Jasu
The challenge of a poorly optimised online shop
An e-commerce site that is not properly optimised can be a huge source of frustration for its owners. Sales don’t flow, visitors leave too soon and the metrics don’t improve.
As a result, it can lead to a significant loss of revenue.
That is why we have put together this short guide, which will help you solve these problems and get the most out of your online shop.
Common problems of an unoptimised e-commerce site
Lack of visibility in search engines
Not appearing in the top search results greatly reduces the amount of traffic that reaches your shop. Keywords play a key role in visibility.
Without a proper SEO strategy, your online shop won’t stand out from the competition and will go unnoticed by your potential customers.
It is advisable to use the services of an SEO consultant to help you.
Slow loading times that drive users away
Users expect your shop to load quickly. If a page takes more than a few seconds to load, they are likely to leave the site.
This not only affects the experience, it also has a negative impact on your ranking in Google, which prioritises loading speed.
Low conversion rate and basket abandonment
Having lots of visitors is useless if they don’t become customers. A poor experience can cause users to abandon their basket.
This problem often arises from complicated checkout processes, a lack of trust or navigation issues in the shop.
Poor user experience on mobile devices
It is increasingly common for users to shop from their phones. If your shop is not well optimised for mobile devices, you will lose a large part of your audience.
A responsive design, with fast loading times and a good product layout, is essential to win over mobile shoppers.
Why it matters to tackle these problems on your website
Optimising your online shop is essential to ensure its sustainability. Otherwise, you will be letting both revenue and opportunities slip away in a competitive market.
Solving these problems will allow you not only to improve your immediate results but also to build a solid foundation for your business in the long term.
Lost revenue and opportunities
When your e-commerce site doesn’t perform as it should, you are indirectly losing revenue. Traffic that doesn’t turn into sales is a missed opportunity, and factors such as slow loading or poor SEO make it worse.
Make sure you identify the areas where traffic and conversions are being lost so you can make sound decisions that improve these indicators.
Being unable to compete with optimised shops
If your competitors rank better in search engines, with a faster and better adapted shop, it will be difficult to hold on to your market share.
Optimisation is key to standing out and increasing sales in saturated markets where the differences are small. Optimised shops attract more customers and retain them better.
Impact on consumer trust
Slow pages create instant distrust
A slow site doesn’t just cause frustration, it also erodes users’ trust. If a shop is slow to respond, it can look unprofessional.
Improving speed creates a better perception of reliability in the customer’s mind.
An inaccessible shop means lost customers
If your e-commerce site is not accessible, both in terms of speed and mobile design, you will be losing a significant share of potential customers.
This will affect not only your revenue but also your reputation, as an inaccessible shop can be seen as outdated.
The definitive guide to optimising your online shop and ensuring its success
Below we set out a series of key recommendations for optimising your e-commerce site. These steps will help you generate more sales and improve the user experience.
Optimisation is not a one-off, instant process. You need to keep improving continuously to stay competitive.
SEO optimisation: increase your visibility
Optimise keywords and look for the best opportunities
Include the most relevant keywords for the product or service you offer. Reviewing the competition and using keyword research tools can open up great opportunities to increase your organic traffic.
- Use tools such as Google Trends to discover popular terms.
- Work keywords naturally into descriptions, titles and meta tags.
SEO analysis: practical solutions for improvement
Carry out a thorough analysis of your shop’s rankings using tools such as Google Search Console or Ahrefs. Find possible indexing errors and ways to improve the meta descriptions.
An SEO audit can improve the accessibility of important product pages and strengthen your relevance in search engines.
Making efficient use of rich results
Implement structured data such as rich snippets to show reviews, prices and availability directly in the search results. This increases the click-through rate and gives you more visibility.
Google favours pages that display this type of result, increasing your chances of being featured prominently.
Optimise your product pages to maximise sales
Improve your product images: speed and visual appeal
Use high-quality images and optimise their size so that they load quickly. Tools such as TinyPNG or Compressor.io can be useful.
- Set the right resolution for each device.
- Make sure the images show the product exactly as it is.
Descriptions optimised for SEO and persuasion
Product descriptions should be clear, appealing and optimised for SEO, working the keywords in smoothly. Strike a balance between relevant information and persuasion.
Include short sentences and calls to action to encourage the purchase.
Offer clear prices, reviews and related products
Showing prices simply and making them stand out avoids confusion. Don’t forget to enable the option to show related products too, increasing the chances of the customer adding more items to their basket.
Customer reviews help build trust and can influence the purchase decision.
Add powerful calls to action
CTA (Call to Action) buttons should be clear and visible. Well-placed phrases such as «Buy now» or «Add to basket» make conversion easier.
If your CTAs are not effective, users may leave without making a purchase.
Improve your shop’s performance on all devices
Speed up your online shop’s loading time
Use a CDN, minify CSS and JavaScript files and reduce the size of your images. All of this will help your pages load faster, which is essential for lowering the bounce rate.
- Rely on tools such as Google Lighthouse to measure how fast your shop is.
Optimisation for mobile devices
A responsive theme will help your shop work well on devices of different sizes. Make sure the buttons are large and easy to tap, and that the checkout process isn’t a struggle on small screens.
Use Google Analytics to make better decisions
Google Analytics lets you track your shop’s performance in detail. You will be able to monitor visits, conversion rate, traffic from different sources and user behaviour on the site.
Use this data to adjust your strategies and keep improving your optimisation.
