and descriptions, is crucial to an e-commerce website. Also, it helps to reduce cart abandonment, customer frustration and returns.

The description of the product needs to be concise and clear, explaining what your product is, some specifications (like weight and size, for example) and shipping information. If the users find all the details that they are looking for, you don't give reason to leave your page.  

When we think about product pages, another essential aspect to consider is the photography. On online shopping, the user doesn't have the chance to touch or try the product. That is why the image is so important. Make sure that your photographs are engaging and reflects what your brand is about.

Concerned about the size and quality of images influence your page speed? Take a look at the topic below.

3. Page speed
After making improvements on the header and pages, it's time to take a look at the loading speed of your website. Last year, Google announced that speed would have a more noticeable effect on the ranking of mobile searches. To give you an example of how important is this factor for an e-commerce website, check out these two statistics:

• 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months;
• Sites that load in 5 seconds, compared to those that load in 19s,  see 70% longer average sessions.

It's crucial that your website loads fast on any device. To improve it, reduce the photo's size to an acceptable level, optimise your code and select a dedicated server. Are you using Wordpress? If yes, remember to take a look at your plugins and uninstall what you don't need.

4. Make it safe
Have a beautiful e-commerce website is pointless if your potential customers don't trust it. It's essential to make clear that their credit card information will be protected. You can increase your credibility following the steps below:

• Install an SSL Certificate;
• Show small images of credit cards and PayPal as a visual signal that you use some customer-trust payment options.
• Have a security service account for your website and include the badge in the footer and check out areas.

5. Use your website data
To provide a better user experience and to increase the conversion rate on your site, take some time to take a look on your website data. The most used tool for it is Google Analytics and with it you can understand how users are getting to your website and what their behaviour on that. Observe how long visitors stay on your website, where are from and if they are returning or new. This information will give you some insights about how to improve your website.

Author bio:
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Gabriela Damaceno is a journalist and producer of online content for Heat Tech, Australian company leader in industrial and commercial heat treatment services.

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