How to get people to purchase when they visit your website?

[VAlliy]

I searched the threads but can't find anything similar, but if there is I apologize. I get people visiting my website but no one is buying. I can see where they are looking at my items and some even start a cart but I've had my website for a year now and no sales. I've tried adding a 10% discount message sent to people who have abandoned carts but still nothing.  How do you get people to pull the trigger and actually purchase items? 

[ElisabethB]

Hi, @VAlliy! That is one of the big challenges with eCommerce, but it sounds like you already have visitors coming to your site, so that's one good thing. Without knowing what you're selling or seeing the website, I would recommend checking out your SEO to make sure you're optimized there. If it makes sense for your business, you might want to establish a social media presence, assuming you haven't already done that. You could also look into email marketing. People who visit your site might not be ready to buy at that time, but they might be willing to sign up for an email list and make a purchase in the future. These are really basic ideas that you may already be trying, but hopefully some of our other members might have some more practical advice for you. 

[VAlliy]

I can't remember if I sent this or not so if it's a duplicate I'm sorry.  If you get a chance could you take a look at my website www.thestarlightrose.com maybe there is something I could change. I redid one section because my daughter said it was too difficult to follow.  Thank you

[Forginthecraft]

Hi @VAlliy 

I have just had a look at your website (as if I was a potential customer) and here are a few points that I noted for you. 
I am no expert by the way, my website needs improving too - I need to get more done on the SEO side - so this is just bits that I have noticed and that I would say could put me off as a customer. There are some positive points too - I could list them for you too but as I don't have much time, I thought it better to focus on the opportunities for improvement. 

Here's what I would do personally:

- Get rid of the landing page but fully brand a home page with your brand colours, maybe a photo of your store so that potential customers who are local to you can recognise it, a good size logo, your slogan, feature the main categories, maybe the bestsellers and have a contact form at the bottom so customers can contact you easily.

- On this homepage, I would separate the sections visually with different colour backgrounds (for example, the header in your main brand colour, the section with the categories in white, the next one in your secondary brand colour etc... )

- In the header, you could do with a navigation menu with a "shop now" or "shop all" button (or however you want to phrase it), an about button, and maybe a T&C's one. 
- The about button would lead to the About page, where you could introduce your business and explain about how customers can contact you to commission something (if they couldn't find what they were looking for). This would remove the need for the " Welcome to my store, please take a look around and if you don't see what your looking for, contact us and we can work together to try and get it done." sentence to be on the homepage. I know that you are trying to be positive about it, by saying that you can help the customer, but what the potential customer might read or think instead is "I'm not sure I want to go on a wild goose chase if they potentially don't have what I am looking for and I need to ask them for it in the end, and it might take a whole lot of time. So actually, I know where I can find this something  and I will go there instead , even if it might be a little more expensive or not quite the right colour, etc". So in the About page, you can tell the customer exactly what they need to do to get what they want (not what they can't find) and how long it will take, etc... 

- The other thing is to make sure that you check your text over for spelling mistakes.  "... if you don't see what your looking for, ..." should be "... if you don't see what you're looking for, ..." 

- Simplify your photos, and make sure they are all "on brand". So for the categories photos in particular, I can't really tell what the photos show for Kitchenware for example. I would say maybe choose the one item that represents the category the best, and keep the photos as uniform as possible. The "Welcome Mats" and "Nursery" photos look smaller than the others because they have a white border at the top and bottom.

- You may like to revisit your categories as well. For what I could see of your products, the following categories might work better: "For the Home" (subcategories of rooms maybe), "For the Car", "For the Garden" and maybe "For the Office". Or I would have Occasions categories, such as "House Warming" "Wedding" "Gifts for Her" "Gifts for Him" "Any Occasions"... 

- One last thing is that you may want to add more photos with your items. The ceramic tiles with the saying in particular would benefit from at one of the photos showing the whole design as it's not easy to see it on this single photo. 

Do you sell in a physical shop or at markets etc or just online? either way, you will need to connect your site with which ever social media platform you are using just to spread the word you are here. If you don't have a shop or market stall etc, then maybe drop a few leaflets in your local area? Building up a mailing list can help a lot too. 

I hope the above will help, and I wish you all the best.

[JK_Fiber_Art]

Hey there Valliy,

Your question is more common that you think !   You build a web site and no one cares - so how are you different from others who have similar products or services ?   If you are totally relying on a website, you must stand out.  If you sell in person, you can promote your web site by handing out business cards, flyers, offering Free Shipping, or whatever else you can think of.

Assuming your current plans are focused on a web site - here's a few thoughts:

I've posted these same suggestions many times - consider what may work your scenario and go from there.

* It's important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to getting your website noticed and increasing sales. If there was, we would all be very happy. You need to experiment with different strategies and track your results to determine what works best for your business.

* Social Media Marketing: Social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your website and increasing sales. Creating engaging content and sharing it on social media platforms can help you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your site. Start with the basic social media sites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Pinterest, Google Maps, Google Places for Business and Yelp - the more you get your name out there the better and you can setup these accounts at little or no cost - it's just your time. Take your time and take lots of product pictures or detailed info about your services if that applies.

* Advertising in your local paper may promote sales too. Cross selling via other sites like Etsy may increase interest even if you just list a few items. Also, check out activities like local Farmer's Markets or other outdoor events (Craft Shows, Art Shows, etc.) that would fit your needs.

* Content Marketing: Creating high-quality content, such as blog posts, videos, and infographics, can help attract and engage potential customers, leading to increased sales. Both Youtube and Vimeo are great for posting product or service videos at little or no cost. All you need is a camera, some thought and a little time.

* Email Marketing: Building an email list and sending targeted campaigns to subscribers can help you stay top of mind with potential customers, leading to increased sales over time. Don't spam people, make sure your list of addresses is composed of people that want to hear from you.

* Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: PPC advertising allows you to place ads on search engines and other websites, targeting specific keywords and demographics. This can help you reach your target audience and increase sales. Note: It's a challenge to determine your ROI when spending money on advertising - choose wisely.

* Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimizing your website for search engines can help improve your website's visibility in search results, leading to more traffic and potential sales. This can involve on-page optimization (optimizing website content, tags, etc.) and off-page optimization (building backlinks, guest posting, etc.).

* Take advantage of Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools.

* Finally - word of mouth is your best friend - try to friends and family involved - people trust people they know (in most cases) and this type of advertising is FREE.

Additional tips:

Make sure your site easy to navigate - keep it simple.

Make sure your site does not have any dead end links. 

Look at your product photos - are they the best quality.

Make sure you have clear contact info - address, phone number, etc.  Not just an email address.

Do you have a registered Domain Name - this would be unique to your business so people can find you easily.

Offer a clear Return Policy and Privacy Policy - Customers need to know what to expect if returning or what info you have on them.

All the best moving forward.

jk