How to Prepare an Online Store for Ads Launch and Increase Conversions
In this article, we will talk about how to improve an online store website in order
to prepare it for paid traffic and increase the number of orders.
Contents
Bonus: 13 more growth points for your online store that you definitely have to pay attention to
Product Pages
Product pages must meet Google’s requirements for ad’s landing page:
1) Information about a particular product should be visible on the product page (title, image, price, “Add to cart” or “Buy” button). If a card contains other product options, it should be clear to the user as well. Make these options more visible.
The product images are very important. When someone orders goods online using their laptop or mobile phone, they can not see or touch them. Therefore, consumers want to be sure of what they’re buying. Detailed product images and videos could help.
Multiple product photos, the ability to scale and even rotate 360 degrees give a potential buyer more assurance than a single image. As for the product description, it should be entrusted to a professional copywriter who can create attractive text about the product and make your client want to buy it.
Statistically, better images and more convincing descriptions can improve your online sales by 10%.
If not, drop us a message and let’s change that with our e-commerce PPC management!
2) The price of the product must be clearly visible on the product card. If a page contains several options of products with different prices, then the price of the product that the user is interested in should be highlighted.
3) Additional elements, such as pop-ups or banners with a button (an offer to subscribe to the newsletter, language selection, etc.), should not cover the main information about the product. Also, users should be able to easily close such a window.
Checkout Page
Online store conversions are significantly influenced by the checkout process. It should be as simple, understandable, and fast as possible so that a potential buyer does not have any difficulties when placing an order. With a simple and secure payment process, website conversions do increase.
To achieve this, make sure your online store’s checkout page follows these guidelines:
Universal order form. It is convenient when the same form is used for orders by organizations and orders by individuals. At the same time, the fields that must be filled in by the organization should remain optional for the individuals.
The user should be able to place an order as quickly and easily as possible. If the checkout process consists of several steps, just inform your client about it: “Step 1 of 3”, “Step 2 of 3”, etc. The number of steps should be minimal — in that case, it’s less likely that the user leaves the store before finishing the purchase.
The minimum order. If an online store has a minimum purchase amount or quantity to enable delivery, it has to be specified in the delivery settings.
Authorization. If only authorized users can place an order, make the registration and login process as simple and fast as possible. Also, some users may find it convenient to make a quick purchase without authorization. So give them this opportunity!
Payment methods. Information about available payment methods has to be displayed at the website footer and in the product cards.
Registration and payment must be secure for your online store clients. All payments, transactions and processing of the buyer’s personal data (name, address, email, etc.) must be protected by an SSL certificate, including third-party sites and services of accept payments.
Exact prices. The cost of the goods when placing and paying for the order should not differ from the price in the product card or in the ad. It can only change if a promo code or discount is applied. Taxes and fees must be included in the price. The costs associated with the processing and delivery of the order, as the fees of the delivery services, should be included in the shipping cost.
Adjust Taxes
Make sure you have set up your tax payment correctly for the country where you plan to advertise and sell. The total price of a product is made up of its value and taxes. You can specify the amount of taxes in different ways. Also, the requirements are different for different countries.
In some countries, the price of an item must include VAT. For the United States, for example, you need to include tax information in item’s feeds or Merchant Center settings. The amount of tax is allowed to overestimate, but it must not be lower than the one on the payment page.
You can read more in Google guidance.
Adjust Delivery
Delivery must also be configured correctly.
You have to indicate the cost and speed of the item’s delivery, besides adding items to the Merchant Center. User’s decision to make a purchase often depends on these parameters. Therefore, the data on cost and delivery time must be precise.
Google Help describes how to set up shipping terms.
Mobile Version
The website should load quickly on all devices, especially mobile, where users more often have limited traffic in terms of speed and volume. To check the loading speed of your site, use these services from Google:
- https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
- https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/feature/testmysite/
Using an AMP will help speed up page loading. These are web pages that are eye-catching, load instantly, and run smoothly. AMP pages are easy to customize and easy to adapt for mobile. It helps improve visitors’ interaction with the website and, as a result, increases conversions from mobile devices.
Google Policies
If you are going to promote your online store on Google Shopping, please ensure that the website product complies with the Google Shopping Ads Policy. Basically, Google allows you to advertise legitimate, original, and safe products. You could also face some restrictions on ads if your products are from the category of alcoholic beverages, adult products, or some trademarks. Therefore, before launching a website and advertising, make sure that your products will be approved.
