Whether you are running an eCommerce business or have an online store as just one part of your strategy, your website can be an excellent source of profits. But a few sales is not enough - you need to accelerate your website sales to see real results and see them quickly. There are many different tactics for this, and not all of them will work equally well for all businesses. But with a few practical solutions and actionable tips, you can boost your online sales quickly and effectively.
Why is it important to accelerate your website sales?
Few things have revolutionized business quite so drastically as the internet. Since its inception, it has only grown in influence, and odds are that it will continue to do so. We do more and more things online. And shopping is no exception. There are no two ways about it - online shopping is the future. So if you are in the business of selling things through a website, you've chosen the right industry. But you are far from the only one. Competition will be fierce. To stay in business, you'll always need to sell more tomorrow than you did yesterday. Improving sales will lead to increased profits which will lead to success. And that is why you should invest in conversion optimization - developing a strategy for turning more visitors into customers.
Simple steps you can take today to accelerate your website sales
The process of increasing online sales is not a straightforward one. You'll likely need to test out multiple tactics to see what combination works best for your business. Here are some of the best things you should try:
Simplify your web design
Believe it or not, what your website looks like can make a huge difference in whether you make a sale or not. This is because your website is often the first impression you make on a potential customer. You don't get a second chance at that, so don't waste it: pick a modern design that is not too cluttered and won't overwhelm visitors. Stick to minimalism with a simple color palette and a few compelling images. Not only will this appeal to a broad audience, but it will also lower your page loading times.
Simplify your website navigation
Appearance is only one side of the coin; to optimize conversions, you'll also need functionality. Your users need to be able to easily browse, filter, and find your products. For this reason, you need to make your website easy to navigate by using a flat structure, submenus, crumbs, and sitemaps. Many eCommerce websites struggle with this because of the sheer number of products they have. So plan your website structure in advance to avoid problems down the line.
Be clear, concise, and consistent in your messaging
What do potential customers need to know about your product? If you can't answer this question in three sentences or less, you'll struggle to make sales. People don't have the time or the patience to read thousands upon thousands of words about the benefits of your product. Instead, you want to give all the necessary information in a few precise, to-the-point, and convincing bullet points. Repeat the same messaging on your website and in your marketing across other channels for maximum effect.
Incorporate upselling
Don't stop at just one sale - make two at the same time by upselling. Find out which of your products are frequently bought together or simply suggest products you personally feel are compatible. You can even use CRM to personalize your approach and advertise specific products to individual customers based on their previous purchase history. If people are already ready and willing to buy one product, convincing them to spend a few extra dollars won't be so hard.
Publish high-quality, high-value content to increase your visibility
Having the best products in the world listed on the best website in the world won't matter if people can't find your business online. So work on your visibility by creating optimized content that will get you on the first page of Google results. This will drastically increase your traffic and thus provide you with more opportunities to convert people. So hire an SEO expert and start improving your content today.
Collect contact information from your visitors
Conversion rarely happens at first contact. Instead, you need to work on pushing leads through the sales funnel gradually. To do that, you need to stay in touch with them. So ask for their email addresses by creating forms or popups on your website. You can then send them newsletters to keep your business fresh in their minds or even have a sales representative contact individual leads if they're deemed important. But remember not to be too pushy - you don't want to spam potential customers so much they become frustrated. Instead, rely on the critical qualities of your team members: with good communication and interpersonal skills, a sales team can convert leads with just a few well-timed and well-formulated emails or phone calls.
Display reviews and ratings prominently
Before making a purchase, most people look up reviews of the product online. They'll always trust other customers' experiences more than your marketing. So make those experiences a part of your marketing instead of seeing them as something separate. Create a review page on your website, use the Google review widget to show off your Google ratings, and incorporate reviews into your homepage. Instead of trying to convince people to buy your products yourself, let satisfied customers do it for you.
Test your strategy to accelerate your website sales by collecting the right information
The only way to know whether you've managed to accelerate your website sales is by tracking your progress over time. One obvious statistic you'll want to check regularly is the profits you've made. But it's not the only thing you'll need to keep an eye on. So keep track of the number of generated leads, the conversion rate, the bounce rate, and the exit rates of different pages. If you're not generating enough leads, you'll need to invest more in marketing and branding. On the other hand, if your conversion rates are low, you'll need to figure out at which point in the sales funnel your leads drop off. That's where the bounce and exit rates can be useful - they'll help you figure out what it is about your website that puts people off. Using these statistics, you can focus on fixing problem areas and improve your conversion optimization.
