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Introduction
With more than 26 million eCommerce stores across the internet, competition can be fierce. But it’s not enough to sell great products or offer the flashiest user experience (UX): To make sure your store can attract and retain customers, you’ll need to embrace conversion rate optimization (CRO).
But what does CRO look like for Shopify stores? How can you be certain you’re improving every aspect of your UX to drive conversions and revenue?
In this guide, we’ll cover 12 highly effective Shopify CRO techniques to maximize your store's success.
1. Enhance Your Shopify Store's Visibility Through SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your Shopify store’s rankings on Google, Bing, and other major search engines. The purpose of SEO is to model your store after guidelines in a search engine’s algorithm.
Ideally, the more useful your store is to site visitors, the better your web rankings will be. SEO is a comprehensive process that involves optimizing your website for on-page and off-page ranking factors.
The most common ranking factors for Shopify stores are:
- Keyword research: Embedding popular search terms or keywords on your product pages helps search engines pair your content with people who may be interested in your products.
- On-page optimization: You’ll need to insert your primary and secondary keywords in your page’s meta descriptions, product descriptions, and title tags.
- Link-building: Getting links from other websites counts as a vote of confidence to Google. It shows them that you’re providing valuable and authoritative content. Thus, building backlinks is necessary for any Shopify store’s success.
- Content: Don’t underestimate the power of content that educates your target audience about your products. People view content all the time before buying an online product. Publishing content on your website can lead qualified leads to your store.
Optimizing your website for these essential ranking factors is key to enhancing its online visibility and attracting more site visitors. By performing a website audit, you can determine your store’s SEO performance and make necessary adjustments.
2. Organize Your Products So That They Are Easily Discoverable
Imagine this — your store’s online traffic is increasing. However, you notice that your website’s bounce rate is also increasing.
You wonder what’s wrong and then find out that people are visiting your website and leaving right away because they can’t find what they’re looking for. Successful online stores never run into this problem.
To avoid this outcome, you should organize your products so that they’re simple to find. Here are some ways to get this done:
- Use breadcrumb navigation: Breadcrumb navigation is a UX feature that makes it easier for people to know where they are on your website and how they got there.
- Create clear product categories and tags: Product categories and tags keep similar products together and different products apart. You can also add these categories and tags to your main navigation menu to cut down on excessive website scrolling.
- Add a user-friendly search feature: Add a search bar to your navigation menu so people can quickly find the products they want. Make sure this search bar has filters to refine search results.
Adjusting website navigation specifications is a different process for every online store. The good news is that you can monitor search queries to understand what your customers are looking for and make the right adjustments.
3. Use UGC Techniques To Show Products
User-generated content (UGC) is created by people who have tried your products. This kind of content is more compelling than marketing collateral because it tells your customers’ stories — which are more authentic than glossy, high-quality as produced by your marketing department.
Showing off your UGC on social media and your website can elevate your brand’s relatability. With that said, there are several ways you can encourage your customers to share UGC.
One way is by hosting monthly photo contests to continuously generate fresh UGC. You can also showcase UGC on your product pages to give potential customers a glimpse of how your product will suit them.
Showing real-world use of your products helps people visualize what they’re like and eliminates the reluctance to checkout.
4. Add Testimonials To Build Trust
There is a psychological element to using testimonials on your website. In fact, according to BrightLocal’s local consumer survey, 49% of consumers trust online customer reviews just as much as personal recommendations.
Including testimonials on your website shows how authentic your brand is. This kind of social proof can also make a difference in convincing store visitors to buy. If you want to show more testimonials on your website, be sure to rotate testimonials periodically to show a range of satisfied customers.
5. Use High-Quality Product Images or Videos
Recent research proves that high-quality images can improve conversion rates by as much as 60%.
This makes sense, especially since quality images are more likely to catch a store visitor’s attention. To help you get started, here are some best practices for product photography:
- Use a professional or smartphone camera with at least 12 megapixels.
- Always shoot from a tripod to eliminate the camera shake.
- Opt for natural light through a window.
- Try close-up shots to show off product features.
While product images are great for showcasing your products, you can also use testimonial videos. Product videos may be more compelling than images because viewers can see more of your product up close.
Gander allows online stores to create captivating shoppable videos. You can use Gander to develop high-quality product videos to encourage your shoppers to checkout. Create a Gander account today to get started.