Bonus: 13 More Growth Points for Your Online Store That You Definitely Have to Pay Attention to
1. Google Analytics
Install Google Analytics, a free analytics tool for your website. It helps you track user movements, find out which pages are the most popular, at what point potential customers lose interest and leave your site, and how quickly they make a purchase.
2. Website navigation
Easy navigation is very important. If your users can find what they want in no time, they are more likely to buy something and return to your website in the future.
3. Feedbacks
BrightLocal found in its Local Consumer Review Survey that 84% of people trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation.
Try to collect reviews and feedback from your customers and publish them on your webpage.
You may set up automatic emails upon delivery asking for feedback and reviews. Ask for them on your site, on your Google My Business list, Facebook, and other relevant sites. If you post reviews on your website, make sure they are tagged with a review outline. The markup will give you the ability to get gold stars in Google search results.
Services: TrustPilot, KiyOh, Feefo
4. Fixed or free shipping
Shipping cost is often the biggest obstacle to an online purchase, especially when it unexpectedly shows up as an additional cost towards the end of the checkout process.
You can avoid this by offering fixed or free shipping, which can be included in the cost estimates. Another working option is free shipping when an order starts from a certain quantity of goods or has to be made for a certain amount.
5. Cross-selling
Cross-selling helps you to increase ROAS. Invite customers to buy a product that complements the one they have already chosen. For example, a purse could be cross-sold to a customer purchasing shoes of the same color. Online bookstores usually promote books that customers with similar interests also bought.
In the product page, add the block “other customers also liked …” or “other customers also bought …”. Cross-selling helps users to find products they didn’t previously know, and can also increase the average order value.
6. Safety icons
One of the main concerns for online shoppers is security. Are they putting themselves at risk by entering their credit card information on your website? The best way to dispel any doubts is to display security icons such as SSL certificate — secure payment service icon, so that it is visible at every step of the checkout process.
7. Social proof
When placing an order, users feel more confident knowing that the product they chose is recommended by other customers. Displaying such social proof on your site helps to increase conversions. You can also showcase customer reviews from other resources, Facebook likes, recommendations as well as adding order statistics to the product card. Example: “98 people have already bought this product”.
8. Return Abandoned Carts
The Baymard Institute has calculated that the total cart abandonment rate is 68.06% based on 28 different studies. Some of these visitors could be returned using the following trick: show a pop-up with a discount or free shipping when a user tries to close a tab after adding an item to their cart. It should encourage them to complete the purchase.
Also, automatic email distribution with an offer to complete the order will help to return users.
Services : MailChimp, Carrotquest
9. FAQ
Provide information about return policies, payment methods, terms of service, and contact information. Contacts must contain at least two of the parameters: email, phone number or postal address.
Users always have questions. You might consider creating a separate FAQ page to answer most of them in real time. If you can resolve their issues right away, users are more likely to make a purchase.
10. Live chat or chatbot
FAQ pages are good, but live chat is even better! It enables visitors to ask specific questions and turn them from passive visitors to buyers. Live chat can help build trust in your brand. If a user gets a quick and helpful response — the positive impression is made and a purchase is more likely to be completed. Chatbots are a less costly alternative.
Services: LiveChat, Carrotquest, JivoChat
11. Design
Make sure your website is eye-catching and modern. You can learn about current design trends yourself, or you can hire an experienced designer. Another faster and cheaper option is to use website builders as a source of inspiration, or any successful solutions of popular marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, etc).
It is also important for a website to load fast and smoothly. For that, you must initially choose the right hosting. Look for a VPS or any other web hosting that provides vast web and compute resources, fantastic uptime, and excellent page loading speeds.
12. Shortage and urgency
When stock is limited, people are more likely to make purchasing decisions. Set a threshold for an item in stock and display an alert when the quantity drops below that level to say something like “there are only three left.” It’s a great way to encourage customers to buy sooner rather than later (or never). Same works with time. Display a countdown counter to show that the discounted price is only valid for a few hours or days.
13. Choose the right CMS
Choosing the right software to help you manage your online store is just as important as the content. The software should be efficient and easy to use for you and your team. Consider some constructors for online stores like Ecwid, Tilda, or full-fledged CMS.
To learn more about the best eCommerce platforms, check out our article on the best places to sell online.
You can also discover helpful insights in our article on how to prepare an online store for the holiday season.
Visit our eCommerce PPC library and find more valuable guides and our cases.
