We regularly carry out appraisals of ecommerce websites and, just as regularly, see the same issues holding back sales. There are many combined factors that affect the performance of an ecommerce website, but here are four key ones that, as the website owner, you can usually fix quite easily.

Product Images

Create a consistent style for all your products images, make sure that all photographs are large, clear and, where possible, include multiple images for each product. Your ecommerce system should help you to optimise the image sizes and formats, and you should focus on creating images to help the customer make a decision to buy. Plenty of detail shots showing specific features of the product can be a key factor in encouraging a sale.

Wording

Make sure that all product wording is clear and informative. Use multiple tabs so that customers can click through to more information and specifications if they want, and make sure that all text includes the keywords and phrases that a customer would use to search for your products; this helps with search engine optimisation. Ensure that you have plenty of supporting information pages; about your business, terms and conditions and clear delivery options and costs. Most customers will not be speaking to you, so make sure all of their questions can be answered through the pages of your website.

Product categories and search

Customers will often have searched to find your website, and the majority will want to search within your site to get to the product they are looking for. Does your site have a prominent search box and does it work effectively? Have you tried using it yourself to find out? By sorting your products into usable and logical categories you will be improving your chance of a visitor finding what they want to buy. If your ecommerce site does not have an effective or well structured search you will be losing sales.

Promotional Banners

Just as you would expect to see promotional signage within a physical store, you should make sure that your online customers have the signposting to help them find special offers and new products. Banners should be created to highlight these deals to encourage sales for the products that are high in stock or particularly profitable and popular. You should be able to manage these banners via your content management system meaning the website can be kept up to date with fresh offers each week, month or season.

One final tip; the content of your ecommerce website is never finished and needs reviewing every day to make sure you are maximising your opportunity to make sales.