Monitor key KPIs to measure your success
Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your online shop. Some examples are:
- Basket abandonment rate.
- Conversion rate.
- Time spent on product pages.
Turn visitors into customers with these conversion strategies
Good traffic is worthless if you don’t turn visits into sales. Adopting good practices to improve your conversion rate is the next step to increasing your revenue.
These tips will help you get more visitors to end up buying in your shop.
Why improving your conversion rate matters
Optimising your conversion rate is the only way to get the most out of your traffic. By making small improvements to your conversion ratios, you will achieve a significant increase in sales with the same volume of visitors.
- Identify which part of the sales funnel you need to improve.
- Run A/B tests to assess what works best.
Simplify the checkout process to make more sales
Make sure the checkout flow is intuitive and quick
Removing unnecessary steps and making things easy for the user at checkout is essential to prevent abandonment. The fewer clicks it takes to complete the purchase, the more likely the user is to do so.
A guest checkout option can also reduce barriers in the process.
Optimising the shopping basket to reduce abandonment
Don’t let users lose sight of their basket. Place it somewhere visible and make sure it is always accessible. If possible, add manual or automatic reminders.
Offering free shipping or discounts before the user reaches the payment button can be an extra incentive that helps them complete the process.
Make the most of key tools to boost your online shop
Having the right tools will make managing your e-commerce site easier. Below we show you some platforms and resources that will raise your shop’s performance.
Implementing them will allow you to automate processes and respond more quickly to changes and trends in the market.
Use Google Trends to keep up with trends
With this tool, you will be able to spot search trends and anticipate consumers’ needs. This will help you adjust your stock and create direct marketing that has a positive impact on your customers.
Search for terms related to your products to discover new sales opportunities.
Platforms such as Shopify and their impact on your shop
Shopify is an intuitive platform that offers robust features such as stock control, marketing plugins and a mobile-optimised design. Many businesses rely on Shopify to have a fast, efficient shop.
Consider migrating to Shopify if you are looking for better loading times and a smoother user experience.
Social media as a way to attract more traffic
Social media helps drive direct traffic to your online shop. Make use of platforms such as Instagram or Facebook to showcase your products, interact with the community and promote your items.
This also improves conversion thanks to the trust generated by recommendations and reviews on social media.
Attend webinars to stay up to date
Ongoing training is key for any e-commerce business. Attending optimisation webinars, such as those organised by AECOS or MyHappyIdea, will give you new techniques to improve your online shop.
These events offer the opportunity to discover new trends and tools that can help you manage things more efficiently.
Carry out a technical review to make sure everything works properly
Carrying out regular technical reviews helps prevent drops in performance and security problems. Below we show you the key points to check to make sure your online shop runs smoothly.
By detecting these potential problems in time, you will stop them from harming your users’ experience.
Detailed SEO and performance review
Check that there are no SEO errors such as duplicate tags, indexing problems or missing alt text. Also check that the loading speed of each page is optimal, removing unnecessary scripts or adjusting image sizes.
These improvements can make a big difference to the site’s usability and the traffic you attract.
You can hire the services of an SEO consultant specialising in e-commerce.
Web accessibility: key to an inclusive experience
Your online shop should be accessible to everyone. Make sure users with disabilities can navigate properly using screen readers, a keyboard or any other assistive tool.
Complying with accessibility regulations not only improves their experience, it can also increase the trust and satisfaction of all your customers.
Keep your online shop’s security robust
Security is another key aspect of e-commerce maintenance. Install SSL certificates, keep your plugins up to date and manage passwords properly.
- Use two-factor authentication systems.
- Prevent attacks by correctly configuring your server firewalls.
Get your e-commerce site ready for future trends
The world of e-commerce is evolving rapidly. Keep an eye out for new trends and adapt your shop to make the most of the growth opportunities that arise.
Embracing change in good time will ensure you keep a steady, competitive presence in the online market.
Adapting your shop to new seasons and regulations
With every change of season, shoppers’ preferences also change, and it is important that you are ready to adapt. Make sure you promote seasonal products properly and adjust your stock to current needs.
You will also need to keep up with new e-commerce regulations to ensure compliance and avoid possible penalties.
Update your product catalogue regularly
Keeping your product catalogue up to date is vital to project a professional image and avoid losing customers because of obsolete products. Adding new products also catches the attention of your most regular users.
Make sure you remove out-of-stock or inactive products and always keep your stock levels properly updated.
Get ready to comply with new regulations
Regularly review changes to e-commerce regulations. Complying with new data protection laws or security requirements is key to avoiding legal problems in the future.
Conclusion: act today to improve your online shop
Optimising your online shop is an ongoing process that takes dedication, but the benefits are significant. Implementing the right strategies will allow you to improve performance and increase sales.
Don’t let small problems hold you back. Every improvement counts towards offering a better experience and keeping your customers satisfied.
Implement improvements gradually
Don’t try to make all the changes at once. Prioritise the ones with the biggest impact first and gradually adjust the other elements of your shop.
Measure the results as you go to assess the impact of each improvement.
Set up an ongoing optimisation plan
Never stop adjusting and improving your e-commerce site. Technology and commercial trends keep changing, and your shop must evolve with them.
Schedule quarterly or six-monthly reviews to keep your shop up to date and maximise its performance.
Summary
Technical SEO consultant in Valencia for more than 16 years. Speaker and organiser at WordCamp Valencia and author on the Semrush and Publisuites blogs. More about me