6. Be Transparent About Pricing, Delivery Time, and Out-of-Stock Items
It can be frustrating to order an item just to find out the subtotal is drastically different from the total price. On top of that, out-of-stock items can irritate shoppers if you aren’t upfront about it before they fill their carts.
Clear communication and transparency are among the best ways to reduce cart abandonment. You can manage customer expectations by immediately clarifying out-of-stock items. Make sure to send back-in-stock emails to offer an option for customers to be notified when an item is back in stock.
You should also be upfront about delivery times so shoppers can avoid any surprises during your checkout process.
7. Have a Robust Abandoned Cart Strategy
Abandoned carts can stress out any online store owner. However, all eCommerce retailers deal with abandoned carts on a daily basis. To minimize their impact and convince shoppers to return, here are some great strategies to follow:
- Create an email retargeting campaign to recapture potential sales.
- Offer time-sensitive discounts to encourage shoppers to revisit your store.
- Remind site visitors why they left and offer your value propositions.
- Include an exit-intent popup to get last-minute conversions.
If you really want to get through to unconvinced shoppers, you can try sending personalized abandoned cart emails with product recommendations to capitalize on cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
8. Ensure the Website Is Mobile Friendly
Mobile-friendliness is one of Google’s top SEO ranking factors. This is because most people use their mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to browse the internet.
Since mobile devices have smaller screens than desktop computers, websites need to be mobile-friendly and present content specifically for mobile users. Also, mobile experiences have to be similar to desktop experiences so neither audience misses out.
The importance of mobile commerce can’t be overstated. Having a beautiful mobile-responsive design improves customer experience and Shopify conversion rate optimization. With that said, you should regularly test your website’s mobile responsiveness and speed.
In addition, regularly test your store on various mobile devices to ensure seamless navigation.
9. Use the Right CRO Tools
A CRO marketing strategy isn’t complete without investing in tools that automate much of the process. Here are some of the best CRO tools you need to incorporate into your strategy:
- Google Analytics: Google Analytics (GA4) is one of the most popular digital marketing tools in the world. You can use GA4 to uncover key insights and metrics about your store’s performance, such as identifying bounce rate, time spent on a page, and even conversions.
- Hotjar: Hotjar offers heatmaps so you can see how your audience is interacting with your web pages. This can help you make subtle yet impactful improvements and boost your conversion rate.
- Optimizely: This tool allows users to create content and run A/B tests to create a successful online store. Optimizely also has key features you can use to grow your online store, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and content-driven commerce functions.
- Instapage: Instapage is a landing page building tool. You can use Instagram to create dynamic landing pages for your store and test them to sell more products.
To get the most out of these tools, you can combine quantitative data (like analytics) with qualitative data (like user surveys) for a holistic CRO approach.
10. Use Clear CTAs
Optimizing calls to action (CTAs) is usually one of the first steps in setting up a CRO strategy. To create high-performance CTAs, you should experiment with different text variations through split testing. It’s good practice to keep CTAs action-oriented with verbs like 'Shop,' 'Discover,' or 'Learn' to encourage a desired action.
11. Simplify the Checkout Process
When it comes to eCommerce, the name of the game is convenience. A lengthy checkout process will almost always deter people from buying a product, even if they really want it.
To simplify the checkout page and remove friction, here are some important steps to follow:
- Get rid of unnecessary form fields.
- Add multiple payment gateway options.
- Integrate a one-click or guest checkout option for shoppers.
The easier it is for shoppers to checkout, the more likely they’ll return in the future.
12. Create a Rewards or Loyalty Program
Loyalty and rewards programs incentivize repeat purchases and help an eCommerce business build a fanbase. When developing a loyalty program, make sure you follow these easy tips:
- Reward a wide range of customer actions.
- Make the reward points valuable.
- Gamify your loyalty program to increase customer engagement and excitement.
A rewards program isn’t just attractive to existing customers, it’s also a compelling value proposition for new shoppers.
Let Gander Help You Improve Your Shopify Website’s CRO
Overall, CRO is the process of fine-tuning your Shopify store to sell more products, increase conversions, and drive revenue. Embracing CRO can also help your store level the playing field against your fiercest competitors.
If you’re ready to implement a CRO strategy for your store, the good news is that Gander is here to help. With Gander, you can create enticing shoppable videos to showcase your products.
To get started, sign up for free and try Gander for yourself.