Increase your eCommerce conversion rate with these 5 tech-checks

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is: 

“How do I improve my online store conversion rate?”

Increasing the conversion rate of your online store can dramatically impact the income your online store generates. 

How does your conversion rate impact your revenue and profit 

We once had a client who’s Facebook Ads were performing really well on paper but they just weren’t achieving the ROAS (return on ad spend) that we were used to. Basically, their click-through rate was great, their cost per click was lower than average but it was costing us more to make a sale than we wanted. 

We knew that the ads were performing well, but they just weren’t getting the results we knew they could get. And at the end of the day, all the client cares about is ROAS.

Money out – money in. 

So we started getting curious about what could be causing this “bad” result and we found that their website conversion rate had dropped to less than 1%. Now, they had a web company looking after their site and it was their responsibility to keep an eye on this so the client was shocked when we brought this to their attention.

Moral of the story is, don’t take your eye off the numbers that matter. 

Once we identified this as a major concern, we were able to help our client improve their conversion rate. Their conversion rate went back up to 2% (and is still rising) and voila, their return on ad spend doubled. 

Double the conversion rate = double the return on ad spend. 

Ok so let’s look at 5 behind the scenes tech checks to run on your website to make sure you’re optimised for conversion rate. 

If you need to increase your conversion rate start by running these 5 tech checks: 

1. Make sure you site loads within 5 seconds 

The speed of your website is important because Google doesn’t want to send its users to a slow site plus a slow loading site leads to poor user experience. 

Use this free tool to check your load speed. 

You want your site to load in 5 seconds or less. 

2. Ensure your online store is mobile-friendly

Check your analytics to see what percentage of your traffic comes from mobile. Chances are it’ll be up around 80%. That’s why it’s so important to have a mobile-optimized site. There is nothing worse than having to pinch the screen on your phone to be able to use a website that was clearly designed for desktop. 

Again, you want your website to be optimised for mobile because you’ll get Google brownie points.

Use this free tool to see if your site is mobile-friendly, or not. 

3. Check that you have a Facebook pixel installed 

A Facebook pixel is a really powerful free piece of code that allows you to create audiences based on the actions people take on your website. Even if you aren’t running ads, the pixel can start collecting valuable information for if and when you do what to start retargeting people who’ve visited your website. 

Data can’t be collected retrospectively so you can only start collecting audiences from the day that you install your pixel. 

Use this free tool to install your Facebook pixel. 

4. Make sure you have Google Analytics installed

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Google Analytics is another free tool that should be installed on your website so you can track and measure what’s happening on your site. 

Use this free tool to install Google Analytics on your site. And make sure you have eCommerce tracking turned on. 

5. Ensure your online store is ready to follow people up when they leave without buying

Not everyone who comes to your site is going to purchase. A good conversion rate is only 3%. That means for every 100 people who come to your site, 97-99 people are going to leave without buying. 

It’s a waste of time and energy getting hung up on these numbers because it’s inevitable and something you can’t control. What you can control is what happens when someone leaves your site without buying. 

Make sure you have your email automations setup and working. It’s a good idea to regularly check these because tech gremlins can break things behind your back. Here are some examples of automated abandon-cart emails: 

Retargeting Facebook ads are a really great way to follow people up who have visited your site but have not purchased yet. By using the power of the Facebook pixel you can target people who have added something to their cart but haven’t purchased yet. Here are some examples of retargeting Facebook ads:

See how these ads would make zero sense unless you had been on the website… that’s the power of the Facebook pixel at play.

A final word

Ok, so go through your website and make sure that you have these 5 behind the scenes tech checks in place and make any adjustments as needed. If you need to improve your conversion rate, check that you have a fast loading, mobile-optimised site that has the ability to follow people up who leave without purchasing.